Conrad Ups the Ante in Farm Relief

July 16,1999

In the latest proposal to aid farmers throughout the country, Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) has upped the ante, outbidding his colleague, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) with a $9 billion farmer relief package. Harkin is the only other member of Congress to propose an actual dollar amount ($6.5 billion). The Clinton Administration has been silent on a figure but has called for some relief for farmers again faced with low commodity prices this year.

The bill is the first of two Conrad proposals. The other, known as his Farm Income and Trade Equity (FITE) Act will be introduced within the next two weeks, he said.

Conrad's relief package includes $5.6 billion in market loss assistance payments for program crops, equal to 100% of the market transition payments farmers now are receiving; $2.5 billion for various disaster programs, including a 30% discount on crop insurance for the coming year; $300 million for flooded lands; $295 million for the Livestock Assistance Program; sufficient funds to cover any shortfall in 1998 disaster payments, and a disaster reserve to provide a cushion for 1999 programs.

Also included is $349 million for the cotton Step 2 program, $90 million for citrus losses, $70 million to resolve "erroneous disaster program denials," $30 million for the Emergency Conservation Program, $200 million for dairy farmers, $45 million for peanut growers, $750 million for soybean purchases and $50 million to increase the Farm Service Agency staff.

With the long August recess looming, Conrad's bill, and probably Harkin's as well, may have to wait until after Labor Day for consideration. Harkin wants to attach his relief measure to the agricultural appropriations bill yet to be finalized by the Senate, and Conrad has similar plans.