Tom Harkin: “The bill reported from the Agriculture Committee meets everything in this letter, signed by all these Senators, sent to…”

“The bill reported from the Agriculture Committee meets everything in this letter, signed by all these Senators, sent to Senator Domenici. We have met the need. We have provided for the same market loss assistance payment this year as provided last year. The House bill that Senator Lugar has introduced as an amendment provides 85 percent of what was provided last year; the Agriculture Committee bill provides 100 percent. I hope Senators who sent this letter earlier to Senator Domenici recognize we met these needs; we provided 100 percent, exactly what they asked for, the same as available for the 2000 crop. As Senator Conrad pointed out, the gap, as pointed out in the letter, in rapidly increasing input costs, fuel, fertilizer, and high interest rates, still means farmers have a big gap out there between prices they are receiving and what they are paying out.”