Grams spending more time on agriculture issues

I first started at the Bemidji (Minn.) Pioneer as an intern in the summer of 1996. That would begin six years as a news reporter, sports reporter and copy editor for a small, six-day-per-week daily newspaper in northern Minnesota. I wrote a large range of stories from multiple beats, to features to sports, my favorite being the coverage of the Red Lake Reservation High School basketball team named the Warriors. Here is a collection of my stories from my time at the Pioneer.

Nov. 30, 1999

By Devlyn Brooks

Sen. Rod Grams said Monday that he has spent more time working on agricultural related problems in the first half of the 106th Congress than any other issue, and added he will continue to fight for the family farmer.

In a teleconference with Minnesota reporters, he said he is hopeful talks during the World Trade Organization meetings to be held in Seattle this week improve international markets for U.S. farmers.

Grams said the increased attention of the plight of American farmers should lead to some type of relief on the world stage.

"I think there's going to be improvements for agriculture. I think with ag being a major focus, we are going to make inroads," he said. "Will it be as much as everybody hopes, I don't know. When we come out of the talks early next year, I hope we're better off."

Minnesota's Republican senator added that the 106th Congress didn't forget about farmers in the first half of the session either, passing a $8.7 billion emergency agriculture relief package, of which $500 million will be targeted directly to Minnesota farmers.

"I have spent more time on agriculture than any other issue. We have heard farmers' concerns and have taken immediate steps to address them," he said in a statement. "Now we need to look at long-term solutions to help revitalize rural America."

Part of the solution, he said, is contained in the Revitalization of Rural America Tax Relief package, which Grams recently offered in the Senate and hopes to bring to debate next year.

The package, according to his statement, is a combination of tax relief targeted to farmers and small companies and tax credits to encourage business investments in rural America.

He added that other aspects of the answer are to reduce regulatory burdens, pursue a pro-agriculture agenda at the World Trade Organization negotiations and extend loan rate periods.

"I know American farmers can compete worldwide, but we cannot drag our feet in creating a climate in which they can succeed," he said. "I believe these are critical pieces to the puzzle."

Agriculture was just one of several important legislative issues Grams mentioned in Monday's teleconference as he gears up for the second half of the 106th session.

He also said much work is still to be done on reducing America's tax burden, preserving a balanced budget, protecting Social Security and expanding health care options for all Americans.

"We are headed in the right direction," he said. "Now we have to stay the course and complete the work we have set out to accomplish."