So let's get under way with the afternoon session. First, from the Texas Grain and Feed Association, Ben Boerner.

MR. BOERNER: Thank you. First I'd like to thank the moderator. He said to lighten things up just a bit after lunch, because I understand some people caught some Texas Triple X chili at the Texas Chili Parlor. And when I prepared this presentation, I knew that you-all were going to be listening to a bunch of people saying the same thing about everything, so mine was a summary. So to summarize the summary, I guess I say absolutely nothing about everything, and you'll understand.

So with that, on behalf of the board of directors and the members of the Texas Grain and Feed Association, I want to thank all of you for allowing us to appear before you today.

My name is Ben Boerner, I serve as president of the Texas Grain and Feed Association. The association has represented the grain and feed industry of Texas for the last 101 years. We currently have 650 members involved in the storage, transportation, and processing of grain and feedstuffs.

Recently our association adopted a policy in regards to trade and trade issues. And in regards to general agricultural policy, the association supports policies that foster full and prudent utilization of our agricultural resources, and we also support policies that include multinational trade agreements that eliminate market-destroying trade barriers.

And more now than ever before, the future success of U.S. agriculture and certainly Texas agriculture is linked to our competitiveness in the global trade arena. We have been the supporter of free trade, including past agreements such as NAFTA and the agreements under GATT. We've also consistently supported China's MFN trade status.

Based on the negotiations that have taken place already as well as the recent issues that have stifled our ability to export in the world market, the Texas Grain and Feed Association makes the following statements: Number one, the President should have fast-track authority in which to negotiate trade agreements; China should be given entry into the World Trade Organization; the acceptance or rejection of Genetically-Modified Organisms should be based on sound science and not public hysteria or political whims. Testing and separately storing grains at the country elevator to assure consumers of GMO-free corn and other grains will hinder the ability of U.S. producers and handlers to compete in the world.

The rules governing sanitary and phytosanitary measures should also be based on sound science and not used as artificial trade barriers, and when problems do arise, they need to be communicated to the industry in a timely fashion in order to save us time and also resources.

Tariffs and subsidies should be reduced in order that all trading partners are trading on a level playing field; trade agreements should be enforced vigorously; and certainly last but not least, the U.S. needs to exempt food and agricultural products from future unilateral economic sanctions.

We again thank you for allowing us to present our views, and I'll attempt to answer any questions you might have.

MR. ACETO: I have a question regarding your fourth point there about communicating problems in a timely fashion to the industry. Is there a specific problem that's come up in the past --

MR. BOERNER: Well, just from the standpoint -- we've encountered over the last-- I guess since NAFTA was passed, we'll encounter some problems where our members are stuck at the border and they're not aware of something that had taken place. They call us first, and we certainly hadn't heard anything, and then, you know, we're making phone calls to find out indeed what was the actual problem.

So some mechanism -- I know that we now have the ability, as opposed to four or five years ago, to, you know, quickly communicate those particular issues. And I would certainly support the government's use -- or working with trade associations in making sure that word does get out. Because sometimes it takes two or three times before they actually get the message.

MR. GALVIN: Mike, just on that point, I'll mention that we are working at the Foreign Agricultural Service at USDA in putting up a lot of these -- a lot of the information on SPS barriers on our web site, where people can pull it up either by country or by commodity and that sort of thing, and have a very accessible inventory to look at.

And I'd certainly encourage people generally, though, to look at our FAS web site and see all the information we have up there about tariff levels or current estimated production of commodities in various countries or summaries of the Uruguay Round or the NAFTA or our trade objectives heading into the next round. There really is a lot of information.

One of the things that I use on a regular basis is just the basic trade data that we put it out. You can go in and get copies of what we call our BECO reports that will show you what our current exports and imports are doing by country, by commodity, that sort of thing. And it's all very handy and easy to print off and that sort of thing.

MR. ACETO: Actually, if I could just follow up on another thing, too, in answer to what Tim just said, is that all these sessions are going to be eventually put up on that site. So if you want to see what people are saying in other cities on this listening session, you can get that information there as well.

MR. GALVIN: Thank you. We appreciate it.