[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 118 (Tuesday, September 20, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1901]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              ACKNOWLEDGING THE SERVICE OF RAY CHRISTENSEN

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MARK UDALL

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 20, 2005

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge and 
honor the important contributions Ray C. Christensen has made to 
Colorado and the country's agricultural community. Ray has served as 
the executive vice president of the Colorado Farm Bureau for the last 
20 years and with his retirement, Colorado will lose a powerful 
advocate for agriculture.
  Shortly after I was elected to the State legislature in 1996, I came 
to know Ray and was often reminded of how highly regarded he was at the 
State capitol. I was aware of agricultural issues, but hardly an 
expert--and I knew other legislators in both parties who took a 
somewhat disdainful attitude toward farm issues. Others felt that 
agricultural matters were best left to State legislators from rural 
areas. But as Lew Entz--now a State Senator--reminded me, ``If you eat, 
you are in agriculture.''
  I took that to heart then, and I take it to heart as a Member of 
Congress. From the farm to the table, nothing is plainer or more 
important, and no one embodies this truth better than Ray Christensen.
  Ray's professional biography makes this abundantly clear. He 
graduated from South Dakota University with a B.S. and graduate degrees 
in geography and agriculture. He has held positions at the South Dakota 
Department of Agriculture, the Missouri River Basin Commission, and the 
office of Public Affairs for the Farm Bureau. He has also served on the 
Colorado Agricultural Council, Denver Agricultural and Livestock Club, 
Colorado Public Expenditures Council, Colorado Medical Society 
Foundation, CSU Cooperative Extension Advisory Council and Colorado 
Commission on Taxation.
  As executive vice president of the Colorado Farm Bureau, Ray 
cultivated valuable relationships with Colorado businesses, 
environmental organizations, and social advocacy groups, ensuring long-
term progress that spans beyond the agricultural community. Uniquely 
dedicated to cooperation and driven by the concerns of the family farm, 
Ray has provided invaluable service to Colorado agriculture.
  Ray and I come from different walks of life and different political 
leanings, but I have always respected his depth of experience and his 
steadfast commitment to rural America.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Ray 
Christensen and in wishing him success in all his future endeavors. It 
has been a privilege to work with him on a number of issues, and as a 
friend from Colorado once remarked to me, ``It's a whole lot better to 
have Ray on your side than the other way around.''
  I couldn't say it any better.

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