Wheat Growers Lay Out Relief Agenda

July 19,1999

The National Association of Wheat Growers has outlined "common sense" legislative efforts for farmer financial assistance that they say need to be addressed before the August recess. NAWG did not put a price tag on the agenda.

NAWG President Jim Stonebrink and other officers laid out an eight-point proposal that included direct financial assistance "similar to the one (Congress) created last year." That package cost $5.9 billion. "Congress also should consider incorporating such payments as an ongoing element of the farm safety net," NAWG said.

Other provisions include removing payment limitations on federal farm assistance programs such as the freedom to farm payments and loan deficiency payments and advancing the freedom to farm payments to Oct. 1 of each fiscal year as House Agriculture Committee Chairman Larry Combest (R-TX) has proposed.

Disaster relief should be provided for weather related crop failures this year; Congress should reform crop insurance according to proposals from Combest and Rep. Tom Ewing (R-IL) in the House and Sens. Pat Roberts (R-KS) and Bob Kerrey (D-NE) in the Senate.

Sanction reform also should be implemented, says NAWG, to maintain open foreign markets for U.S. farm products. Congress also should approve permanent normal trade relations with China instead of the annual exercise over the most favored nation status issue. Congress also needs to approve "meaningful" tax reform that eliminates the inheritance tax and includes a provision that allows farmers to save money in good years that can be used to provide income relief in years when prices and incomes are low.