David Minge: “we have a bill here today that is very awkward to explain to farmers because we have promised far more in rhetoric than…”

“we have a bill here today that is very awkward to explain to farmers because we have promised far more in rhetoric than we are delivering in legislation. At the same time, we have a tragic situation that farmers in the southern part of the United States have already begun planting. In the Midwest they are making plans, and they do not know what the program will be. Tragically, we have not worked together in developing a farm bill. We have not advanced the agenda on a timetable that makes sense for the planting season. I support the substitute, and I oppose the basic underlying legislation. My deepest wish is that we would have a program that we could return to our areas and proudly explain as providing the tools that farmers need to manage their risks. When we do not have that, the best we can do is to say that we hope there is a better day for American agriculture, and I sincerely hope that that day will come in time for the 1997 planting season.”