THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, December 9, 1994 TAG: 9412090577
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: WINSTON-SALEM LENGTH: Short : 48 lines
Despite one of the best crops on record, North Carolina farmers aren't celebrating this year because their money won't go any further than it did last year, officials say.
Corn and soybean farmers have stored much of their crops in hopes of selling at higher prices later. Tobacco farmers have their spending money tied up in the part of the crop that they lacked quota to sell.
``That bothers me that they don't have cash in their pockets to enjoy Christmas,'' said W.B. ``Bob'' Jenkins, president of the N.C. Farm Bureau Federation. ``Good crops have not related to additional income for the farmer.''
Delegates attending a four-day convention in Winston-Salem addressed some of the factors in farmers' shrinking profits from crops and livestock operations.
On the 1995 flue-cured tobacco quota, Farm Bureau delegates called for the lowest level allowed by law, which would be approximately a 16 percent increase from the 1994 quota.
The resolution, introduced from the floor Wednesday morning, calls on Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy to use his discretionary authority to reduce the quota by 3 percent of what the quota formula calls for.
A formula calls for almost a 20 percent increase in the quota.
This is the result of last week's surplus buyout agreement, and the cigarette companies' increased buying intentions for next year.
Tobacco growers speaking for the resolution cautioned that a hefty quota increase could lead back to another heavy surplus buildup.
Also, by keeping supplies tight, buyers might bid more competitively when the tobacco if offered on the market.
Delegates also approved resolutions calling for:
Consideration of the economic impact study on farming operations when setting standards for water and air quality.
Use of cost-share conservation funds in building farm waste management systems.
Government agencies to do everything in their power to find the cause of groundwater contamination. by CNB