FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Joan Kirchner
202-224-7777

August 16, 2001

Miller Vows to Protect Southeastern Farm Interests As Congress Debates New Farm Bill

ATHENS, Ga. - U.S. Senator Zell Miller (D-GA) today told a national gathering of farmers and agricultural experts at the University of Georgia that he stands ready to protect Southeastern farmers as Congress begins the debate over a new Farm Bill.

"We are at a crossroads in American farm policy, and I stand ready to protect and nurture the great potentials this country's farmers have. In my role as a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, I will try hard to bring a Southeastern voice to the table,'' Miller said. "My home state of Georgia and the entire Southeastern region of our country have a rich and diverse agricultural economy that I will work to protect every step of the way."

Miller made his remarks to an estimated 250 people gathered at the University of Georgia for the Third Annual Symposium on the Future of American Agriculture, which was started by the late-Senator Paul Coverdell to highlight the crucial issues facing American farmers.

Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman, whose nomination was confirmed unanimously by the U.S. Senate in January, also spoke at the Symposium Thursday.

Miller told the group that no issue has dominated his first year in office more than agriculture, which is Georgia's number one industry with an economic impact of more than $60 billion a year.

Miller said agriculture is facing one of its biggest transformations since the dawn of mechanical power as Congress prepares to draft a new version of the 1996 Freedom to Farm Bill. Miller agreed with farmers that the 1996 Farm Bill has failed to help U.S. farmers because it lacked an adequate safety net or a suitable insurance program.

"The Farm Bill has forced many farmers to play Russian roulette with their futures. Unfortunately, for too many farmers, Freedom to Farm has also meant freedom to fail," Miller said.

Miller also urged Georgia's peanut producers, who are divided over whether to change the current peanut quota system, to reach a consensus that he can sell to Congress.

"There is far too much division among our own farmers when I seek a unified answer on how to address our farm problems. How do peanut producers expect me to speak for them when they can't even reach a consensus among themselves?" Miller said.

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