Roberts Calls for Emergency Aid

April 18, 2002

Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS) wants Congress to go ahead and pass emergency farm assistance, because, he says, it's too late to get a farm bill approved that can be applied to this year's crops. He wants to see a vote on a bill he introduced last month.

"For several weeks now, I have been warning that we need to either get a farm bill finished and apply it to the 2002 crop or pass an agriculture assistance package and then pass a new bill that goes into effect for the 2003 crop," Roberts said. "It has become more apparent a bill will not be passed yet this week. The clock has expired and it is time for us to admit what most farmers and ranchers already know - it is too late to pass a farm bill that can apply to this year's crop."

Roberts noted that in both farm bill proposals passed by the House and Senate, there will be no supplemental AMTA payment, or market loss payment in September. Instead, under the counter-cyclical proposals in the two bills, producers could receive a portion of their counter-cyclical payment for wheat in December, while other crops would receive no assistance until next spring.

In addition, Roberts predicted any agreement on the farm bill will include higher loan rates - most likely at the expense of direct payments or the counter-cyclical payment.

"It was 97 degrees in Dodge City two days ago and nearly 50% of our Kansas wheat crop has been rated in below favorable conditions," he said. "My producers who may have no crop to harvest will gain nothing from higher loan rates."

Roberts pointed out his legislation relies on formulas under the 2000 AMTA payment and thus could be implemented more easily by USDA. The year 2000 date was used because it results in higher payments than the 2001 and 2002 AMTA formulas and the 2001 market loss assistance formula.

House and Senate members of the farm bill conference committee are scheduled to meet at 11 a.m. today.