LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: LOW FARM PRICES ARE THE RESULT OF HUGE EFFORTS

To the editor:

In regard to the Aug. 15 editorial, "U.S. farmers have tough problems, few solutions": Nonsense. The problem just needs a good explanation.

If I were an urban taxpayer who pays taxes to support the 1996 extension of the 1985 farm bill, I would ask: Why?

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has stated continuously that the problem is overproduction and bad management on the part of the farmers. Some politicians have even mentioned greed.

The real reasons are political and have to do with campaign donations. When the 1985 farm bill was passed, we were importing three-fourths of the beef we were eating from other countries. The figure came from a story in Beef magazine. I didn't believe it at first, but U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson confirmed the figure. He went on to say, "The voters give their representatives a lot of grief over food prices. People don't care where their food comes from, just a good supply and cheap."

How can a beef farmer in Australia, Argentina, New Zealand, Mexico or Canada produce a product and ship it thousands of miles to the United States and compete with us? The answer is lax inspection of those products. Those producers don't have the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Natural Resources and child-labor laws to deal with. These products coming into the United States are spot checked using samples provided by foreign packers. In 1995, approximately 3 million head of mostly feeder cattle were brought into U.S. feedlots and then reclassified as domestic cattle.

Here are some facts:

* We have more people in the United States than ever.

* We have about 40 million acres less farmland.

* We probably lost that much more to construction of residential and commercial buildings. Just look around.

* The demand for milk, beef and pork products is up.

* The USDA keeps reporting record crop production, but it doesn't talk about all that grain coming in from other countries.

Question: If milk, beef and pork supplies are at a record high and demand is up for them and we have so much less farmland, why aren't corn, wheat and soybean prices at record highs?

Answer: Imports.

No matter how many production controls are put on agricultural products, the import companies will continue to manipulate the prices at their will. This also is true for shoes, garments, steel, oil and other commodities.

The best way to stop the import deluge is to get rid of the politicians who support them. Right now, imports are not a campaign issue. Let's make it one.

MARVIN McMILLAN

Friedheim, Mo.