[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 55 (Wednesday, May 6, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S4448]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                       TRIBUTE TO BRUCE BOHNSACK

 Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I rise today to give a brief 
tribute to Mr. Bruce Bohnsack from my home state of North Dakota. Mr. 
Bohnsack operates a grain and soybean farm which has been in his family 
for more than 100 years. As a producer, Bruce has a keen interest in 
farm policy issues and has been active in the affairs of a farmer owned 
credit cooperative--the Farm Credit System.
  Bruce's active involvement in Farm Credit has been on various levels. 
He is a member of the Federal Land Credit Association of Fargo and has 
served as director of that association for 18 years. Bohnsack joined 
the board of the St. Paul Farm Credit Bank in 1987--at a time of crisis 
for the bank and the Farm Credit System as a whole.
  The Farm Credit System of the mid-1980s was fighting a battle for 
survival. One of the things that saved the System was the leadership of 
Farm Credit board members like Bruce Bohnsack. Bruce and his colleagues 
in St. Paul made a number of sound business decisions of critical 
importance to the institutions and the farmers they serve. One such 
decision was to combine the St. Paul and St. Louis Farm Credit Banks to 
create AgriBank, FCB. This first voluntary merger of Farm Credit banks 
in the history of the System helped to ensure the efficiency and 
effectiveness of the wholesale bank while retaining local 
accountability at the association level.
  Bruce and other farmer elected lenders in the System also provided 
helpful input to the Committee on Agriculture when we drafted the 
Agricultural Credit Act of 1987. The 1987 Act is one of the great 
success stories in recent years for which Congress and the Farm Credit 
System can both be justifiably proud. Since 1987 the Farm Credit System 
has experienced a remarkable turn around. It is now better capitalized 
and better positioned to serve farmers than ever before in its history. 
Congress played a role in this turn around by providing Farm Credit 
with a loan not a grant. The principal and interest on the loan made 
possible under the 1987 legislation is being repaid by the System 
several years ahead of schedule.
  Bruce Bohnsack's interest in farm policy issues is also reflected in 
his service on the St. Paul District Farm Credit Council and national 
Farm Credit Council boards of directors. As chairman of these two 
boards, Bruce was as an advocate for Farm Credit in the halls of 
Congress and in North Dakota. While he no longer serves on these 
boards, you can bet he will continue to be active in North Dakota 
Farmers Union, North Dakota State Township Officers Association, his 
local Lutheran church and other farm and community groups.
  On behalf of North Dakota farmers, I would like to thank Bruce 
Bohnsack for his years of service to the Farm Credit System and 
American agriculture. We wish him well in the years ahead.

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