Gilbert Gutknecht: “nearly 2 years ago Congress approved landmark legislation giving farmers the freedom to farm. Supply management and…”

“nearly 2 years ago Congress approved landmark legislation giving farmers the freedom to farm. Supply management and command control agricultural policy had failed our farmers. The safety net that was intended was acting more like a ceiling, so farmers, locked arm in arm with consumers and taxpayers, changed the course of agriculture policy in this country. Today, instead of talking about expanding the acreage reduction program and conceding critical world market share, farmers are now asking Washington for fast track. Today farmers are talking about the need to keep a lid on their out-of-pocket expenses, especially those imposed by Uncle Sam by way of taxes and regulations. In short, our farmers do not want to depend on the government to merely survive. Rather, our farmers want the tools and the global markets necessary to actually succeed. Improved research and the development of more effective risk management tools, such as crop revenue coverage, are good examples. Unfortunately, the progress I have just described does not characterize Federal dairy policy, where regional divisions have prevented any kind of meaningful reform. Instead, price-fixing, whether by regional compact, cartels, bogus price floors, or an irrational order system, is still fashionable.”