45 



be in our best interest to allow that person that goes out and har- 

 vests that 80 to get credit for the 66 pounds so that he is treated 

 like the fella that got an appraisal? 



Both of them are excellent appraisers, doing it 100 percent hon- 

 est, no question about that; but no one, in their best judgments, 

 can come within 14 pounds of appraising a 100-acre field. 



Mr. Weber. I understand where you are coming from, and we 

 are looking at this. 



Are you suggesting if we appraise it at 130, we still subtract the 

 66? 



Mr. Stenholm. Yes. I am suggesting to you to think about the 

 66; and you can say the same for wheat, for example, same words 

 there. 



Mr. Weber. True. 



Mr. Stenholm. You have the incentive in there. We have agreed 

 de minimis, all of those yields, will cover the cost of harvest barely; 

 but they do. 



Mr. Weber. Right. 



Mr. Stenholm. And that is the whole purpose of it. So if you 

 take double de minimis, at least up to that point of saying that 

 anything appraised in that area in which the individual farmer 

 goes out, makes a good faith effort in harvest, goes through the ex- 

 penses, and it turns out that he gets 80 pounds or 70 pounds, that 

 he would be given consideration for de minimis. 



So he gets the reward — i.e., the benefit of making the effort, ver- 

 sus the fella that got a good appraisal. Again, both of them are 

 honest. I am not insinuating dishonesty whatsoever. 



There is a temptation out there that we are trying to get around, 

 but I understand why we can't perhaps go up to 325 or up to 500. 

 We will get into a cost factor. 



But I would ask you to take another look at it from the stand- 

 point of up to perhaps double de minimis. 



Mr. Weber. If I understand what you said, if we place it at 132, 

 for instance, that we would still deduct 66 and credit 66 toward 

 production. 



Mr. Stenholm. Provide the incentive for him to go out there and 

 to get the crop and then see what happens, like I believe we do in 

 the insurance side of it already. 



Mr. Weber. We will take that into consideration. Appreciate 

 your comments. 



Mr. Stenholm. Thank you. 



Mr. Johnson. Mr. Barlow. 



Mr. Barlow. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 



Thank you for coming down, Mr. Weber. Let me just go over 

 some of these questions and answers that I believe came out of the 

 Department from the Deputy Assistant Secretary for State and 

 County Operations of the ASCS. 



Is that right? 



Mr. Weber. Yes. 



Mr. Barlow. Question No. 19: When will ECP funds be allocated 

 to the States? 



The answer was: Allocations were mailed to State offices on Sep- 

 tember 23. 



