[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 197 (Tuesday, December 10, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6913-S6914]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Agriculture
Mr. GARDNER. Mr. President, I come before the Senate today to
recognize a historic milestone in the Colorado agricultural community.
The Colorado farm bureau is celebrating 100 years of representing
farmers, ranchers, rural communities, and every aspect of agriculture
in Colorado.
I grew up in the Eastern Plains, the very heart of agriculture. In
fact, the county I grew up in is one of the largest corn-producing
counties in the country and, certainly, economically speaking, one of
the top agricultural communities in the State.
Our livelihood, our neighbors--everything--depend on agriculture. In
fact, when there is a downturn in agriculture, it is not just the next
day that our community feels that. It is that next hour that the
community feels the impact. It is the same with a good agriculture
economy. It is not just tomorrow that we will feel the impact, but
immediately we will feel the impact.
I grew up working in a family farm equipment dealership where you got
to
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know everybody in the community, not because of the kind of operation
they had but because of the kind of person they were, the kind of
relationships you built, and then, of course, the opportunities to do
business in those communities.
There are ebbs and flows, good times and bad times, times of
prosperity and times of difficult predicaments in rural America, in
agriculture. In the 1980s, I grew up watching one of the hardest times
agriculture faced--watching a number of banks face foreclosures, a
number of farmers face foreclosures. I watched as people I knew my
whole life sold their farms, gave up farming, and closed their
businesses.
It wasn't that long ago--in fact, just a few years ago--that we saw
some of the highest priced commodities this country had ever seen for a
very long time. The golden years of agriculture occurred just a couple
of years ago because of all-time high prices. That is not the situation
we are facing today.
Once you have worked in the agriculture industry, I think you develop
a very deep understanding and appreciation for the men and women who
have our farmers' backs through the good times and the bad times, like
the Colorado Farm Bureau. The Farm Bureau plays a vital role in the
wellbeing of all aspects of agriculture. It gives rural communities a
prominent voice when the government is debating policies that impact
their farms, their finances, and their families.
The Colorado Farm Bureau began in 1919, when a group of farmers,
ranchers, veterinarians, rural doctors, shopkeepers, and tradesmen in
10 local counties met to form what was termed a ``Farm Bureau.'' Their
goal was to make the business of farming more profitable and the
community a better place to live. The organization struggled through
the years and almost died out in the 1930s.
In the late 1930s and early 1940s, a group of people across Colorado
organized to breathe new life into that Farm Bureau in Colorado. Ezra
Alishouse, C.J. Phillips, Arthur Andersen, and others sold memberships
to rebuild the organization.
As a group of farmers naturally would, the Farm Bureau persisted and
grew. They grew the Farm Bureau to become the largest farm organization
in the State of Colorado and expanded the support they provided to ag
communities throughout the State.
In the 1940s, farmers and ranchers were having a difficult time
insuring their operations. So the Colorado Farm Bureau created a farm
insurance casualty company. They began offering farm insurance in 1948.
Later in the 1950s, they began offering life insurance for those in the
agriculture community.
Today, the Colorado Farm Bureau represents 23,000 member families, 45
local county Farm Bureaus, and is one of the largest farmer-led
organizations in the State of Colorado. The Colorado Farm Bureau has a
simple mission: to promote and protect the future of agriculture and
rural values.
They show people the agriculture industry up close, why it is
important to all of us, and the success of our rural communities.
The Farm Bureau offers leadership training for young professionals,
scholarships, college programs, health and safety trainings, helpful
resources to farmers, and support when it is needed the most. Through
the Colorado Farm Bureau Foundation, the Farm Bureau has raised
hundreds of thousands of dollars to support victims of natural
disasters in Colorado, whether that is a drought or whether that is
severe blizzards.
They represent, improve, and promote all aspects of agriculture in
Colorado and have helped to develop the industry into the economic
powerhouse it is and one of the strongest drivers of Colorado's
economy.
Every year I have been honored to join the Colorado Farm Bureau and
have the Colorado Farm Bureau join me on our annual farm tour. That is
a tradition I first started when I came to the House of
Representatives. Every fall we would go to the Eastern Plains of
Colorado and the Western Slope of Colorado and talk to everyone from
peach growers in Palisade to corn growers in Kiowa and beyond, and we
had opportunities to learn how we can help every nook and cranny of the
State when it comes to agriculture.
This year, we have traveled to 15 different counties across Colorado,
visiting family farms, ranches, and agricultural businesses. We held
roundtables with locally elected officials. We went to a wind farm and
talked about the impact that renewable energy is having in positive
aspects for our farmers and ranchers.
This farm tour wouldn't be possible without the Farm Bureau and the
others who helped put it together and make sure we see these important
issues that we are facing. In the past, we have turned to them for
their expertise in policy, their insights, experience, and their
partnerships as we champion efforts that will help and benefit rural
Colorado. They have been a great partner in providing agricultural
producers with the resources and certainty they need to protect private
property rights, to protect our waterways, to ensure that farmers are
treated fairly in the Tax Code, and, recently, in helping to relocate
the headquarters of the Bureau of Land Management to Grand Junction.
The Farm Bureau is a regular presence in Washington. I think all of
us know that. Colorado Farm Bureau members have played an important
role in developing policy. They are not afraid to get their hands dirty
and of the hard work it takes to get good legislation passed.
The Colorado Farm Bureau takes on difficult issues and has a real
impact on people's lives. Their dedicated work and their willingness to
take on difficult issues has also earned them national recognition. In
2005, the Colorado Farm Bureau was recognized by the Department of the
Interior in Washington for their work at the Colorado Department of
Natural Resources to protect the mountain plover.
This created a win-win partnership that the government and the
private sector could work in together to preemptively protect the
species without listing it on the Endangered Species Act.
The Colorado Farm Bureau was instrumental in opening up 300,000 acres
of land for data collection and research on the mountain plover's
nesting and population status. Through that effort, they were able to
avoid listing, develop better management practices, and help to grow
the mountain plover population.
I look forward to continuing to hear from Colorado Farm Bureau
members and farmers and ranchers across our State, as this Chamber--
this body--debates new trade opportunities, new agricultural policies,
and anything that could impact farmers back home.
Their contributions will be especially valuable as we continue to
open up new markets for Colorado producers, invest in rural
communities, and manage our public lands.
Last month, the Senate passed a resolution I introduced with my
colleague, Senator Bennet, celebrating this historic 100th anniversary,
recognizing all of the Colorado Farm Bureau's past, present, and future
efforts to promote and advocate farm and ranch interests.
I ask my colleagues in the Senate to join me today in celebrating the
Colorado Farm Bureaus's rich history and contributions to the ag
industry, not just in Colorado but across the United States.
Congratulations to the Colorado Farm Bureau for your 100 years of being
a strong voice for farmers, ranchers, and our rural communities in the
``Centennial State'' and for all your work to protect the Colorado way
of life. I look forward to continuing our work together with the Farm
Bureau in seeing what we can accomplish for the next 100 years of
agriculture in Colorado.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Montana.