NFO-59 (AV10466): US Farm Report

[music] welcome to the u.s. farm report these programs are brought to you in the hope of building a better understanding of the problems facing the farmers of this country and how these problems reflect on all other segments of this great nation today we have with us discussing some of these issues Congressman John Race for the sixth District of Wisconsin and Norbert Berger NFO County chairman of Fond du Lac County I have Norbert Berger of chairman of Fond du Lac County with me tonight is Congressman John Race of the sixth District of Wisconsin thank you tonight on this telecast I've always been a firm believer in your organization and if I were a farmer I believe I'd be a member of your organization I understand only farmers can be members of the NFO I like you're the NFO's plan I think farmers in this nation are going to prosper they're all going to be could have to join one group and work as a team I think the NFO would be the team I would want to be a member of well thank you John I know in your background of working as a machinist that surely you understand what collective bargaining means yes I believe I do Norbert I got my first briefing on NFO from you and another member two or three years ago and I was campaigning for office I remember very clearly you coming over to my house and telling me about the NFO and I followed up on it to study the NFO and I think it's the salvation of the farmer in America today well we believe so too mr. Race and what kind of reception did our over a hundred district chairman get when they went to Washington in support of the farm bill well I think they had a very good reception in Washington I had a number of your farmers from the 6th district down to visit me in my office and I'm quite sure that they they got a good reception I know they got one in my office and talking with some of the other congressmen from Wisconsin I know they were well received they were gentlemen they explained their program and asked us to support the new farm bill that was coming up at that time and they did a very good job for your organization congressman race I'd like to have you explain to some of the people some of the bills that were passed and some that you introduced in might what is my opinion one of the most fruitful sessions of Congress to come out of this 18 most fruitful sessions to come out of this 89th Congress of the United States well Norbert members of this Congress this 89th Congress produced more far-reaching laws than any other Congress in our history much has been written about this Congress I think that we if we had to give it a label we could call it the Congress of a fulfillment this Congress of this Congress that wrote into the law of the land programs of fulfillment beyond expectations many of these programs were in the Congress for many years for an example of Medicare bill the Medicare bill has been in the hopper and been acted on since the time of Harry Truman back in 1948 this Congress that was elected with President Johnson took this bill up and passed it after 20 years of debate we knew there was a need for this type of legislation and I think that this will be one of the most significant pieces of legislation to become law this year sometimes we hear criticism that we are becoming a nation of losing its soul I think Medicare is a denial of this charge Medicare so to speak will be the healing hand to the elderly and to the blind to the children and to the disabled and also the infirm of our nation there are many bills Norbert that came up before this session to name a few of them there was the education bill Congress passed an education bill was the first one of of this type to ever be passed in Congress Elementary and Secondary Education Act will provide a billion dollars to improve the education of children that can't that come from poverty stricken families and it also helped school districts where there are a large number of these children that are coming from poverty-stricken families and when I say poverty-stricken families I mean families with an income of $2,000 a year or less it will furnish books for these children and furnish many other special classes that they are not getting the benefits of at this time Wisconsin will receive 22 million dollars under this program whether the children go to a public school or a parochial school they will benefit from this program the schools will not benefit the individual children whether they be going to going to a parochial or a private school will get the benefit these two programs I think Medicare and aid the education were the two most important pieces of legislation we passed this session of the Congress I want to say a few words about some of the other bills that we've had before many bills in the pollution area the water pollution the air pollution control we also have the revision of the Immigration Act the honor of this farm bill which I think will say a few words about I'm sure you're interested in that your organization was they were down to Washington to see many of the congressmen to get this important piece of legislation passed I think one of the features of the new farm bill is the long term land retirement this will be 5 and 10-year contracts the farmers that want to put their land in retirement they will be giving it a be given an extra amount of money if they will open this land to the hunters and the fishermen of this country I think that many farmers are gonna take advantage of this long-term retirement and it's also going to benefit the sportsmen over the country as well that's just one of the features of the new Act the Act is also a a four year program instead of a two-year program includes many of the features of the old bill but I think was the four-year bill these farmers will be able to plan ahead a little more having fast not in the field of health besides Medicare there are new laws controlling drugs establishing mental health centers establishing health research facilities strengthening of our medical library establishing regional medical programs to fight heart disease cancer and Stroke in the field of anti-crime measures this Congress passed laws authorizing a Presidential Commission on law enforcement we also passed the presidential assassination act and also made it a federal crime to murder and kidnap and assault the president, laws that were never on books before in the field of natural resources-we we passed the Highway Beautification Act Water Resource Planning Act the Assateague shore act which is obscene National Park on the Eastern Shore of our country you know many of our national parks are out on the western part of our country and we you've seen fit to pass a couple bills to establish national parks in the eastern part of our country where the heavy populated area lives there are many good bills that Congress has passed I think another one what we could probably talk on tonight is the conversion Act to convert saltwater into pure water as you know in this country especially in the East Coast we have we've had terrific water shortages this year especially in the New York area and we can't do too much and research to bring about a greater water supply in this country many big companies in the United States that are are working in doing research on these conversion bills converts salt water into pure drinking water we have a big Wisconsin firm is working on that and I'm sure that the money that's put up by Congress this year will help solve this program and bring it about quicker way we could go on for four hours talking about the major accomplishments of the new Congress I'm sure that you've heard many of the bills that were passed I'm sure that the legislation we passed this year is not only going to help our country it will also help the citizens of this country live a better life down in the future I believe congressman Raceed that this has after you explained it to me here today that this is probably one of those you say one of the most most fruitful sessions of Congress with bills like Medicare where the age of farmers in my area I believe is about 57 years of age and this aid to education where it comes under the poverty program and I believe there's quite a few of them in our area that do have an income of less than the $2,000 and this is why NFO was organized also to bring this standard up but to these this Medicare for the people that are ready of the elderly age I think it's going to do wonders for them in thing in terms of medicine that they couldn't afford on their own program I'm sure many of the people over 65 years old will take advantage anybody over the age of 65 is eligible to come under the Medicare program that was passed this year there are many other bills Norbert that were good bills that I thought were past this in this session we passed the excise tax cut which is nearly 5 billion dollars this act alone will give the people of Wisconsin nearly 300 million dollars more to spend next year these laws one of them and some of them or all of them will provide a better life for all our elderly citizens our school children and also our college students and our farmers our business men our sportsmen and our neglected one I think that mainly this recreation bill that you have passed here is is going to benefit a lot of people in the city for the simple reason that today with all the posts that land that we have in the country that if we're going to pay rent on these farms so we're taking the amount of production I believe this is a wonderful opportunity for these people to enjoy recreation sort of hunting and fishing in something as they pointed out before Norbert I think many of the farmers are going to participate in this land retirement Act they're going to be given extra dollars for for retiring under the five and ten year period I'm sure they're gonna take advantage of getting this extra money and taking the signs down letting the hunters and the fishermen in to use the land maybe even swimming this has been the thing of the past I think that what has kept most of us apart is the thing of labor in the farmer this sort of a wall they've built up between us and on this minimum wage law that was proposed maybe you could fill us in a little on that I'm deeply concerned with this I believe that any man working on the farm should be deprived of a of the minimum wage any more than the man working in tone well there is a new minimum wage bill coming up it didn't get out of committee this last session I assume it will get our committee in the first part of the session next year it does include farm help and also includes many people who do not come under the minimum wage at this time it will include people working in restaurants hotels motels filling station and canneries of all sorts pea canneries and corn cannery, fruit canneries will all come under the new minimum wage debate in the in the committee was that it was a little bit too high the last I heard they were talking about raising it up to a dollar the dollar and 40 cents an hour and this will include farm help as you say and the help is hard to get I don't think that the farmers could get anybody now to work for a dollar 40 an hour but we don't know what the minimum wage bill will be until it comes out of committee and it's debated on the floor of Congress I think that this would solve a lot of our unemployment in this state in other states if the minimum wage law was passed and the NFO program went into effect where we would get cost of production that we could hire these people at the minimum wage law and I believe this would create a lot of employment over the area with the agricultural areas there's no question about it that the NFO program was put into effect throughout this nation the farmers would be getting more for their products the farmer now has to take whatever the processor offers them for his produce if NFO was in effect they could bargain for the prices the farmer would know what to expect when he took a bushel of corn or a hundred pounds of milk to the creamery he would know the price who's going to get the same as the labor man does negotiating their wage contract some have one year in two year contracts but they know what they're going to make in the morning when they go to work the farmer does not know that he has to take what the processor is willing to pay him that's one reason I believe that the NFO is a good program good for all of the farmers of this nation in now your stay in Washington congressman Race do you think that many of the congressmen and lawmakers down there feel about this program as you do I think many of the farmers especially the Midwest and Western farmers talk highly of the NFO the city congressmen are not as much interested as some of us who represent rural is well I think that before any bill is voted on they discuss it with the people that do have congressmen that do represent rural areas and we have to do a selling job to get logs that we want through for the rural people and they have to promote their bills for the city people well that's the way that the thing works in our Congress and I'm sure that all the congressmen studied over the the plan that we could do a lot for the organization I think then it is possibly also our duty to inform the people in the cities of what type program the NFO represents and what you as a congressman are doing for them as well as us and sort of form a happy group as we would say instead of this division that they have us in at the present time well I don't think there's a division I think that the working people have come to understand some of these farm programs in the last five or ten years I think the t NFO has taken their the plan to the people in the cities I I know that you and many people in your organization is as well has talked to labor groups I'm sure labor understands your problems they they had the same problem back in 1936 when the Wagner Act was passed they were given the opportunity to go out and organize and collective bargain and I'm sure that they understand that the farmer is up against the wall and he's got to make a move some way and I think the NFO plan through collective bargaining is the plan for the American farmer today I'm quite happy to hear you say that I mean there's this is the thing that we are working on is a better relationship through the farm proof through the farmer and the city dweller and I think it's we should be quite concerned all of us because with with the agriculture in sliding phase as it has been in the last over the period of the last couple years we stand to lose a lot of our local business some small town business and we see it in our area where the farmers are drifting from the land to accept positions in town as Labor's not because they enjoy it but because they have to have an additional income you have any comments to make on that congressman reason well I think that the Congress knows that the farmer is not getting his share out of this economy we are now enjoying the highest economy this nation has ever seen in fact the highest economy of any nation in the world the president has picked the national marketing commission to study the profit situation in this country and seeing who is making the money the middleman the farmer isn't getting it is the middleman or or just what the problem is and this committee is presently holding meetings throughout the nation I think that in some sections of the country your people have the NFO testified before this committee and I'm sure that they will be through with their hearings at the end of the year and make a report to the president and to the Secretary of Agriculture and what comes out of the committee might be some suggestions to make some changes in the farm programs in the future I think that food could be a bigger bargain for the American people if we did make some of the changes that this committee that I'm sure is going to come up with an example for example we we spent about 17% of our food or pay for food right now and back about 25 years ago we were paying 24% and we got to get the economy for the farmer up I'm sure that these committee reports will come up with some suggestions and Congress will take action well I sure I am glad to hear this mr. Race because I think in the past that we have been overlooked somewhat by some of the people that have been represented for representing us in Congress but I'm sure after talking with you here today that this is going to change and has changed I can see it now because I know on one occasion here sometime ago we called your office and we did get response to it right away and this is the thing that the people should recognize when voting that they have to vote for a man or regardless of his party or who will do the job for him and represent him in Congress and it's sure been a pleasure here to set in and talk over these legislative bills now maybe you have something else to add in the two minutes seconds we've got left well I just like to thank you for inviting me here tonight Norbert and I'd be happy to come to speak to any of your NFO organizations the organized organizational meetings rather at any time I'm going to be back in the district for for a lot of month and I also invite you to Washington to stop Washington see me anytime you can come in I believe we we do have a legislative representative down there that by the name of Harvey Sickles that calls on your office once once in a while yes I met Harv and he's out working for the NFO all day long I meet him in the hall living other congressmen he's been in my office many times this is happy to have them this is something that they've always accused us through the press and some of it that we have not been a lobbying group we have just sort of been taking the bull by the horns so to speak and doing without thinking now I think that you know that this is not true through some of the discussions you had with our district chairman when they visited you in Washington well no matter what program is come up with Norbert you're going to have opposition I think that you people have been doing a good job you have a lot of young people in your organization and I think it takes the young people to go out and do the job and these are the people that are going to reap the benefits of their work and the years to come this is exactly my thinking on the thing I I know that I have two sons that would enjoy farming providing there was an equitable income for them on the farm but at the present time we have to pick up outside employment in order to give them a decent standard of living and and I think with the investment that the farmer has out here today that I believe that he should be justified in getting at least cost the production well he should be getting more than cost production he should be making a profit there's nobody in business to just break even the average farmer has the forty five to fifty thousand dollar investment and he should be making a fair rate of interest on that money instead of losing money that's why I believe in your program that would the farmer would know what kind of a check he was going to get when he at the end of the month when he got his milk check and this is something that it has to be done we just can't have the farmer working half time in town and half time on the farm we want to make family farmers out of our farmers and keep them family farmers that's the backbone of our country and I think it always will be and if we don't come up with a plan to strengthen our farmers we're going to lose a lot of them to the city both of a part-time basis and a full-time basis every year we see where there's farmers giving up their farm the farmer next door takes it over he's taking on a bigger responsibility has to have more machinery machinery is high price and we've got to get the farm economy up get by the bootstraps and and I think your organization is trying to do that and I give them credit for and I think with the help of men like you in Congress I'm sure that we're going to get this job done because as we say that we cannot do this job without good legislation and without good congressmen to represent us in getting this legislation that we need no it's been a long time I think since that we've sat down together such as we're doing here today and starting to talk me as a mere farmer talking with a congressmen expressing our views and what can be done and I believe we've accomplished a quite a thing here today is talking in [Unclear] believe so too Norbert we in Congress are not complacent we're not satisfied with our economic gains much yet needs to be done despite the general prosperity we are enjoying we still have poverty stocks millions of our people and crime and Google juvenile delinquency still affect our cities there are many problems that have to be solved some of the housing means we mentioned water pollution before transportation our educational needs in many areas they're still unresolved our non-white citizens have not yet fully achieved their equal opportunities in this country while we have made great progress this year and meeting many of these challenges we still have a lot to accomplish I think that this Congress will go back in January and look at some of those bills that we have passed and if they're not right we will make the changes and there are a few more a few more things that have to be done that weren't taken care of we mentioned some of them the minimum wage bill and 14b was set aside and I'm sure that there are many things as I mentioned that have to be done I'm sure this Congress will well open its ears and eyes and take care of the needs of the people in the nation I am glad to hear this I was pretty deeply concerned about some of these bills that came up like this on this farm bill that that has passed and become law now I think as we stated before that this is going to help a lot of the farms of some of the ones that are poor in production that can be set aside for recreation and and it will benefit us all through this and there'll be many many people in their late 50s or early 60s would want to participate in this thing and still be able to live on their farms they've out their old age on the land that they so dearly love I'm sure that the statement that you just made will probably be to Norbert we were looking forward to correcting the situation and bringing back the family farm as it was before World War II a new farmer was a farmer he wasn't working half in the city and a half in town I'd also like to say before we close this program Norbert that my office is open to anybody that has any problems we get many letters from the farmers of this area we also get many letters from the other segments of our our area and if we can be of help to any of the farmers on any of the problems that they have we'd be happy to hear from them we have a office staff that help them many times we have many pamphlets on agriculture and we're down there to serve you and our door is always open I know this to be a fact because I have written to congressman race and some of the other senators and congressmen and I have received an answer on each and every one that have ever written, and a very satisfactory answer and I think that that is what most of us should do is write more often to let our congressmen know just what our problems are so again I want to thank you congressman race for showing for giving your time here to the NFO in this program and I'm sure that you will serve us in your best interest these pleasure has been all mine [music] This program has been sponsored by NFO members in your area anyone interested in donating to this program can do so by sending your contribution here NFO treasurer or the station which you are now viewing you have any questions or seek any additional information concerning the national farmers organization please write to the NFO office Corning, Iowa or your county NFO president or the station you are watching remember farmers who know join the NFO until next week at the same time thanks for watching