[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 20 (Wednesday, February 3, 2016)]
[House]
[Page H507]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     THE IMPORTANCE OF AGRICULTURE

  (Mrs. ROBY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. ROBY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to draw attention to the important 
role that agriculture plays in this country.
  I am honored to serve in a district in which agriculture represents 
the largest employer and is responsible for $11 billion in economic 
impact.
  It is why, during my time on the House Agriculture Committee, I was 
proud to help craft a new farm bill that delivers modern, more 
conservative policy for our farmers.
  That is why now, as a member of the Appropriations Committee, I have 
remained diligent in making sure that the promises we made in the farm 
bill are kept.
  We faced a challenge last year in the crop insurance program when it 
was gutted in the budget. This is the system that we promised our 
farmers to help transition away from direct payments.
  Cutting it was unfair. I was proud to help restore that program 
funding before the end of the year, but it demonstrated something of a 
disconnect.
  Mr. Speaker, not everyone in Congress represents a district with such 
a large agricultural footprint. What I try to explain to my colleagues 
is that, when you mess around with the crop insurance program, you 
aren't just affecting farmers who put seed in the ground.
  You are affecting the ones who sell the seed, who build the equipment 
to cultivate and harvest the crop, and those who help process the goods 
for their final products.
  That farming dollar turns over many times, and there is an entire 
agriculture supply chain that is affected by the farm policies we set 
in Congress.
  My farmers know I have their back and I always will as long as I am 
in Congress.

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