MADIGAN PLANS IMPROVEMENTS: USDA OFFICIAL KEYNOTES FARM BUREAU MEETING

BENTON -- Edward Madigan, described by people who have worked with him as "diligent and well informed on agricultural issues," says he can identify more than 100 things he needs to do as United States Department of Agriculture secretary.

"There are a lot of things that need attention," he told a gathering of Farm Bureau members here Thursday night. "The numbers are far too big. I have narrowed that number to four primary things that I would like to devote attentions to during my time as agriculture secretary."

Those things are: Improvements in service by USDA offices, farm trade issues, nutritional programs, and wetlands and environmental issues.

Earlier in the day, Madigan visited Sacred Heart Elementary School in Omaha, Neb., where he praised the school's curriculum. He visited the school as part of a visit to Omaha by five Bush administration Cabinet members to kick off Nebraska's school reform crusade.

Madigan, who was appointed to his USDA position by President Bush in March of this year, was the featured speaker prior to the Thursday dinner, held by the Farm Bureau to recognize area legislators for their help on various legislative issues.

In introducing Madigan to the group, U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson, R-Cape Girardeau, said he had worked with Madigan for 11 years. Madigan of Lincoln, Ill., served as a congressman for 18 years before resigning to accept the USDA post.

"We both served on the Agriculture Committee," said Emerson. "We spent a lot of time together during work on the 1990 Farm Bill, which is now law.

Madigan said, "When I became secretary, I became deeper involved in several issues. Over the past six months, I have identified four things that I want to see improved.

"Number one, we need to let farmers be farmers," he said. "One way to do this is to improve the efficiency of USDA offices and agencies to better serve the farmer."

Madigan cited incidents where farmers often had to wait in line to be heard or receive information, taking them away from their fields and work.

"USDA offices employ more than 113,000 people," said Madigan. "If some of the employees have to work later, or start earlier in order to provide better service, then these changes will be made,. We'll ask the employees to adjust their schedules."

Madigan also wants to see improvements in foreign trade issues.

"I have been in contact with Ray McSherry, agriculture commissioner for the European Community (EC)," said Madigan. "He has promised cooperation of the EC in helping to balance the trade inequities in farm trades."

Madigan also said he would visit the Soviet Union the latter part of this month.

"Right now, we don't know what the situation is in Russia," he said. "We don't know who we will be dealing with. At this point, there is nothing I can say concerning trade with the Soviet Union. I don't know how the current Soviet situation will affect U.S. farmers."

Nutrition is high on the list of problem areas for the USDA, said Madigan.

"Sixty percent of the USDA budget concerns nutrition programs," he said. "These programs include food stamps, school lunches, and food for the elderly.

"I don't begrudge these nutrition dollars," he said. "But I think they can be better spent. I do a lot of the shopping in my family. Every time I visit a grocery store, I see people buying things that are not nutritious."

He added that a "nutrition outreach" program needs to be developed to teach people more about nutrition.

"I can remember when the nutrition programs cost about $300 million," he said. "It is now a $20 billion program."

The fourth problem area that will receive Madigan's attention concerns wetlands and environmental issues.

"When I assumed this job, I automatically become a defendant in more than 20,000 environmental cases," he said. "These issues can have a crippling effect on government. In some cases, government is afraid to tackle something because if they do it right, they may be tied up in court by the environmental thing."

Madigan said some improvements had been made on the wetlands issue.

"If you have farmed the land before, you can continue to farm it, if you can get a tractor on the land without draining it," said Madigan. "If the land was converted from wetlands to crop land prior to 1985, you can continue to farm it. These are new additions to the language of the wetlands since 1989."

Madigan said interested citizens can voice their views on the new wetlands provisions during the public comment period, which begins Monday.

"We hope that concerned farmers will make their feelings known during the comment period," said Madigan, who said that the doors to his office would always be open.