| Most of us enjoyed sitting in front of our televisions and
watching American athletes competing in the Olympic games. U.S. sports
officials made sure the games followed the rules and U.S. sportsmen and
women were treated fairly.
As a farmer, I compare agriculture with the Olympic games. U.S.
athletes and their physical talent are involved in Olympics the same way
that U.S. farmers and their ability and knowledge of growing food are
involved in agricultural trade. They both are competing in an
international arena. I wish our farmers would be treated with the same set
of rules when they compete against the foreign farmers.
I am talking about the North American Free Trade Agreement and Uruguay
Round Agreement. U.S farmers are not competing against foreign farmers;
they are competing against foreign treasuries.
Sugar situation
Lets compare the U.S. sugar situation with foreign countries
sugar policies. According to the USDA, out of 170 countries that produce
sugar, 110 subsidize their sugar production, consumption and trade in some
way. This makes sugar one of the most heavily subsidized and distorted
markets in the world.
The so-called world price for sugar is not a fair price because it is
set well below the cost of production.
The U.S. sugar and sweetener industry consists of 52 percent corn
sweetener, 28 percent cane sugar, and 20 percent beet sugar. Sugar beet
and sugar cane farmers spend $500 to $700 dollars an acre to produce
sugar. Since the 1996 farm bill and the North American Free Trade
Agreement have been in effect, the prices of barley, beans, corn, sugar
and the majority of other U.S. commodities have plunged to historic lows.
Commodity prices By law, the U.S. sugar program operated at no cost to
taxpayers, which means American sugar farmers did not receive any subsidy
check for their crop. Last year (2000) because of the flood of sugar
entering from Canada and Mexico under NAFTA, the prices of sugar dropped
so low that USDA paid our sugar farmers to destroy 100,000 acres of sugar
beets to reduce the excess sugar in the market.
The U.S. market is already over-supplied. Our government is holding
800,000 tons of forfeited sugar plus 75,000 short tons of sugar imported
last year from Mexico stored at U.S. bonded warehouses. Under NAFTA,
Mexico may ship up to 250,000 metric tons of their net surplus production
each year from Oct. 1, 2000, to Dec. 31, 2007.
If we suspect any unfair ruling against one of our athletes in
international games, we make sure to stop and correct the problem. My
question is, why arent we taking any action to save our farmers?
Agribusiness accounts for 21 million U.S. jobs, over $160 billion in
annual revenues, and over $43 billion in annual exports. U.S. consumers
spend only 9 cents out of every dollar for food. West Germany spends 20
percent of its income on food, Spain, 20.1, and Venezuela, 36.9 percent of
their income for food, according to USDA statistics.
In 1996, Congress intention was to reduce the nations budget.
Lawmakers said that implementing the freedom to farm bill and killing
commodity programs would save the American people $13 billion by the end
of the year 2002 and that farmers would be in good financial shape.
However, what has happened is that from the start of the 1996 farm bill
and NAFTA to the end of 1999, the government spent $64 billion and last
year again the U.S. Congress set aside $7 billion dollars for low
commodities prices and disaster aid to farmers. There is no sign of saving
money for taxpayers.
Every year more and more farmers are having farm auctions. The average
age of an American farmer is 55.
America agriculture is worth fighting for; I am asking all the
taxpayers in this country to help save our farmers and our farmlands.
There is a for sale sign on the flag and we are having more of our
assets bought up by foreigners. Were on the way to becoming a colony
again!
Klodette Stroh farms sugar beets near Powell, Wyo. She is water
commissioner for the Shoshone Irrigation District and Park and Big Horn
County sugar chairwoman for Women Involved in Farm Economics. |