21.   But after the StarLink controversy broke into the open, many farmers said they had not signed such agreements or were unaware of any restrictions.

22.   But as the deadline draws nearer, farmers say officials are increasingly resorting to coercion and intimidation to get them to move.

23.   But because the fixed payments are calculated in part on acreage, small farmers say they will be more vulnerable to market swings than larger, wealthier landowners.

24.   But farmers say that adequate international aid never materialized.

25.   But farmers say low prices and an outbreak of Aleutian disease, a livestock virus, explain the drop in United States production.

26.   But farmers said Friday that a lack of organization and clear guidelines had caused long delays and left them with backlogs of tens of thousands of cows.

27.   But many dairy farmers say they would be out of business without the compact.

28.   But many established poultry farmers say the business is riskier than it looks.

29.   But many farmers say they prefer not to hire young workers but are forced to because of a labor shortage.

30.   But in these hard times, other farmers said, people have been stealing harvested rice from sheds and pulling cassava plants right out of the ground.