U.S. FARM DISASTER BILL ATTRACTS AMENDMENTS
Senators are considering offering a
host of amendments to a farm disaster assistance bill which
could come up soon on the Senate floor, staff members said.
    The bill, already passed by the House, would enable 1987
winter wheat and feedgrains farmers hit by Midwestern flooding
last year to receive at least 92 pct of their federal income
support payments even if they did not plant.
    Amendments considered by Sen. Rudy Boschwitz (R-Minn.)
would apply the so-called "0/92" option to all 1987 program crops
or, if that failed, to spring wheat, Senate staff said.
    Sens. Robert Dole (R-Kan.) and Charles Grassley (R-Iowa)
were considering an amendment that would allow feedgrains
producers to receive final deficiency payments in March instead
of in October.
    Earlier this year Dole said advancing the final deficiency
payments would provide feedgrains producers with approximately
three billion dlrs in income payments prior to spring planting
instead of in the fall.
    Dole and Grassley are also considering an amendment that
would offer a two dlr per bushel bonus payment to corn farmers
for any erodible cropland they enrolled in the conservation
reserve program last year.
    The bonus payment has been offered to farmers signing up
for the corn program this spring. The U.S. Agriculture
Department has indicated it would oppose broadening the corn
bonus offer.
    Sen. Larry Pressler (R-S.D.) was said to be contemplating
an amendment that would offer the 0/92 option to spring wheat
producers who were prevented from planting this spring because
of flooding last year.
    Sen. David Boren (D-Okla.) was eyeing a measure that would
allow cotton producers to receive disaster aid if the quality
of their crop was hurt by flooding last year.
    Democrats and Republicans today were still trying to arrive
at an agreement governing time to be devoted to amendments.
 Reuter
