[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 34 (Thursday, March 16, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2301-S2302]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        NATIONAL AGRICULTURE DAY

  Mr. NELSON of Nebraska. Mr. President, I rise today to speak in honor 
of National Agriculture Day and to discuss a couple of important 
agricultural issues. My home State of Nebraska has a proud agricultural 
heritage. The rural way of life is something we are proud of and we 
believe it needs to be preserved.
  As we begin to analyze the success and failures of the last farm 
bill, we need to thoroughly review that information in order to make 
improvements to the next farm bill. As a member of the Senate 
Agriculture Committee, I am looking forward to working on this bill 
next year. I believe there is a lot of work to be done for the American 
farmer and our rural communities. I have started to call this next bill 
the Food and Fuel Security Act of 2007 because I believe its focus 
should be on securing a safe, healthy food supply as well as investing 
in the production of biofuels so as to substantially improve our fuel 
and energy security. I think the focus should be on crafting a bill 
that is more effective for the majority of farmers and rural 
communities and with an emphasis on the opportunities presented by 
biofuels production.
  I look forward to listening to the concerns and recommendations of 
farmers, ranchers and businesses in the coming months as the Senate 
Agriculture Committee begins consideration of this bill. I also look 
forward to reviewing the findings and analysis from Secretary Johanns 
and the USDA as a result of their listening sessions. I will be 
evaluating all of this and other available information and will look to 
work with the other members of the committee and the Senate to put 
forth an effective Food and Fuel Security Act.
  One area that will certainly warrant consideration is payment limits 
on production subsidies and efforts to transition current production 
subsidies towards a system more focused on ``green payments'' modeled 
after programs like the Conservation Security Program, CSP, and the 
Environmental Quality Incentives Program, EQIP. We should also look to 
significantly expand those and similar programs to compensate farmers 
for the environmental and conservation benefits they provide.
  I believe we must also seriously consider improving our rural 
development efforts in the next bill. There are opportunities to help 
rural communities by encouraging entrepreneurial investments and 
helping these communities capitalize on their unique advantages, 
resources, and qualities.
  Our focus on rural development and improving rural communities must 
also include addressing the problems young farmers face in choosing the 
farming way of life. As the current generation of farmers approaches 
retirement, it is imperative that we provide opportunities to those 
members of the next generation who are interested in

[[Page S2302]]

farming. The daunting obstacles for young farmers, from the price of 
land, equipment and inputs to the low margins from farming, must be 
addressed in a sound manner so that we can help secure this profession 
and America's food security for future generations. Doing so is 
important for the rural communities that would otherwise lose these 
talented young people and the economic activity associated with 
farming. But this is also important for the future of our Nation's food 
security. I often tell people that if they like importing about 60 
percent of their fuel now, they are really going to love importing 60 
percent of their food in the future. Helping a new generation of young 
farmers get started in farming and helping them work toward successful 
careers as farmers is vital to securing a safe, healthy, and affordable 
food supply. We should make this a priority in the Food and Fuel 
Security Act.
  There is another important component of the next bill that has gained 
much welcomed attention lately: biofuels. In order to improve our 
energy and fuel security situation we must make it a priority to invest 
more into research, market development, and infrastructure development, 
as well as feedstock development, for biofuels. I have long believed 
the only way to break the cycle of our dependency on foreign oil is to 
invest in alternative and renewable fuel technology.
  As a Nebraskan, my focus has been on the role agriculture can play in 
the development of alternative sources of energy. Agriculture is 
positioned to supply the Nation with an abundant source of clean, high-
quality energy that will reduce our destructive reliance on foreign 
oil.
  Biofuels production can be the catalyst for a new wave of American 
innovation in a continuing search for better energy solutions. The 
virtue in producing cleaner, more sustainable fuels derived from our 
own fields rather than extracted from distant lands could help spur new 
technologies, new jobs, and new growth in our national and rural 
economies.
  We in Nebraska know the value of ethanol. We know the benefits it 
holds for the environment and our farmers and we know that it is 
critical in lessening our dependence on foreign oil. We currently have 
11 ethanol facilities in Nebraska that have the capability to produce 
534 million gallons of ethanol annually. These facilities represent 
more than $700 million of capital investment and have a net value of 
production that tops $1 billion annually. Plus, more than six thousand 
Nebraskans are now employed directly or indirectly in Nebraska ethanol 
production, and we have more facilities and jobs on the way.
  I believe a national emphasis on biofuels production represents an 
important investment in the proud tradition of the American farmer, 
American ingenuity, and American productivity. There is not an area of 
the country that does not have some agricultural product that can be 
used as an alternative energy source, whether it is corn in Nebraska; 
forestry wastes in the Northeast and Northwest, sugar cane in Hawaii, 
Louisiana, and Florida; or the potential of dedicated energy crops like 
switchgrass that can be grown throughout the country. So in honor of 
National Agriculture Day today, I want to emphasize the importance of 
biofuels for agriculture and for our Nation. We must make increased 
production and usage of biofuels a national priority.
  Today we honor those who work so hard to feed not only the people of 
our Nation but also people around the world. One day is not enough. I 
am thankful for our farmers and agricultural producers every day, but I 
am pleased to pay them a special tribute today.

                          ____________________