MS. SCHULER: Ladies and Gentleman of the panel, welcome to Montana. I've been to Washington, D.C. recently so I hope you're enjoying our nice weather here.

I'm Mary Schuler, a farmer in north central Montana. My husband, Dick, and I raise small grains, pulse crops, and commercial cattle. We struggled through the farm crisis of the eighties only to find worse conditions in the nineties. The 1996 Fair Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act promised us access to expanded markets and to increase our income. This hasn't happened. And the price of wheat today is 92 cents less than it was at this time in 1985.

I live just off Interstate 15, and see the trucks go by daily loaded with Canadian grain and cattle. Whether this is a perceived problem or reality, it is very depressing to a very depressed industry. There's a group of northern Montana and Alberta women that have been meeting on a regular basis to educate ourselves and also to discuss trade policies. We found that the farm crisis is not only in the US, it's in Canada also. And I read in the paper just this week that in Argentina the farmers are hurting, too.

One of the most important things that has come out of these discussions and also at the Montana-Alberta Agricultural Opportunities Conference is the feasibility of developing a trade partnership in which we, who raise the same commodities, can work together to market them rather than working against each other. We hope that you who are listening today will support any efforts to further this alliance and help us make it a reality.

Presently, I serve as Vice President of Women Involved in Farm Economics. This year we selected the following priority issues: Working toward opportunities for a fair return on the producers' investment through actions that increase foreign and domestic trade, enhance opportunities for marketing our product at a profitable level, providing harmonization of international trade regulations, support legislation favorable to agriculture producers.

When we talk trade, we want to make it very clear that free trade is not always fair trade. American agriculture producers deserve fair trade.

WIFE supports action to effectively deal with the negative impact that foreign imports have on the profitability of our agriculture industry. We urge that the United States impose and enforce trade regulations no less stringent than those of the various exporting countries with which we do business.

We believe in fair worldwide export-import regulations, and insist that there are the same strict standards and inspection procedures imposed on all imported food products as on those produced in the United States. Further, we believe that imported food products should be withheld from the market until they are tested and found to comply with the United States Department of Agriculture standards.

And your question of the state trading enterprises, in the process of these CANAM meetings we've had, the Canadians are no more happy with their Canadian Wheat Board than we are. And we're kind of hoping that they will do away with it themselves and save us the problem.

We support timely implementation of fair trade agreements including provisions for expeditious dispute resolutions, resolution of any sanitary and phytosanitary barrier disputes, and the resolution of currency differentials and fluctuations.

We understand that fast-track is one method of opening global markets and will support its use if it will provide safeguards protecting grassroots agriculture producers.

I read in the June 30th FARMWEEK newspaper, a comment made at the Indianapolis listening session by Barbara Chattin, assistant to Ambassador Barshefsky, "Agriculture is clearly going to be the heart of the next round of trade negotiations." However, my local farm broadcaster reported this week that agriculture is being pushed aside. Although, we are few in number, may I remind you that agriculture is the number one industry in this country representing 15 percent of the gross national product, providing one out of ever six jobs, and each farmer providing food and fiber for 128 people. As it's been brought up earlier, in 1990, the US exported $40.2 billion worth of farm products.

As you approach the World Trade Negotiations, WIFE recommends that all negotiations have representation from agriculture producers. We urge you to negotiate trade agreements that will not limit the authority of the US congress to legislate agriculture products. Thank you.