October 31, 2005

Osborne and Fortenberry Demonstrate Strong Leadership on Behalf of Sorghum Producers

LUBBOCK, TEXAS - The National Sorghum Producers (NSP) thank Congressmen Tom Osborne and Jeff Fortenberry for their work on behalf of sorghum producers across the country, including those in their home state of Nebraska, to shrink cuts to farm programs in last week's agriculture budget reconciliation markup.

The House Agriculture Committee was instructed to make $4.2 billion in cuts, but the Congressmen worked to decrease that amount to $3.7 billion.

"Without the support of Mr. Osborne and Mr. Fortenberry, producers would have taken cuts when we needed the safety net most," said NSP President James Vorderstrasse of Hebron, Neb. "The Congressmen's belief in U.S. production agriculture and their concern for rural economies helped them to persuade House leadership to change their proposal and lower the amount required of the House Agriculture Committee."

Gerald Simonsen, president of the Nebraska Grain Sorghum Association and a producer from Ruskin, Neb. said he also appreciates Osborne and Fortenberry's work. "These men demonstrated strong leadership as they communicated what larger budget cuts would have meant to our industry and rural America. Natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina have caused port disruptions and escalated already high energy prices. These Congressmen stepped up their efforts to ensure that American agriculture will remain strong."

NSP represents U.S. sorghum producers nationwide. Headquartered in Lubbock, Texas, in the heart of the U.S. Sorghum Belt that stretches from the Rockies to the Mississippi River and from South Texas to South Dakota, the organization works to ensure the profitability of sorghum production through legislative representation, market development, research and education.

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