BILL BURROWS: I'm Bill Burrows from Adams, Nebraska, and I'm a farmer. I might be under a question on that today and my children also because the majority of our income in our family no longer comes from the farm. We've rather followed the national trend in which 80 to 85 percent of U.S. farm income today in the last six or seven years has been from non-farm sources. We are still and three of my children are involved in farm operations that are adequate to make a good income in volume and size and resources put in, but it is not there. It's not there nationally because 80 to 85 percent of the farm income according to USDA statistics has been coming from non-farm sources.

Now I heard an economist from Washington here just a couple years ago say that we were in good shape in agriculture because this farm income was getting up there commensurate with the city folk. But the basis of it was the 80 percent that took it over the hump, and that's a sick situation for a country that is looking forward to going ahead and planning a national food supply that's solvent and sound for our own nation. We don't have a plan that is working.

I want to hit one thing that I was involved in eight years in the Legislature on our Agriculture Committee. And one point that impressed me quite well, we toured the largest load-out facility at that time in New Orleans that was ship loading. And the office manager told us without making any bones about it, he said we trade train loads coming down to this port of grain when we need to get that ship out on time. Most of their grain was being loaded from barges because it was difficult on the train side, but he admitted the major grain companies, this handful of major grain companies that control all or nearly all of the exports of this country were trading this way, and this is considered this competitive competition. When you've got them trading under gentleman's agreements train loads of grain to make their shipments. Now that's not a very competitive situation if I read it.

The other thing they were explaining was how they brought everything up and one of the grain inspectors one night he was explaining to me how it was a rough job checking out those shipments because they were bringing up at that time all of those loads to the max allowable in the grade and some of these countries were telling us that they couldn't get a grade guaranteed better than number three. Now number three grain when it is at the max of inert and other materials is pretty poor grain.

I think that any discussion today of exporting and solving farm problems, we need corrections made. Most of those have been discussed here today, but a discussion without discussing monopolistic power, monoxinistic power and the situation that exists where a handful of major grain companies control the exports of this country, and the presumption is ridiculous when you see a situation where hogs were brought to .10 cents a pound just this last winter for the farmer and under .10 cents a pound, and the packers and the chains carried those hogs through on a retail price that would have brought enough to the farmer to have kept him in business.

Had my son and I in our operation instead of going to some other supplements here three or four years ago gone into a large hog operation, we would be or could be out of business or very nearly there. My family is in a strong position, so basically I'm speaking for the possibility that my grandsons could farm. And to fail and recognize and discuss farm markets without us discussing monopolistic power is naive. It's below the things I learned when I was in the fifth grade in grade school.

The economist that can ride this out and discuss this and the assumptions that the price is going on through and down to that farmer are erroneous assumptions and have to be looked at in the discussion of this.

Previously we've had support price generally that guaranteed a little more than cost of production, but in the last couple of years we have a farm bill that's pulled the rug out of agriculture out from under, and if we don't get some basic help there as well as looking at these export markets, a big share of our farmers in Nebraska are not going to be there.

I do know the loan situations in this state, and it's sick. We have hundreds and hundreds of farmers in this state that are riding right now. We don't have many sales, but they're riding on loans that won't cash flow short of 2.30 corn and our corn doesn't match that. We've got to have it immediately, and it takes a great deal more than just a relook at export policy. I want it looked at and corrections made where they are needed.

But thank you.