HF 1746

as introduced - 79th Legislature (1995 - 1996) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

  1.1                             A resolution
  1.2             memorializing the Congress of the United States to 
  1.3             design and implement a 1995 farm bill that is 
  1.4             equitable to Minnesota family farmers. 
  1.5      
  1.6      WHEREAS, the economy of Minnesota is vitally dependent on a 
  1.7   healthy agricultural sector for the well-being of both rural 
  1.8   communities and urban centers; and 
  1.9      WHEREAS, family farmers of the Midwest play a vital role in 
  1.10  maintaining an adequate supply of wholesome, reasonably priced 
  1.11  food for the nation; and 
  1.12     WHEREAS, only $16 billion, representing just 26 percent of 
  1.13  the United States Department of Agriculture's annual budget of 
  1.14  $63 billion, currently goes for direct price support programs 
  1.15  benefiting farmers who produce food; and 
  1.16     WHEREAS, current programs are inequitable in that just ten 
  1.17  percent of all farms receive 90 percent of all United States 
  1.18  Department of Agriculture crop benefits; and 
  1.19     WHEREAS, dairy prices as established under the current 
  1.20  federal milk marketing order system are profoundly unfair and 
  1.21  discriminatory against Upper Midwest dairy producers; NOW, 
  1.22  THEREFORE, 
  1.23     BE IT RESOLVED by the Legislature of the State of Minnesota 
  1.24  that in fairness and equity to the agricultural sector of the 
  1.25  nation's economy, spending reductions at the federal level must 
  2.1   be structured so as not to impose a disproportionate share of 
  2.2   the financial burden on family farmers. 
  2.3      BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that significant savings can and 
  2.4   should occur by reducing United States Department of Agriculture 
  2.5   bureaucracy and administration, especially in the United States 
  2.6   Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C. 
  2.7      BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that programs that become part of 
  2.8   the 1995 farm bill be restructured in such a way as to provide 
  2.9   maximum benefits to small and medium-sized family farms rather 
  2.10  than large corporate farms. 
  2.11     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that United States Department of 
  2.12  Agriculture benefits be limited to a maximum of $100,000 per 
  2.13  farm. 
  2.14     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that price supports on corn, wheat, 
  2.15  oats, and sugar should remain a part of the 1995 farm bill in 
  2.16  order to maintain an adequate supply of food commodities for the 
  2.17  American people at a fair price, produced by small and 
  2.18  medium-sized family farmers. 
  2.19     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the conservation reserve 
  2.20  program should be continued and adequately funded for at least 
  2.21  ten additional years. 
  2.22     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the food stamp program should 
  2.23  remain under the jurisdiction of the Department of Agriculture 
  2.24  to maintain the connection between those who produce food and 
  2.25  fiber for the nation and those who are consumers. 
  2.26     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED by the Legislature of the State of 
  2.27  Minnesota that it urges the Congress of the United States to 
  2.28  design and implement a five-year farm bill that allows the 
  2.29  diverse agricultural producers of Minnesota and the Upper 
  2.30  Midwest to compete equitably with producers in other parts of 
  2.31  the nation. 
  2.32     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Congress structure the dairy 
  2.33  portion of the 1995 farm bill to provide solid support for the 
  2.34  dairy industry including the following actions, elements, and 
  2.35  components: 
  2.36     (a) adopt a flat rate Class I differential and a price 
  3.1   level for Class I milk at $14.00 per hundredweight that is 
  3.2   uniform across all federal orders; 
  3.3      (b) provide transportation credits to encourage the 
  3.4   movement of fluid milk to points of high demand; 
  3.5      (c) consolidate existing orders into regional orders and 
  3.6   pool all Class I differentials nationally; 
  3.7      (d) continue the price support program for manufacturing 
  3.8   grade milk at a floor level higher than the current $10.10 per 
  3.9   hundredweight; 
  3.10     (e) eliminate dairy producer assessments which tax 
  3.11  producers but provide only limited benefits; and 
  3.12     (f) eliminate block voting by cooperatives from any United 
  3.13  States Department of Agriculture program that requires producer 
  3.14  referenda. 
  3.15     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of State of the 
  3.16  State of Minnesota is directed to prepare copies of this 
  3.17  memorial and transmit them to the President and Secretary of the 
  3.18  United States Senate, the Speaker and Clerk of the United States 
  3.19  House of Representatives, members of the House and Senate 
  3.20  Agriculture Committees in Congress, and Minnesota's Senators and 
  3.21  Representatives in Congress.