MR. HOOGESTRAAT: I certainly wish to thank you for the opportunity to address this group, and I will be short and brief and sweet and to the point. Maybe not the sweet. I guess if I look back and I look at different situations, I have enjoyed some very good years in the pork industry. Right now it isn't a washout; it's below that. I am retired; my son is running the operation. He has sold hogs for the last 11 months at a loss except for four straight truckloads. He said to me the other day, I can't keep going, Dad. I said, I know you can't. He said, what are we going to do? The facilities are not adaptable to anything else. We are independent. We do not belong to any corporation. What are we going to do? If things don't change, the handwriting is on the wall. Now I'll get into what I've got typed out, and I will have to explain something here.

I was going to use an illustration of a V pulley that I bought for my garden tractor. A 4-inch V pulley, stamped steel. No machine work, no nothing. That pulley cost me $32.58. It was American made. Without that pulley, the tractor would have been useless. Now, maybe I'm getting off the subject, but just stay with me. Now, remember, $32.58. Remember that figure. As of July 9th at my local elevator, it would take 23 bushels of corn priced at $1.37 per bushel -- and that's what our market was -- to purchase this pulley.

Agriculture has not had a blazing economy like other industries have. I'm asking for trade agreement corrections to help the agricultural sector. It costs approximately from $2.26 up to about $2.43 a bushel to produce one bushel of corn or break even. With these discrepancies, it is assassination of the American agriculture industry. This corn is produced as in American as well. I realize there are other factors involved here, but trade may be the most important.

With the Freedom to Farm Act of the North American Free Trade Agreement, it seems like these are intended to freeze out independent farmers and more imports can come in at a price below our cost of production.

Competition is one thing. But to cut the livelihood of the American farmer is just as serious as human destruction in Kosovo. We must take care of our own citizens as well as take care of the atrocities in foreign countries, and I'm a firm believer in this.

Third world countries are being supplied with gene-altered seed to become self-sufficient. I have no problem with this. This is desirable. But we must realize that exports to these countries will eventually dry up. We have been blessed with a supply of good food. Now, how are you going to handle the trade of pork with the nearby Morrells, Smithfield, that has a plant in Canada, 50 percent interest in the largest packing plant in Mexico, and they also acquired Carroll Foods. They have become the largest packing corporation in North America. This corporation greed along with NAFTA will monopolize the food change and cause the annihilation of the American farmer.

Is this what we really want? Do we want to keep the American farmer alive and out there? At least give him a living so he doesn't have to go for a loan every year until that runs out. The point I'm trying to make is all we ask is a fair shake, and let's get with it. The time is up, because I used to sign up members for organizations in the pork industry, and I had 37 members to sign up. As of today if I were to go out and sign those, I would have two members to sign up. What is happening, people, right before our eyes, and we need action and now. Thank you.