Kent Conrad: “Unfortunately, that is the direction. If you will study this farm plan, what it would mean is basically the elimination…”

“Unfortunately, that is the direction. If you will study this farm plan, what it would mean is basically the elimination of farm programs. I know there are people listening who say, gee, maybe that is a good idea. I would say to those people, you need to look at what is happening in other parts of the world that produce agricultural goods because that is not what they are doing. I indicated our European friends provide over $300 an acre of support per year. We provide $38. So already they have an enormous advantage over our producers. And then, when you look at export support, they account for 84 percent of all the world's agricultural export support. We are less than 3 percent. They are outgunning us there 30 to 1. This administration plan is to wave the white flag of surrender. To all those who seek our markets the old-fashioned way, by buying them, we just say, take them; you can become the dominant player in world agriculture. That would be a profound mistake for this country. It has been one of the key sources of American strength, that we have been the dominant player in world agriculture. This plan is a guarantee that the United States would be second class, second rate, and we would have dominance by the Europeans. I pray that this plan never becomes the law and America never has to experience what this would mean to not just farmers but to the main streets in every city and town all across rural America.”