For Immediate Release
November 3, 2009

 GRASSLEY:  Iowa's corn crop is less than 20 percent harvested, and only about 54 percent of the state's beans are out.  As the weather in Iowa turns drier over the next week, it'll be a very critical time in getting our crops out of the fields.  There's a good chance that we'll see combines, semis, tractors, and wagons, and grain carts running 24 hours a day.

 So I want to take this chance to remind people who are working on the farms to be safe.  As the long days turn into nights, there will be even more chances of accidents to happen.  The Iowa highways and county and gravel roads will be full of slow-moving machinery, and kids will want to take part in the action around the farm.  It's very important that we're all aware of the surroundings and to make this push to get our crops out of the field a safe one.

 And I suppose it'd be foolish of me to give a safety notice to Iowa farmers without giving that same safety notice to people that are not farmers, that are traveling our roads, to be on the watch-out, as well.

 Our farming operation is about 15 percent of the corn out, about 60 percent of the beans out.  There hasn't been a whole lot done until yesterday over the last two or three weeks. 

 Dan Looker?

 QUESTION:  Hi, good morning, Senator.  I just wanted to ask a question about the announcement -- I think it was yesterday -- that you and other ranking members of the committees that are going to be considering the climate change legislation have a number of questions about it.  And I -- I -- I wondered why the timing of this announcement.  Are you concerned that the bill is moving ahead faster than you expected?

 GRASSLEY:  Yes, it is moving faster than we expected.  And right at this very moment, I'm watching C-SPAN, and they're trying to get the meeting underway.  And we felt that there's just a lot of issues that need to be brought up.  And we thought that if we had all of the committees that had something to do with it to be -- to let our questions be raised and get some opportunities to have dialogue with the Environment Committee that it might proceed in a more dignified, as well as efficient way.

 QUESTION:  And are some of your questions about the regional and agricultural interests?  Are some of your concerns being met or -- or -- or not at this point?

 GRASSLEY:  Not at all.  And I think it's very important, for instance, that the Agriculture Committee weigh in very strongly on this issue.

 QUESTION:  OK.  Thank you.

 GRASSLEY:  You bet.  Let's go now to Tom Rider.

 OK.  Then let's go to Gene, Iowa Farmer.

 QUESTION:  No questions, Senator.

 GRASSLEY:  Tom Steever?

 QUESTION:  Thank you, Senator.  To expand a little bit on that, the Republicans have -- have requested a little bit of -- have sought analysis of the climate change bill.  Exactly what would you like to find out about this?

 GRASSLEY:  Well, I think our request was specifically about waiting for EPA to make an analysis, as well as the cost associated with it from the Congressional Budget Office.

 Let's see.  Ken Root?

 QUESTION:  No questions today.

 GRASSLEY:  OK. 

 Dan Skelton?

 Chris Clayton?

 QUESTION:  Senator, you mentioned last week you guys were going to have a meeting in Senate Finance.  I had asked about, you know, an update on the estate tax and some of the other tax issues hanging out there, extenders.  Any -- any meetings scheduled or anything planned to map out something for December?

 GRASSLEY:  None of them are scheduled yet, and probably what I was referring to, if you're referring to something I said one week ago at this meeting, every Tuesday, Senator Baucus and I have meetings, and it didn't come up at the meeting last Tuesday, and I anticipate our meeting this Tuesday is going to deal with a few trade issues.

 QUESTION:  So as of now, there's really not much in terms of movement on some of these...

 GRASSLEY:  No.

 QUESTION:  ... these outstanding tax matters?

 GRASSLEY:  No.  And I don't have staff with me to give you an update of whether or not anything's been done on the staff level.  But I presume that there's always talk among staff, but that doesn't mean it's -- it's serious talk about what might be going on.

 Let's see.  That was Chris.  Stacia?

 OK.  I've gone through the list that I have circled here.  Is there anybody else that's dropped in?

 QUESTION:  Good morning, Senator.  This is Dan  in Spencer.

 GRASSLEY:  I'm ready to take your call.

 QUESTION:  All right.  Thank you, sir.  Apparently there's been some movement in the European Union on acceptance of -- of certain genetically modified seed.  What do you think is going on there?  Is -- is -- is this a need situation or -- or a science situation?

 GRASSLEY:  Well, if you want to follow WTO very specifically, it's strictly scientific and should be judged entirely scientific.  Now, in Europe, there's been a lot of emotion in it over the last couple decades that has kept our products from getting in there, which effectively has been a non-tariff trade -- trade barrier. 

 And -- and right now, it seems to me that they're requesting information from us in regard to impact of GMOs on livestock feed.  So the producers that -- the local producers in Europe just are demanding more inputs.  And -- and I presume it's -- it's our job to show them that there's no danger to human consumption for eating meat where GMO corn has been.

 Now, that's why you've seen me from time to time having corn in my office and chewing on it, when Europeans come to my office, to demonstrate to them that I'm still alive after 20 years of doing this to GMO food.

 Anybody else want to jump in?  OK, then...

 QUESTION:  Senator?  Senator?

 GRASSLEY:  Yes, go ahead.

 QUESTION:  This is Tom Steever.  You had started with an update on the Iowa harvest.  How's it going on your farm?

 GRASSLEY:  Fifteen percent of our corn is out, sixty percent of our beans are out.  And that's as of last night, which isn't very good, I hope you understand.  But, I mean, it's about the way it is in the whole state, so I don't think we can complain.

 OK, thank you all very much.

 END