If you’re looking for sound bites, go somewhere else. Sen. Charles Grassley just wants to talk about the facts.

Grassley, a Republican, is running for a fourth Senate term against Democrat David Osterberg, a former state representative from Mount Vernon.

A major issue in the campaign has been the 1996 farm bill, which abolished federal regulations and subsidies for agriculture.

Grassley supports the legislation, called the “Freedom-to-Farm Act,” saying it gives farmers more control over their land.

“[Osterberg] uses terms like, ‘Make farmers do this or that.’ Farmers are business people — they want to manage their own farm,” he said. “They’ve now got the opportunity to plant the number of acres of corn or soybeans they want to plant.”

Osterberg is demanding the repeal of the bill, blaming it for the low commodity prices that have hurt farmers this fall.

But Grassley says the culprit isn’t the lack of government help.

“We aren’t exporting, and if we were exporting like we need to be, we wouldn’t have that problem,” he said. He cited the troubled economy in Southeast Asia as one reason exports have declined.

The solution Grassley seeks: expanding overseas markets for agricultural products. He said these markets can be opened in January if President Bill Clinton has fast-track power when he starts trade talks.

Fast-track allows the president to negotiate trade contracts and send them to Congress for a simple yes-no vote, without the possibility of amendments being added.

“Get the president to the table,” Grassley said. “He doesn’t have the fast-track trading authority. Get it to him.”

Another topic on which the candidates differ sharply is the environment. Osterberg says Grassley has a history of voting against conservation and preservation, but the senator disagrees.

“I’ve got a darn good environmental record,” Grassley said.

As evidence, he outlined his “yes” votes on three bills — the 1986 Clean Water Act, the 1990 Clean Air Act and the 1995 Safe Drinking Water Act — that he called the “most important environmental legislation” passed by Congress.

Grassley also was a key force in extending the ethanol tax credit by 10 years, and he wrote the conservation provisions included in the 1996 farm bill.

Most polls taken throughout the campaign show Grassley with a sizable lead over Osterberg, but Grassley said he’s not taking anything for granted.

“I approach it just like it’s the toughest race ever,” he said. “You just don’t know what’s going to happen.”