September 29, 1983
I have today signed H.R. 3914, a bill ``To require the Secretary of Agriculture to make an earlier
announcement of the 1984 crop feed grain program and of the 1985 crop wheat and feed grain
programs.''
I vetoed an earlier bill on this subject, H.R. 3564, because it mandated early and rigid
announcement dates. They would not have allowed the Secretary of Agriculture sufficient time to
collect and evaluate critical information on the harvest of current crops, before committing to a
specific program for the following year.
H.R. 3914 will permit the Secretary of Agriculture a 30-day period to adjust the initial program
announcements. H.R. 3564 did not permit such an adjustment.
I am approving H.R. 3914 because I believe that it will meet the needs of farmers, while also
allowing the Department of Agriculture to carry out its responsibilities to manage these programs
in a timely and efficient manner.
Note: As enacted, H.R. 3914 is Public Law 98 - 100, approved September 29.
The President's message to the House of Representatives returning without his approval H.R.
3564 is printed on page 1155.