Dick Lugar: “I appreciate this colloquy with the distinguished Senator because I think we are probably dealing with values and issues…”

“I appreciate this colloquy with the distinguished Senator because I think we are probably dealing with values and issues which are very important even in the midst of an empty Chamber. I am hopeful other colleagues are listening in from time to time to this dialog. The dilemma we face, it seems to me, is not that the land values are going to come down, but rather that farmers will now have to plant for actual markets as opposed to planting for the Government. I think the prices, in fact, have some chance, under my idea, of going up again, in large part because I believe the policies we might adopt in the Daschle- Harkin bill are likely to depress prices. The hope is that will not be so and maybe world conditions or weather conditions, or something, might change. But it seems to me there is a history of stimulating overproduction and lower prices. That affects big farmers as well as small farmers.”