Broadcast Newsline: July 14, 2006

The 2002 farm bill has been highly effective legislation and is largely responsible for the success of recent U.S. cotton production.

This week’s Cotton Newsline is three cuts.  All cuts are Chuck Coley (pronounced co-lee), cotton producer from Vienna, Georgia.

Suggested introduction cut 1:

The 2002 farm bill has been highly effective legislation and is largely responsible for the success of recent U.S. cotton production. Now, though, With the U.S. textile industry in distress, cotton farmers must work to develop a new manufacturing base. According to Chuck Coley, a cotton producer form Vienna, Georgia, looking for that new base requires producers to turn to international markets and the promotion of fair competition.

Suggested introduction cut 2:

The results of the continuing Doha round of negotiations are being closely watched by the U.S. Cotton industry. At the center of this debate are the agricultural subsidies that the U.S. and European Union member nations pay their farmers. Cotton is being treated differently than other crops and Coley says China, the world’s largest cotton market, is not fully participating in the debate.

Suggested introduction cut 3:

With the uncertainty surrounding the Doha negotiations, the preservation of a stable farm policy has been made even more imperative. The U.S. cotton industry will suffer if beneficial programs such as direct and counter-cyclical payments, marketing loans, and conservation reserve are eliminated. Coley says the cotton industry is uniting in a call for continued domestic support without arbitrary, unworkable limitations on benefits.

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