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555 Dirksen Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Ph: 202.224.6342
Fax: 202.224.1100
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Raleigh Office:
310 New Bern Avenue
Suite 122
Raleigh, NC 27601
Ph: 919.856.4630
Toll Free: 866.420.6083
Fax: 919.856.4053
Salisbury Office:
225 North Main Street
Suite 304
Salisbury, NC 28144
Ph: 704.633.5011
Toll Free: 866.420.6084
Fax: 704.633.2937
Western Office:
401 North Main Street
Suite 200
Hendersonville, NC 28792
Ph: 828.698.3747
Fax: 828.698.1267
Eastern Office:
306 South Evans Street
Greenville, NC 27835
Ph: 252.329.1093
Fax: 252.329.1097
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Speeches
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DOLE ADDRESSES THE N.C. FARM BUREAU
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December 3rd, 2007 - Thank you ladies and gentlemen for that wonderful, warm welcome, and thank you, Larry, for your very kind words of introduction. I am enormously grateful for the Farm Bureau’s support and advice on so many fronts over the years. You are a strong voice for North Carolina farmers, and agribusiness, and it is my pleasure to work closely with you. It’s a joy to be with so many good friends here today.
It sure is good to be with my new roller coaster buddy, Agriculture Commissioner Troxler! Folks, Steve and I had the thrill of sitting on the very front row of the ride at the State Fair, which was just loads of fun. Steve, thank you for the incredible job you did with the State Fair and for all the tremendous work you do for our agriculture industry.
Now, as we all know, agriculture is North Carolina’s number one industry and the engine of our economy. As my husband Bob Dole says, “If you don’t eat, you don’t need to worry about the farmer.” In other words, agriculture truly touches us all, and in the Senate, I am always ready to stand up and fight for you and your livelihood.
In recent weeks, I have heard from many of you concerned about the farm bill the Senate currently is considering. Right now my number one priority is ensuring that this legislation is good for North Carolina. Unfortunately, the bill that has come to the Senate floor has numerous problems for our farmers, and the Senate Democrat leadership has refused to allow the bill to be amended. This is unacceptable, particularly considering the broad reach of this legislation. That is why a couple weeks ago I voted against ending debate on the farm bill – because we deserve the opportunity to ensure that North Carolina interests are represented.
One of the farm bill’s major problems is in the livestock title. It includes a provision called the packer-owner ban, which prohibits a packer from owning any livestock, including livestock under contract. You should know that I adamantly oppose this ban and am working with my colleagues to get this provision removed from the final bill.
Another problematic measure creates a new office in the Department of Agriculture that would be given unchecked authority to investigate every agriculture-related contract. Basically this new office would have the power to approve or deny any marketing arrangements made between private entities. I disagree with this expansion of the size and scope of the USDA. In fact, the Department of Justice already has the authority to investigate unfair contracting, and recently expressed opposition to this idea, on the grounds of it being “constitutionally objectionable.” Our livestock and poultry industries are prime examples of how producers, packers and consumers all can benefit without interference from the federal government, and I do not think we need to take a giant step backwards by placing unnecessary and undue regulations on these industries.
In addition, this bill is bad for North Carolina because it reduces payment limits for our growers – and there are some Midwestern Senators who do not think it goes far enough. Senators like Byron Dorgan of North Dakota are leading the charge to reduce payment limits even further, to the point where a grower cannot receive more than a total of $250,000 per year. Now, this may work for growers in Midwestern states, but in North Carolina, production costs for growers are high, and this proposed payment limit cuts too deep.
I know I’ve come out swinging at the Senate farm bill, but it isn’t all gloom and doom. There are some areas we can build upon, and the legislation includes some positive aspects, like: moderate reforms to the cotton and peanut programs; a significant increase in funding for marketing specialty crops; a new subsidy for the textile industry; an increase in funding for the EQIP program; a critical increase in funding for Rural Development; a suitable forestry title; and a strong nutrition title.
I am very pleased that the nutrition title expands the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program to all 50 states. This program encourages healthy eating habits in school children and helps combat childhood obesity. In North Carolina, nearly 1.4 million children are enrolled this school year in the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, which greatly benefits both our farmers and our children.
Another win-win situation for our farmers is the practice of gleaning, where excess crops that would otherwise be thrown out are taken from farms, packing houses, and warehouses, and distributed to the needy. Each year in this country, 96 billion pounds of good, nutritious food is left over or thrown away. Gleaning helps eliminate this waste – it helps the farmer because he doesn’t have to haul off or plow under crops that don’t meet exact specifications of grocery chains – and it helps the hungry by giving them nutritious, fresh foods.
I have gleaned a number of times with a wonderful organization called the Society of St. Andrew – in October, we were out gleaning sweet potatoes in Harnett County. I have several Senate initiatives aimed at ending hunger. One that I am trying to attach as an amendment to the farm bill would change the tax code to give transportation companies tax incentives for volunteering trucks to transfer gleaned food. This would provide extra encouragement for trucking companies to donate space in their vehicles to help more food – often gleaned from farms like yours – reach more hungry people.
So from hunger and nutrition, to payment limits and livestock regulations, the farm bill really is as vast and diverse as the U.S. agriculture industry itself.
In the Senate, I am focused on helping our agriculture industry remain competitive, whether by lessening burdensome regulations or fighting tooth and nail for fair trade agreements. As farmers in North Carolina have proven, you can produce goods based on market demand and not necessarily on government-issued quotas. Take for example the growth in our specialty crops and nursery production – from blueberries to Christmas trees, our growers have focused their efforts to meet consumer demands and have made North Carolina a leader in a variety of niche markets. And look no further than our prized golden leaf tobacco, which was one of the most heavily regulated crops in history. In fact, the federal government nearly restricted tobacco farmers right out of business. Ladies and gentlemen, I would say that one of our biggest accomplishments working together is securing a tobacco quota buyout.
First of all, the fact that there are only a few tobacco states produced an enormous stumbling block, so to find members to join this fight was an awesome task. Then Richard Burr, who was then serving in the House of Representatives, and I, along with a handful of other members, had to advocate and engage in extensive persuasion to win over the support of many, including the White House, no less. I’ll never forget the day President Bush was asked by a reporter about the tobacco quota buyout at a 2004 campaign stop in Ohio. He responded that he didn’t think it was necessary. I immediately hauled about half of the President’s policy staff into my office that afternoon so I could do some ‘splainin’ to them about the urgent need for a buyout. The story spread around pretty quickly, spurring many of you North Carolina farmers to adorn your cars with “No Buyout, No Bush” bumper-stickers. Well, the President got the message…and we got our buyout, enabling some farmers to retire with dignity, paying off the bank. Other farmers have the ability to participate in the free market. If you want to continue to grow leaf, you can compete worldwide without an artificial cost increase. Many also have used this opportunity to invest in new equipment and transition to other crops. This “legislative miracle”, as I like to call it, will pump about $4 billion into the North Carolina economy, and our state continues to lead in tobacco production.
But, as you well know, tobacco continues to be at risk for further regulation and taxation. For example, some in Congress are trying to require the Food and Drug Administration to regulate tobacco products. I strongly oppose this. The FDA has authority to monitor food, drugs, and medical devices – and tobacco products do not, and should not, fall into any of those categories.
Recently, there’s also been an attempt to raise the tobacco tax by 156 percent. Obviously I support reauthorizing the health insurance program for low-income children called SCHIP – and I support expanding it. But it must be done in a way that does not land squarely on the shoulders of North Carolina farmers and manufacturers. More than 255,000 people in our state rely on tobacco for their livelihood. Under this plan, North Carolina stands to lose at least $540 million in decreased manufacturing, nearly $16 million in farm production and as many as 1,800 farm jobs. I will not support a huge tax increase that very disproportionately harms North Carolina jobs. That’s not fair to our state. Be assured that I am working hard to get an SCHIP reauthorization and an expansion of the program that that truly helps, not hurts, North Carolina.
Furthermore, I am always watching out for unfair trade agreements that could cost North Carolina jobs. When I see a treaty that potentially is not good for North Carolina, I push to secure hard-fought concessions to make it better for our state…because fair trade agreements can bring opportunities for North Carolina’s farmers and other industries by opening up markets abroad for your products. I remember vividly, one entire weekend - - all day Saturday and Sunday - - negotiating with the White House before giving my support.
I have been supportive of our trade negotiators who have worked diligently at the Doha rounds to reach trade agreements with other countries. Unfortunately, the European Union negotiators have continuously singled out cotton from the rest of the agriculture negotiation. They have tried to strip cotton price-supports without giving us access to their markets in return. A few weeks ago, several of my colleagues and I wrote to U.S. Trade Ambassador Schwab, calling on her to oppose any attempt by the EU to significantly cut U.S. cotton without market access.
Not only must we take a tough stand with the EU, our Asian trade partners must also play fairly. A few weeks ago, our pork producers called me in a panic that Taiwan was getting ready to immediately ban all pork imports from the United States that tested positive for traces of ractopamine, an ingredient commonly found in livestock feed. Taiwan is a significant export market for U.S. pork. So, on a Saturday, I began to hunt down Representative Wu, of Taiwan. I found his wife at home and tracked him down on a golf course. I shared my concerns with him, and by the end of our conversation, he was assuring me that no such ban would occur. Unfortunately this issue has recently reappeared, and I will do all in my power to make sure Taiwan continues to be a market for our growers.
Not only do our farmers need free and fair trade to remain competitive, you also need a dependable labor force. No question, the H-2A program is broken. Our agriculture sector needs a reliable temporary immigrant worker program. I have repeatedly expressed my concerns to Labor Secretary Elaine Chao about the H-2A system and have urged the Department to use regulatory actions to help our farmers. Recently, the Labor Department announced steps that it will take to simplify the process for hiring H-2A workers. This is a welcome development, but there is more to be done. I will continue to push hard to ensure that you have a reasonable way of obtaining the workers you need.
Lastly, folks, please know that I am tremendously concerned about the devastating effects of the statewide drought that no doubt has impacted all of you. I thank God that we’ve gotten some much needed rain, but it’s not nearly enough. For a disaster declaration to be issued, the governor must first submit a request to the president or the Secretary of Agriculture. Every time Governor Easley has submitted a request for assistance, I immediately call the White House or the Agriculture Secretary and encourage them to expedite the process to quickly get our farmers the relief you need. Sometimes when that aid is not enough, Congress needs to take action, and I stand ready to work with my colleagues to provide economic relief for our farmers. The drought also intensifies a dire situation facing our rural communities, and that is the lack of access to fresh water. One of my priorities is improving water access in rural areas, and in the fiscal year 2008 Budget Resolution I secured an extra $250 million for USDA Rural Development water and wastewater loans and grants. I understand that this issue is critical to the prosperity and survival of our rural communities.
Ladies and gentlemen, our farm families and rural communities are the very backbone of our state and our nation. You stand firm for values like honesty, integrity, hard work, perseverance, and faith in God, and you provide the food and fiber for this state, our country and the world. I am so proud to stand with you, and I look forward to continuing our work together on these and other issues important to your livelihood.
It is a privilege to represent you in the United States Senate and to be here with you today. May God bless you all, and may God continue to bless our great state, and our land of the free, America.
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