Gilbert Gutknecht: “I rise in support of H.R. 2559. I, too, want to congratulate the leadership and the staff for all the work that went…”

“I rise in support of H.R. 2559. I, too, want to congratulate the leadership and the staff for all the work that went into this bill. It does not go as far as I would like to see us go in terms of the area of revenue protection. H.R. 2559 marks a major step toward the kind of revenue protection program that I believe will be necessary to provide our farmers with a shock absorber, a shock absorber against the vagaries of weather and volatile commodity prices. The past couple of years demonstrate now more than ever that our farmers need more affordable protection in times of declining prices and natural disasters. Without these changes, we are likely to face the prospect of even more costly and more unbudgeted ad hoc annual disaster programs. Putting aside the emergency assistance package that is being prepared, the RMA estimates that $1.8 billion will be paid this year to farmers who have suffered major crop losses. Even with lower commodity prices, these payments, I am told, parallel a 17 percent jump in crop insurance protection for farmers, from $28 billion in 1998 to a projected $33 billion in 1999. Let us not lose sight of the fact that we can save precious dollars tomorrow by a smart investment today. I urge my colleagues to support these much-needed reforms. Support the Agriculture Risk Protection Act.”