Winter 1994

MAWG Board does Farm Bill Brainstorming

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Prairie Grains is the
official publication of
the Minnesota
Association of
Wheat Growers,
North Dakota Grain
Growers Association,
South Dakota Wheat,
Inc., and the
Minnesota Barley
Growers Association.


This past fall, in preparation for the MAWG's resolutions committee meeting, the Minnesota Association of Wheat Growers board of directors identified several factors that it believes any 1995 Farm Bill proposal should be designed to meet.

The MAWG board believes that farm bill proposals should be:

  • Profitable
  • Simple
  • Consumer (Image) Friendly
  • Flexible
  • Attainable
  • Environmentally Friendly

With this litmus test in mind, the MAWG board then discussed and prioritized the farm bill ideas (see right), which include the percentage of the nine-member board who thought the priority was attainable.

After reviewing the priorities and the likelihood that any of the items would be realistically attainable, the consensus of the MAWG board was that minor changes need to made to the current farm bill, including but not limited to a more profitable marketing loan.

The board felt that broad-scale pilot programs would be needed before any full-scale implementation to test some of the alternative farm program proposals, including revenue insurance.

MAWG's discussion of the Farm Bill was intended to provide a starting point for future discussion. These and other farm bill ideas will continue. The MAWG resolutions committee will meet on November 1 to draft resolutions for the MAWG board to follow. The MAWG and other state wheat associations will then work with the National Association of Wheat Growers to establish a consensus of objectives for wheat to take into the 1995 Farm Bill debate.

HIGH PRIORITIES

1.  Profitable marketing loan                                    60%
2.  Continuation of 1990 Farm Bill with major changes            50%
3.  Continuation of 1990 Farm Bill with minor changes            90%

MEDIUM PRIORITIES

4.  Cost of production insurance (COPI)/Iowa Plan                0%
5.  National food tax (to fund farm programs)                    0%
6.  North American trading block                         30%

LOW PRIORITIES

7.  Tarriff/quotas (similar to sugar program)                    10%
8.  Continuation of 1990 Farm Bill with no changes               90%

Copyright Prairie
Grains Magazine
Winter 1994