THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, May 23, 1995 TAG: 9505200007
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 44 lines
I read with interest the ``Opinion'' column in the Business Weekly section of the May 1 Virginian-Pilot concerning the importance of the U.S. government to Hampton Roads, pointing out the vulnerability of this area to Washington budget cutters. The Virginian-Pilot has made it clear in the past, and I can understand why, that it is against downsizing or cutting in areas, such as defense, which would harm Hampton Roads.
I found it ironic, though, that the same edition of The Virginian-Pilot contained an editorial endorsing the elimination of ``anachronistic'' farm subsidies as an easy way of reducing annual deficits. Whether The Virginian-Pilot recognizes it or not, there is also reason to be concerned about the vulnerability of our area when agricultural cuts are discussed.
Take, for example, just four of the agricultural commodities grown in Southeastern Virginia; corn, peanuts, wheat and soybeans. Much of this production occurs in Hampton Roads. The value of the annual production of these commodities is more than $140 million. Farm equipment and input suppliers add another $120 million annually in sales. Manufacturing and processing of just peanuts, most of which takes place in Suffolk, adds another $250 million in sales. While this $500 million is less than the $6 billion government payroll mentioned in one of your articles, the loss or significant reduction of this revenue to areas west of Bowers Hill would be devastating.
I hope that the editors of the paper will recognize the instrumental role agriculture plays in our local economy and the way that commodity programs provide some stability for this role to continue.
Don't just ask the farmers. Talk to farm-supply-and-equipment dealers, financial institutions, those knowledgeable about rural tax bases and land values and the thousands in our area who are employed in agriculture. Perhaps you will realize that defense and government payrolls are not the only things important to our area of the state.
THOMAS R. COTTON JR.
Suffolk, May 3, 1995 by CNB