The Senate this afternoon (Tuesday) considers two emergency relief measures, one from the Democrats, the other from the Republicans, designed to provide billions to farmers facing low commodity and livestock prices. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) will offer an amendment calling for $11 billion in aid, and Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS) will offer the Republican version, worth $7 billion. The measures will be offered as amendments to the agricultural appropriations bill.

Harkin's amendment provides $6.373 billion in income assistance and $2.819 billion in disaster aid for a total of $8.992 billion. Other sections of the amendment include $212 million for emergency conservation, $1.427 billion for emergency trade, $150 million for emergency economic development and $12 million to pay for livestock policy changes.

Cochran proposes $5.544 billion for supplemental freedom to farm transition payments, $495 million for soybeans payments, $42 million to repeal a deficit-reduction assessment on sugar producers, $42 million for peanut producer payments, $346 million for livestock and dairy producers, and $201 million for cotton "Step 2" export program funding.

A further breakdown of the Harkin proposal shows $5.6 billion in income loss payments, $400 million for dairy producers, $45 million for peanut farmers and $326 million for tobacco farmers. Disaster assistance provisions include $400 million for a 30% premium discount for crop insurance, another $356 million for 1998 disaster relief, $200 million in livestock assistance, another $100 million to support USDA's farmer loan guarantee program and $40 million for emergency staffing needs at USDA's Farm Service Agency.

Under the $212 million for conservation, Harkin proposes $60 million for the emergency watershed program, $30 million for the emergency conservation program, $52 million for the Environmental Quality Incentive Program and $70 million for wetlands restoration.

Harkin would also provide nearly $1 billion in overseas food aid. His amendment would create a short-term land diversion program, while mandating livestock price reporting and country-of-origin. Like the Republicans, Harkin would fund Step 2.

The Republican plan would double the current $75,000 payment limit on loan deficiency payments and marketing loan gains. Some Democratic Senators denounced this provision in floor debate yesterday, but farm lobbyists claimed today the Democratic proposal had been modified to include it. Republicans also included non-binding negotiating goals for upcoming world trade talks.