The House has recessed, but the Senate is working on a number of compromise
Farm Bill provisions which support sustainable agriculture. Thursday's
cloture vote on Leahy-Dole-Lugar-Craig based on the Freedom to Farm bill
was postponed until this afternoon. This vote may not occur if there is
broad support for the Daschle-Dole agreement. It is vital that action be
taken before today's vote. We basically want to STOP Leahy-Dole-Lugar-Craig
and SUPPORT Dole-Daschle compromise. The Dole-Daschle compromise contains
many of the proposals the Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture has been
promoting, and is a big improvement over Freedom to Farm.
PLEASE CALL OR FAX YOUR SENATOR TODAY, 2/6 and convey these messages:
1. SUPPORT THE DASCHLE-DOLE AGREEMENT, which:
- Creates the Fund for Rural America with $300 million for conservation
programs, rural development programs, (beginning and minority farmer and
value-added marketing programs, and research programs to increase
opportunity in farming and environmental quality
- Authorizes new enrollments in Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)
- Extends commodity programs for 3 years, with payments partially
guaranteed and partially based on market and production conditions
2. SUPPORT SEN. DASCHLE'S AMENDMENT that:
- Reduces eligible herd size limit so that hog and cattle farmers (not the
corporate livestock industry) can receive money for pollution prevention
through the EQIP program.
- Retains conservation compliance, swampbuster and sodbuster, eliminates
proposed weakening of enforcement.
3. OPPOSE "CLOTURE" (shut off of debate) on Leahy-Dole-Lugar-Craig
proposal.
- This compromise is based on Freedom to Farm bill. We do not want cloture
because that would prevent introduction of other compromise bill by
Dole-Daschle and other amendments.
Senate Switchboard: 202-224-3121
Julie Burns
Southern SAWG/Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture
hn3897@handsnet.org
12 Laurel Ave. Asheville, NC 28804
(704) 255-8376 phone
(704) 254-1937 fax
Sent: February 6, 1996 6:11 am PST Item: R00LKRp