[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 17 (Wednesday, January 29, 2014)]
[House]
[Page H1502]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             THE FARM BILL

  (Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, today the House passed a 
new 5-year farm bill reauthorization with bipartisan support. The 
Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act will provide food 
security for our Nation's citizens, ensuring that Americans have access 
to affordable, high-quality, and safe food.
  For my State of Pennsylvania and many others, the farm bill is 
actually a jobs bill. In Pennsylvania, we have approximately 62,000 
farms, and agriculture supports hundreds of thousands of jobs. One in 
seven Pennsylvanians owes their job directly or indirectly to 
agriculture.
  The dairy sector is our largest single contributor, with about 7,100 
farms as of last year. Pennsylvania ranks fifth in overall dairy 
production among States, but Pennsylvania agriculture is very diverse. 
We have beef and cattle, mushrooms, corn, poultry, and so much more. 
Our forest products and timber industry is also critical in 
Pennsylvania and provides jobs and needed forest management.
  This farm bill is critical in providing support and certainty to our 
farmers and rural communities in each of these areas. As a member of 
the House Agriculture Committee and as a supporter of agriculture in 
Pennsylvania, I was proud to support the passage of this important jobs 
bill.

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