Tom Harkin: “In responding to my friend from Minnesota, I was meeting with farmers this week in Iowa talking about our emergency…”

“In responding to my friend from Minnesota, I was meeting with farmers this week in Iowa talking about our emergency package. On more than one occasion the farmers got up and said: We appreciate what you are trying to do. We can sure use the money. But if all you are going to do is send out another check and we are going to have the Freedom to Farm bill again next year, it isn't going to work because we will be even deeper in the hole next year. They are begging Congress to change this policy. I tell my friend from Minnesota what I hear most often from them is they have to have a better price, they have to be able to market their grain more efficiently, and they need some limited kinds of conservation land idling program shorter than 10 years. The vast majority of farmers I talked to said we have to get our supply and demand in line. The only way we will get them in line anytime soon is if we have some land out of production. With short-term land retirement, something to take land out for conservation purposes for 2 years, or 3 years at the most, where they get some economic benefit for that, coupled with higher loan rates and the extension of the loan and storage payments, we can start to get some stability and get the farm economy back on track. This past weekend as well as on other Iowa visits, farmers are telling me if we don't change the underlying farm bill it will get worse next year.”