[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 154 (Thursday, December 14, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S11784]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      RECOGNIZING MICHAEL O'CONNOR

 Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, I rise today to commend an 
individual who has provided immeasurable service to the family farmers 
and ranchers in my home state of South Dakota over the past eight 
years. Mr. Michael O'Connor has been the South Dakota State Executive 
Director for the Farm Service Agency, FSA, of United States Department 
of Agriculture, USDA. He was originally named the South Dakota State 
Executive Director of the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation 
Service of USDA by President Clinton in 1993. His current 
responsibilities include supervising activity in 60 county FSA field 
offices across the state.
  As this Administration draws to a close, we sadly must say goodbye to 
some experienced, tireless, and talented people who have dedicated 
their professional careers to public service. Mike is one of those 
public servants, and so on behalf of the citizens of South Dakota, it 
is my honor to express our sincere gratitude to Mike O'Connor for his 
countless contributions and achievements.
  Throughout his career Mike has aggressively served the agricultural 
community in South Dakota through positions of leadership in the South 
Dakota Farmers Union, the Clay-Union Electric Board of Directors, the 
South Dakota Corn Utilization Council Board of Directors, and the Union 
County Pork Producers. He also served in as a representative in South 
Dakota Legislature from 1987-1993.
  Moreover, Mike, his wife Janelle, and their family have devoted their 
lives to production agriculture, operating a diversified grain and 
livestock farm for over 30 years near Alcester, South Dakota.
  Mike has been a valuable resource for me and a determined advocate of 
family farmers as we developed and implemented farm programs. He is 
constantly trying to improve the delivery system with the interests of 
family farmers close to his heart, always searching for ways to 
implement programs that are fair and equitable to all. Mike exhibits 
the courage to take on the status quo, and demonstrates a will to 
ensure integrity in program delivery for agricultural producers.
  Mike has guided innumerable disaster and assistance programs from the 
federal level to local disbursement in South Dakota. He and his top-
notch staff have been asked to implement these ad hoc disaster programs 
in addition to the day-to-day administrative requirements of current 
farm and conservation programs. From marketing loans and loan 
deficiency payments to production flexibility contract payments and 
market loss payments, to loan and conservation programs, to crop loss 
disaster payments, Mike has seen it all. He has worked with his 
statewide staff to administer these programs and distribute payments in 
an effective, timely fashion to South Dakota farmers. In this last 
fiscal year alone, the South Dakota FSA, under Mike's direction, has 
delivered over $750 million to farm program participants in South 
Dakota. Mere words cannot describe everything that Mike has done to 
serve the farmers and ranchers in South Dakota through such an awful 
period of economic distress. Mike is as respected in Washington, D.C. 
as he is in South Dakota, and his working knowledge of the intricacies 
of farm bill will be missed.
  Therefore, it is with a sense of pride and yet, regret, that I wish 
Mike well in his future endeavors.
  Mr. President, I thank you and wish Mike, Janelle, and their family 
success in their future plans. I know that we will continue to work 
together, as Mike will continue to provide a respected opinion that I 
will seek out during the upcoming Congressional farm bill debate. On 
behalf of the people of South Dakota, I want to thank Mike for being a 
true public servant who has helped improve the quality of life for 
farmers and ranchers all across South Dakota.

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