[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 
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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.