MEMPHIS – The National Cotton Council today declared its
appreciation for the House conferees’ "extraordinary efforts" to
reach agreement on U.S. farm policy and called for Senate acceptance
so 2002 crop year implementation can be achieved.
In a
letter to House Agriculture Committee Chairman Larry
Combest (R-TX), NCC Chairman Kenneth Hood said the package proposed
today by House conferees "reflects a continuing commitment to
develop new farm policy that addresses the critical problems facing
U.S. production agriculture. Today’s proposal is an innovative
compromise that provides cost effective and sound farm policy for
America’s farmers and ranchers."
"The U.S. cotton industry now wants the Senate leadership to
accept this offer and deliver a farm bill for the President’s
signature immediately so benefits can be applicable to the 2002 crop
year," Hood said.
The letter stated that the House package: 1) provides a
meaningful safety net for all agricultural producers, 2) does not
discriminate against commercial-size operations that produce the
bulk of U.S. agricultural commodities, and 3) is consistent with
existing U.S. international trade obligations and sensitive to
ongoing World Trade Organization negotiations.
"We believe this balanced proposal supports U.S. farmers and
ranchers without stimulating overproduction or generating other
market distortions," the Gunnison, MS, producer said. "The proposed
conservation programs are generous and appropriate."
Hood said the House proposal provides a cost effective loan rate
for cotton. It also maintains the availability of marketing
certificates for loan redemptions and cotton’s 3-step
competitiveness program, including the elimination of the 1.25-cent
Step 2 threshold for the first two years.
"This package contains what U.S. cotton has called for from the
outset of farm bill discussions - the combined use of the loan,
fixed, decoupled payments and a counter-cyclical program," Hood
noted.
Today’s House proposal also offers modest increases in the
popular Conservation Reserve and Wetlands Reserve programs and
includes funding for the Conservation Security Program, which would
provide for a pilot program to explore incentive payments for farm
stewardship
practices.