AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND HEARINGS BEFORE A SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES NINETY-NINTH CONGRESS Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service........ Food Safety and Inspection Service.... 46-085 O Printed for the use of the Committee on Appropriations U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON: 1985 Page 1 67 67 67 237 451 COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS JAMIE L. WHITTEN, Mississippi, Chairman EDWARD P. BOLAND, Massachusetts NEAL SMITH, Iowa JOSEPH P. ADDABBO, New York EDWARD R. ROYBAL, California TOM BEVILL, Alabama BILL CHAPPELL, JR., Florida BILL ALEXANDER, Arkansas JOHN P. MURTHA, Pennsylvania BOB TRAXLER, Michigan JOSEPH D. EARLY, Massachusetts LINDY (MRS. HALE) BOGGS, Louisiana MATTHEW F. MCHUGH, New York MARTIN OLAV SABO, Minnesota VIC FAZIO, California W. G. (BILL) HEFNER, North Carolina LES AUCOIN, Oregon DANIEL K. AKAKA, Hawaii WES WATKINS, Oklahoma WILLIAM H. GRAY III, Pennsylvania BERNARD J. DWYER, New Jersey BILL BONER, Tennessee STENY H. HOYER, Maryland BOB CARR, Michigan SILVIO O. CONTE, Massachusetts C. W. BILL YOUNG, Florida ELDON RUDD, Arizona CARL D. PURSELL, Michigan TOM LOEFFLER, Texas JOHN EDWARD PORTER, Illinois ROBERT J. MRAZEK, New York RICHARD J. DURBIN, Illinois RONALD D. COLEMAN, Texas FREDERICK G. MOHRMAN, Clerk and Staff Director (II) AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS FOR 1986 THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 1985. AGRICULTURAL COOPERATIVE SERVICE WITNESSES KAREN DARLING, DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARỲ, MARKETING AND INSPECTION SERVICES RANDALL E. TORGERSON, ADMINISTRATOR, AGRICULTURAL COOPERATIVE SERVICE JACK H. ARMSTRONG, DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR SAMUEL V. LADD, DIRECTOR, BUDGET AND ACCOUNTING DIVISION, ANIMAL AND PLANT HEALTH INSPECTION SERVICE STEPHEN B. DEWHURST, BUDGET OFFICER, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE INTRODUCTIONS Mr. WHITTEN. We turn now to the Agricultural Cooperative Service. We are glad to have with us Ms. Darling, Mr. Torgerson and others from the Agricultural Cooperative Service. Back through the years, we have been taught that one of the answers is for those engaged in agriculture to set up a cooperative to help them get things done. One of the greatest questions for many years was a tax on cooperatives. I set out to learn about that subject and came up with a feeling that there is nothing in the world wrong with a cooperative if you want to buy together and sell together. The complaint was that cooperatives would do business with nonmembers, which made them competitive with other folks. I never attended a meeting for many years where that wasn't one of the questions. The folks advocating the tax were not fully candid, and the folks defending it weren't candid either. But it is one place where the farmers, theoretically at least, can get together in a group and to a degree protect themselves, and it is a method of business that has developed all over the United States. SERVICES RENDERED TO COOPERATIVES Now, I would just like to have you tell us how it works and what you do to help those that are engaged in cooperative ventures. I am asking you to tell us where you fit in and what service you render for them and the farmer. (1) |