[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 113 (Wednesday, July 13, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S5072]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FARM CREDIT SYSTEM

  Mr. CARPER. Mr. President, today I wish to celebrate the 100th 
anniversary of the Farm Credit System and to recognize the important 
contributions of the Mid Atlantic Farm Credit to Delaware's farmers and 
communities.
  When President Woodrow Wilson signed the Federal Farm Loan Act of 
1916, he created a robust and reliable source of credit for American 
farmers and ranchers that would come to serve our rural communities for 
a century. Since its founding, the Farm Credit has supported farming 
operations large and small and served as a lifeline for farmers in the 
face of tremendous hardships--including the Great Depression, the 
Second World War, and the farm crisis of the 1980s.
  Today, the Farm Credit System supports farmers and ranchers with a 
wide variety of financial services, including crop insurance, appraisal 
service, life insurance, and the leasing of farm-related vehicles. By 
providing farm operations with the financial trust and support they 
need to get up and running or survive and thrive through difficult 
times, the Farm Credit System has been crucial to the ongoing success 
of our farmers, rural communities, local economies, and national 
agriculture sector. The partnership of the Farm Credit System with 
communities across the Nation throughout the last century has helped to 
build our country's vibrant and thriving agriculture sector.
  Across the country, the Farm Credit System continues to do a great 
deal of good for the farmers and farm families who need help the most, 
ensuring that farmers who are young, beginners, or own a small plot 
have the financial footing they need to embark on the difficult yet 
rewarding experience of starting their own farm operation. By 
supporting organizations such as 4-H and the Future Farmers of America, 
the Farm Credit System is working to make a brighter future for our 
farmers in the generations to come.
  In Delaware, farms and communities rely on the Mid Atlantic Farm 
Credit for those essential services. With 17 branches across Delaware 
and our neighboring States of Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, the 
Mid Atlantic Farm Credit supports over 11,000 members and today has 
more than $2.5 billion in outstanding trust. The folks there have made 
a great impact on the communities they serve, providing scholarships, 
sponsorships, and their own interactive educational learning system to 
continuously support the families and businesses they work with. The 
Mid Atlantic Farm Credit's dedication and commitment to their customers 
goes above and beyond their responsibilities in agriculture credit and 
funding.
  I am delighted and honored to recognize the Mid Atlantic Farm Credit 
and the Farm Credit System, which for the past 100 years has helped 
meet the credit and financial service needs of rural communities and 
allowed American agriculture to flourish in Delaware and across these 
United States of America.

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