Date: 1989-06-27
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of H.R. 2467. the 1988 Disaster Assistance Extension Act. and I urge my colleagues to vote for passage of this important legislation. The drought of 1988 has not ended in many parts of the United States. Although the East Coast has experienced rain for much of the springin fact. too much rainmany other parts of the Nation have suffered continuing drought. In many areas of the Great Plains States. insufficient rainfall since last summer has exacerbated the already deficient topsoil and subsoil from last years drought. Even though rain has recently fallen over some of these areas. it fell too late to save the winter wheat crop. Across the major winter wheatproducing StatesKansas. Texas. Colorado. and Oklahomathe drought continues to be rated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as severe to extremely severe. As a result of receiving only 2050 percent of their normal yearly rainfall. and experiencing extreme fluctuations in temperatures. freezes. and wind storms. farmers in these States have seen irreparable damage done to their winter wheat crop and livestock pastures. According to the USDA. winter wheat produciton has already declined by almost 10 percent from last years reduced levels. Private analysts expect that by harvest. an additional decrease of 510 percent will occur. The winter wheat harvest normally produces 75 percent of yearly wheat production. Winter wheat was not the only crop affected by these poor weather conditions. Large sections of the Nations most productive agricultural areas face severe and widespread subsoil moisture shortfalls. As of late May. 96 percent of the cropland in Iowa was deficient of subsoil moisture. as was 98 percent of the cropland in Nebraska. 71 percent in Minnesota. 84 percent in Kansas. and nearly 60 percent in Missouri. As a result. Mr. Speaker. the outlook for springplanted crops remains in doubt as well. Although recent rains have provided springplanted crops with healthy start. experts warn that these plants. including corn and soybeans. will be highly vulnerable to drought damage this summer. should the rains not to continue. Added to this. ironically. is the excessive moisture that some regions have experienced. Parts of Texas are today expecting in excess of 10 inches of rain from a tropical storm that landed yesterday. In other areas. such as Indiana. Michigan. and Ohio. excessive rains have delayed planting of spring crops such as corn. Yet this moisture is deceiving because while it nourishes the shallowrooted young plants. it remains insufficient at the deeper levels the crops will need later. Thus we face the prospect of losing some springplanted crops which are needed for human food and for feed. due to delays in planting and/or inadequate moisture if the rains stop. Mr. Speaker. while we cannot do anything about the weather. the Congress can do something to aid farmers and farm communities affected by the continuing adverse weather conditions of 1989. Last year the Congress responded quickly and effectively to the drought by passing the Disaster Assistance Act of 1988. While the drought is no longer making big headlines. the Congress help is needed again. H.R. 2467 would simply extend the program of disaster assistance that this body approved and the President signed into law last year. It is a program that provides limited assistance to crop producers who suffer a significant loss in normal crop production during 1989. Farmers who lost more than 35 percent of their normal production due to damaging weather would be eligible to receive 65 percent of the applicable payment level for the crop they produce. The program. as it did last year. would be available to producers of program and nonprogram crops. Damaging weather would include drought. hail. excessive moisture. freeze. tornado. hurricane or excessive wind. As we did in 1988. this bill would limit the amount of disaster assistance that a producer could receive to $100.000. No individual would realize more income from disaster payments than he or she would have under normal conditions. Individuals with gross revenues in excess of $2 million would not be entitled to receive disaster assistance under the bill. The committee considered. and incorporated into the bill a number of new provisions which deviate slightly from the 1988 disaster program or are intended to clarify problems that arose in implementing the 1988 act. Specifically. the bill would: Include as damaging weather. freeze. tornado. hurricane or excessive wind. Require the Secretary to establish a de minimis yield for crops eligible for disaster payments and not prohibit requiring the destruction of such residual amount as a precondition for receiving a trop insurance indemnity payment under this amount be destroyed. Expand provisions for revegetating conservation reserve acres which the Secretary authorizes for haying or grazing. Clarify that a loss in the marketability of a crop for commercial purposes. despite normal levels of production. would be treated as an equivalent loss in production for disaster assistance purposes. Extend authority to make payments for quality losses in crop production to all nonprogram crops. Encourage the Secretary to provide funding for livestock assistance. Provide added flexibility to farmers who want to plant the alternative crops of canola. rapeseed. sunflower. safflower. flaxseed. kenaf. crambe. guayule. milkweed. or meadowfoam on permitted acres. Provide for the deepening of farm ponds for livestock water. Authorize a new program to provide emergency water assistance through grants to private and public entities that provide water to rural communities. and Direct the Department to conduct a study of the manner in which it determines the animal unit figure used for the purpose of providing emergency assistance to livestock producers. Mr. Speaker. in a letter to our colleague. Congressman GLICKMAN. regarding an earlier disaster assistance bill. Agriculture Secretary Yeutter wrote that a disaster assistance program would have to meet certain criteria: First. the bill must be budget neutral. Second. the bill must apply only to 1989 crops affected by drought. and Third. the bill must be accompanied by an agreement between Congress and the administration that Federal crop insurance will be the sole vehicle for crop disaster assistance after 1989. Mr. Speaker. H.R. 2467 meets most of these requirements. First. as the result of an amendment to the bill offered by Congressman GRANDY. and further refinements that are incorporated into the bill that we are considering today. outlays for the disaster program will not exceed savings that are generated as a result of crop production shortfalls and higher market prices. The amount of money that USDA can provide under this bill is restricted to the amount saved from reduced deficiency payments and other costs that are already included in the budget. The committeereported bill is amended with clarifying language to sec. 144. the limitation on outlays. that has two effects. It includes the cost of Federal crop insurance and conservation reserve programs in the calculation of title I costs. In addition. it excludes any legislation enacted since January 3. 1989 from the calculation of the change in Commodity Credit Corporation outlays. which determines the amount of spending available for disaster assistance. This provision will remove from the total disaster assistance outlays available. the $25 million saved by Public Law 1017. legislation which modified the Governments purchase prices for nonfat dry milk and butter. Second. as previously noted. the bill only applies to 1989 crops. The adninistration would like to limit disaster assistance only to those crops affected by drought. But I would point out to my colleagues that the 1988 disaster program. which the previous administration helped draft and heartily endorsed. was not limited to drought. H.R. 2467 simply clarifies the adverse weather conditions. In addition to drought. that would be covered. This is the only way to ensure that farmers who have been affected by adverse weather.. including drought. are given fair and equitable treatment. Finally. the bill as reported includes a reqtiirement that any producer who accepts a disaster payment or forgiveness of an advanced deficiency payment for 1089 crops. must sign up for multiperil crop insurance for those same crops in 1990. This is similar to a provision that was included in the House bill last year. but was modified In conference with the Senate when we finalized the 1988 bill. Mr. Speaker. it is our intent in this legislation to ensure that farmers provide their own protection against future adverse weather conditions through the purchase of crop insurance. I would note that a Commission established by legislation authored by the Committee on Agriculture last year will report to us on July I with their recommendations for improvements in the Federal Crop Insurance Program. It is my hope that these recommendations will provide the basis for improving the crop insurance program and allow us to achieve the objective of farmers providing their own protection. an objective which I share with the administration. Mr. Speaker. I believe that H.R. 2467 is a fair. equitable. and fiscally responsible bill and I ask my colleagues to Join me in supporting this important legislation.