[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 41 (Thursday, March 17, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1803-S1804]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       NATIONAL AGRICULTURE WEEK

  Mr. JOHANNS. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize an industry 
that has helped shape our country since the days of our Founding 
Fathers.
  This industry is part of the very fabric of my home State of Nebraska 
and of many States. It drives our economy, fosters ingenuity, and 
preserves the value of a handshake in our society. I am speaking about 
agriculture, an industry near and dear to this farm boy's heart.
  What better time to celebrate the remarkable advances in agriculture 
than National Ag Week.
  It is not because of my roots on a farm, nor my time as Secretary of 
Agriculture that I am inspired to speak today. It is because of the 
remarkable men and women who rise before the sun each morning to feed 
the world. They provide safe, abundant, and affordable food, fiber, and 
fuel. They are stewards of our natural resources and drivers of 
innovation.
  More than 2 million farmers and ranchers contribute more than $300 
billion to the U.S. economy each year. In Nebraska alone, agriculture 
contributes over $15 billion to the State's economy. Our leading 
commodities include: cattle, corn, soybeans, hogs, wheat, dairy 
products, and the list goes on and on.
  It is estimated that each American farmer feeds more than 144 people, 
a dramatic increase from just 25 people per farmer in the 1960s. And, 
as our population and the global population continue to grow, demand 
for our food, fiber, and fuel products is growing, not just at home but 
around the globe. In fact, USDA projects that agriculture exports will 
set a new record, exceeding $135 billion this year.
  It is estimated that every dollar in agriculture exports generates 
$1.36 in additional economic activities, including transportation, 
warehousing, and financing.
  Nebraska's $4.8 billion in agricultural exports last year generates 
an additional $6.5 billion in economic activity. Now that is a big 
deal, particularly during these struggling economic times.
  However, the demands facing our Nation's farmers and ranchers are 
daunting.
  We should ensure the government is not adding unnecessary regulatory 
and paperwork burdens to their load.
  Instead, we must empower our Nation's farmers and ranchers to 
continue to be among the most competitive, productive, and efficient in 
the world.
  We should be actively promoting U.S. agriculture by enhancing 
renewable fuels; ensuring regulations are transparent and science-
based; and creating international opportunities through enhanced trade 
agreements.
  This last one should be easy, but this administration has made it 
difficult.
  Congress has been waiting on the President to submit three free trade 
agreements, Colombia, Panama, and Korea for more than 2 years now.
  It is estimated that this cumulative delay has cost almost $2.5 
billion in lost agriculture exports per year.
  And while we have been hobbled on the sidelines, our competitors, 
including, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, and the EU, have been full speed 
ahead on trade agreements that put U.S. agriculture at a disadvantage.
  Instead of a maintaining market share and a preference for Nebraska 
grown wheat, corn, and beef, consumers in Colombia, Panama, and Korea 
could turn to our competitors.
  That is because their trade agreements have lowered tariffs while 
ours collect dust on a White House shelf.
  And once market share is lost by the United States, it is difficult 
to regain.
  I have talked to colleagues on both sides of the aisle who understand 
this reality.
  In fact, the chairman of the committee that oversees trade could not 
have been more clear in recent comments. Senator Max Baucus said:
  ``The Time Is Here. The Time Is Now. We're Losing Market Share Hand 
Over Fist.''
  I could not agree more.

[[Page S1804]]

  Yet, more than 2 years into their term, the administration still has 
failed to send us these pending trade agreements for approval.
  Our Nation's farmers, ranchers and many American workers are asking 
for them.
  They know that new orders will be placed and business will flow from 
the agreements.
  New jobs will be created.
  Instead of spending hundreds of millions of dollars to try to create 
jobs, how about we sign agreements that will do it for us?
  Approving trade agreements increases spending: zero. Not one penny. 
Congress simply says, ``aye.''
  Perhaps that simply makes too much sense for Washington.
  The bottom line is that increased trade is one of many opportunities 
that will help to ensure a bright future for American agriculture.
  There are many reasons to be optimistic.
  One need only consider the breathtaking advances in productivity.
  I have long said that our farmers and ranchers can compete with 
anyone in the world on a level playing field.
  It is nothing short of phenomenal that average corn yields are now 
160 bushels per each acre of land compared to only 53 bushels just 50 
years ago.
  Frankly, it is difficult to keep pace with the new technologies 
transforming agriculture.
  Consider this. Thanks to biotechnology and improved farming 
practices, last year, American farmers nearly doubled their soybean 
production from 1980 levels, with just a 10 percent increase in total 
acres planted.
  And did you know, some farmers now use satellite and GPS technology 
to apply water and fertilizer where and when it has the greatest 
benefit to crops.
  American agriculture truly is a remarkable success story.
  It is true that we have big challenges ahead for agriculture. I say 
bring them on.
  Our producers have faced down every challenge set before them and I 
am confident nothing will stand in the way.
  That is, assuming the Federal Government does not wrap so much 
redtape around them as to suffocate their ingenuity.
  There simply is no more resilient bunch than farmers and ranchers.
  How many Americans would be willing to work hard often 7 days a week, 
only to leave any profit in the hands of Mother Nature?
  Only those who recognize that living close to the land comes with its 
own rewards, and feeding the world is a higher calling.
  I would suggest that agriculture is the very foundation of our 
country's rich heritage. Our Founders clearly understood and 
appreciated the importance of agriculture.
  George Washington once said he knew of ``no pursuit in which more 
real and important services can be rendered to any country than by 
improving its agriculture. . . . ''
  Thomas Jefferson noted that ``Agriculture . . . is our wisest 
pursuit, because it will in the end contribute most to real wealth, 
good morals and happiness.''
  National Ag Week is a good time to reflect on the rich agricultural 
history of this great Nation. It is a time to celebrate the exciting 
scientific advances and new opportunities.
  One thing all my colleagues should be able to agree on: We owe our 
Nation's farmers and ranchers a sincere thank-you. Every time we go to 
the grocery store, we are reminded how little of our disposable income 
we spend in this great Nation because of the good work of our farmers 
and ranchers. We compare better in our country than just about any 
country in the world.
  So we are grateful today for their good work. We say thank you to 
them for the food, fiber, and fuel that keeps our Nation strong.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I would like to speak for about 10 
minutes. I know Senator Bingaman is on the floor, and maybe other 
Members are coming to the floor to talk on other subjects.

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