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Show WATKINS SEEKS WHEAT EXEMPTIONS Wheat produced and consumed con-sumed locally on farms would be exempted from marketing-quota marketing-quota penalties under terms of a bill introduced In Congress by Senator Arthur V. Watkins. Another bill by Senator Wat-kins Wat-kins would authorize annual sale of 100 million bushels of less desirable milling-quality wheat, for 'feeding purposes, by the Commodity Credit Corporation. Corpor-ation. In a statement prepared for delivery on introduction of the bills Senator Watkins commented: com-mented: 'My action is prompted by genuine concern for the welfare wel-fare of livestock producers in deficit-feed-producing areas such as the Intermountain and New England states. In most of these production of poultry, eggs, turkeys, dairy products, sheep, lambs and beef cattle not the basic commodities and feed grains constitute the major activity. "These bills if enacted would go a long way, in my opinion, toward alleviating much of the distress such producers are experiencing. ex-periencing. "In some states, drought conditions con-ditions not only have reduced local feed production which at best cannot meet local needs but also in many cases have served to increase store feed prices. Producers who have not adequate financial resources simply caiiriot make ends meet, despite the Department of Agriculture's Agri-culture's feed-grain subsidy program. pro-gram. In other states, rising costs (especially transportation), when coupled with heavy livestock live-stock production in the 'basic-commodities' 'basic-commodities' producing areas, have resulted in market prices below production costs." Senator Sen-ator Watkins added: "If any sort of agriculture has been hard hit by the cost-price cost-price squeeze, it has been the livestock industry. It is imperative imper-ative that Congress provide relief." |