Kent Conrad: “I applaud the Senators from Georgia for their advocacy on behalf of some of the people who sent them here: those who are…”

“I applaud the Senators from Georgia for their advocacy on behalf of some of the people who sent them here: those who are growers of peanuts. I tell you, the two Senators from Georgia--Senator Cleland and Senator Miller--have been very determined advocates on behalf of the farmers they represent. I just hope the people back home realize how much energy and effort the two Senators have expended to secure what is needed to help their people. Senator Miller, who is a very respected member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, and Senator Cleland, who had a distinguished record of service in Washington before he ever came to the Senate and is respected on both sides of the aisle, have made very clear how important this is to their constituents. I salute them for their vigorous efforts. Mr. President, I rose to speak on another matter, and that is the fundamental challenge we face with this farm bill. I see in the press repeated indications that farm assistance is no longer needed. Nothing could be further from the truth. What these media critics seem to fail to realize is that our people are faced with major competition in the world. Our major competitors are the Europeans. They are providing over $300 an acre of support per year to their producers. We provide $38. We are being outgunned nearly 10 to 1. On export support, the Europeans account for 84 percent of all the world's export subsidy; we account for 3 percent. They are outgunning us nearly 30 to 1.”