Cedar Rapids Gazette in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Poverty blamed for grain surplus says former agriculture secretary

Former agriculture secretary Orville Freeman told a St. Louis audience there is no farm surplus but a deficit of purchasing power in developing nations. He argued producing enough, not controlling surplus, is the real challenge, noting eight of the 15 most populated nations in 1985 were developing. The conference aims to draft hunger remedies, with a Cedar Rapids study urging a UN global conference on hunger and a 21st century food reserve system.