Agricultural News
Wheat Growers Association At Odds With Coburn Over MAP Funding Amendment
Wed, 18 Jul 2012 17:25:05 CDT
Jimmie Musick, Oklahoma Wheat Growers Association (OWGA) past president and wheat farmer from near Sentinel, Oklahoma, is taking issue with the position of Senator Tom Coburn on the Market Access Program. Musick issued the following statement:
"The Oklahoma Wheat Growers Association is very concerned about Senator Tom Coburn's attack on Oklahoma agriculture and the Oklahoma economy through his repeated proposals to cut funding for the Market Access Program (MAP), including amendments prepared for consideration by the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday.
"Though today's amendments were ruled out of order, we know that in his quest to cut the federal budget, he will again attack this highly successful program that brings jobs and dollars back to his own constituents and the United States economy.
"MAP is a program under USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) that provides cost-share assistance for farm groups and others undertaking international marketing and promotional activities. To participate in MAP, farmers like me are required to contribute as much as a 100 percent match of their own resources, and participant organizations are required to submit plans every year to USDA for review and approval.
"As a result, MAP is a very efficient, cost-effective program, returning $35 for a $1 investment, according to a study done by IHS Global Insight at USDA's request. These dollars go into farmers' pockets, to our local farm economies and to the gross domestic product.
"More than half of the U.S. wheat crop is exported and more than fifty percent of the Oklahoma wheat crop is exported. The successes of programs like MAP directly affect the price received by the Oklahoma wheat farmers and the contribution they can make to the Oklahoma economy.
"The Oklahoma Wheat Growers Association and its farmer-members support efforts to cut the federal budget, but strongly oppose taking an axe to a program that has been proven to have a positive net effect on our economy."
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