[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 66 (Thursday, May 10, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Page S3091]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       SENATE RESOLUTION 458--COMMEMORATING MAY 15, 2012, AS THE 
   SESQUICENTENNIAL OF THE FOUNDING OF THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

  Mr. JOHANNS (for himself, Ms. Stabenow, and Mr. Roberts) submitted 
the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 458

       Whereas, on May 15, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed 
     into law an Act that established a Department of Agriculture 
     (12 Stat. 387, chapter 72);
       Whereas President Lincoln gave the Department of 
     Agriculture general authority to acquire and spread useful 
     information on agricultural subjects and to assist in the 
     development and use of new and valuable seeds and plants;
       Whereas, in 1862, President Lincoln also signed into law 
     the Act entitled ``An Act to secure homesteads to actual 
     settlers on the public domain'' (commonly known as the 
     ``Homestead Act of 1862''; 12 Stat. 392, chapter 75) and the 
     Act of July 2, 1862 (commonly known as the ``First Morrill 
     Act''; 12 Stat. 503, chapter 130), which, along with the 
     creation of the Department of Agriculture, lay the foundation 
     for Federal agricultural policy;
       Whereas, in the 1850s, there was 1 farmer for every 2 
     people in the United States, while today the average farmer 
     in the United States feeds more than 150 people;
       Whereas the United States is now the second largest 
     producer and the largest exporter of agricultural products in 
     the world;
       Whereas the role of the Department of Agriculture has 
     expanded to include functions impacting nearly every aspect 
     of the rural United States and beyond;
       Whereas the Department of Agriculture helps to ensure the 
     safety of the food supply of the United States, provides 
     conservation assistance, collects market data, provides 
     nutrition assistance, protects the health of plants and 
     animals, supports rural communities, conducts agricultural 
     research, maintains risk management tools for producers, and 
     promotes agricultural exports; and
       Whereas the professionalism, dedication, and work ethic of 
     the public servants at the Department of Agriculture provide 
     a shining example of why President Lincoln called the 
     Department of Agriculture the ``People's Department'': Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) congratulates the men and women of the Department of 
     Agriculture on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the 
     Department;
       (2) celebrates the growth and success of agriculture in the 
     United States; and
       (3) honors the farmers and ranchers of the United States, 
     whose ingenuity, adaptability, and skill have created the 
     safest and most abundant food supply in the history of 
     mankind.

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