MS. WALL: Thank you for listening to us today. I am an ostrich farmer. I live in north Central Iowa. I am a member of the Ostrich Co-op of Iowa, a closed-market co-op incorporated here in Iowa. Our ostrich enterprise was one way that my husband and I chose to diversify our grain farm to improve its profitability. I also am currently president of the Iowa Ostrich Association.

World trade is very important to the ostrich industry in the United States. According to the American Ostrich Association figures in 1998, about 85 percent of our meat and hide production was exported. This was sent to destinations in Europe, Central and South America, and the Pacific Rim and South Africa. These sales are critical to the currently depressed ostrich industry in the United States.

Recently other countries have begun to import ostrich breeding stock. I've spoken with an agent who was assembling a shipment for Korea, and in the discussion I learned that many of the pairs and trios being sent have gone from the Chicago area. I'm sure they also are going from the west coast.

Exporting breeders should be a positive influence for the ostrich industry, at least in the short term. As these breeders become productive in other countries, though, we ask that the World Trade Organization monitor how that production may affect United States markets. And I encourage you to do all that you can to negotiate open markets and fair trading practices for that in the future.

In 1996 South Africa flooded the United States market with meat and hides. It sent our prices into a downward spiral from which we've not yet recovered. As an example, a green hide, this is the fresh off the bird, in 1996 was valued at about $250 each. During part of 1997 there was no demand and no sales for hides in the United States. So producers could not sell their hides.

Today prices have climbed back into a range of between 40 and $75 for good quality green hide. We would not like to experience such a negative market again.

Domestically grown ostrich are produced without drugs or hormone additives. The ostrich is a grazing animal. It's raised in a free-range environment. On our farm last year we produced animals that would yield about 2100 pounds of boneless red meat on only 2 and a half acres.

I think the industry is well positioned for the world market, and I encourage the World Trade Organization to consider the ostrich industry in its negotiations.

Thank you for listening.