THE PANTAGRAPH (Bloomington, IL.) / February 17, 2001 / By CHRIS ANDERSON
SPRINGFIELD - With more than 8,000 bills introduced so far in the Illinois General Assembly, Illinois Farmers Union members expect to remain busy this spring monitoring farm issues.
According to IFU President Larry Quandt, one topic in particular has already drawn their attention: protecting farmer's rights when raising commodities under contract for a company.
"There are more than 30 value-added bills introduced alone that may help producers form their own cooperatives," said Quandt of Mason, addressing IFU members at their annual meeting Friday. "I wish we didn't have to deal with contract production, but it's really getting big beyond livestock."
The bill, Quandt said, would mimic one in Minnesota that would provide a three-day acceptance waiver for most types of contracts. It would also allow farmers to consult an attorney and/or their banker regarding a specific contract before signing it.
Some contracts include confidentiality clauses that prevent farmers from speaking to anyone about the conditions of the contract. The bill also would require contracts to be written in "plain English" and with a minimum size type for visibility.
Beyond the state's boundaries, IFU members will join hundreds of other farm, environment and food groups in shaping the 2003 farm bill. National Farmers Union President Lee Swenson has already entered a wish list based on members' guidance through a minority report of the 21st Century Commission on Agriculture.
"I actually felt the minority report was better accepted in both the House and Senate," said Swenson, of the report made by national farm leaders to Congress regarding the new farm bill. "Our report was the only one addressing concern about agricultural mergers and consolidations. The majority could not answer the question of why the government should continue just handing out money to farmers regardless of production."
Criticizing the commission majority for merely wanting the existing farm bill to continue, Swenson said Farmers Union members want countercyclical payments tied to production costs, which producers cannot control.
He has also campaigned for a limited farmer-owned grain reserve that could be used to make up for yield losses in drought or other poor weather years. Under existing policy, crop insurance may not kick in until a farmer loses 25 to 35 percent of his or her crop, Swenson said.
Other wish list items include a voluntary acreage setaside to control production with extra support payments going to those farmers, establishing a renewable fuels program to triple ethanol use and mandatory country of origin labeling on all food products imported by the United States.
In other business, Quandt announced that IFU membership grew 20 percent last year. He did not provide a total member number. He attributed the increase to membership drives and expanded programs, such as the New Fields for Farmers program that helps farmers in financial difficulty find off-farm work or new careers.
Copyright 2001 The Pantagraph:
