Northeast Texas farmer to participate in NFU's 'fly-in'

By LYNN MONTGOMERY | East Texas Edition

September 5, 2002 -- One Northeast Texas member of the National Farmers Union (NFU) will join other NFU members across the nation during the annual "fly-in" to Washington, D.C., on Sept. 9.

Jimmy West, of Roxton, will be part of the delegation meeting with congressional members on behalf of farmers across the country.

"My primary goal is to talk about restoring the disaster (aid) provisions," West said. "This area and most of Texas are needing disaster assistance."

From droughts in West Texas to flooding in South Texas, crops across the state has suffered. Even though crop insurance is available when crops fail, West feels "crop insurance as it is, is an inadequate safety net.

"If the farmer doesn't get some type of help, there will be farmers I know that won't be here next year," he added.

West explained the yearly battle for farmers. "When prices are low but yields are high, people can struggle and keep going. But, it there is not a crop, the price doesn't matter."

West, who farms in Lamar and Red River counties, is one of many farmers who are at a loss with this years crops.

This year, West planted corn early in the season; again on the optimum date; and again in May when expert say it is too late to plant.

"Do you know which planting produced the best crop?" he asked. "The corn planted in May is the best. The corn planted early in the season was okay but the sorriest corn was the corn planted on the optimum day. Overall, it has been a bad growing season," he continued.

West was part of the 1998 Washington fly-in, in which disaster relief was also discussed.

"The NFU was one of the reason we received disaster relief," West said.

Other business the NFU group hopes to accomplish is asking for clarification on seven issues implemented in the farm bill.

Issues are, according to an Aug. 21 news release, 1), the process and rationale for establishing the marketing loan rates for wheat on a class-by-class basis, including the potential for future production distortions created by the wide differentials between several of the classes of wheat; 2) relative equity of loan rates established for commodities in adjoining counties, with particular attention paid to those established in adjoining counties in different states; 3)process and rationale for establishing the marketing loan program rates for many of the minor oilseed crops; 4)USDA's process of establishing program crop base acres and yields; 5)progress of the voluntary and mandatory country-of-origin labeling programs; 6)planting flexibility regulations that may present challenges to producers who wish to establish new or more diverse crop rotations; and 7)progress in implementing the other titles of the farm bill.

"We hope that our lobbying will help get disaster relief for 2002 and make it retroactive for 2001, and we will continue to get disaster relief until such time that the crop insurance is more adequate," West said.

NFU lobbys for issues that are the "most burning," according to West.

Country World will report a follow-up to this story when the group returns.