[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 183 (Tuesday, December 10, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H6540-H6541]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           RECOGNIZING FARMERS, RANCHERS, AND OTHER PRODUCERS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize our 
Nation's hardworking and dedicated farmers, ranchers, and other 
producers.
  In 1978, radio broadcaster Paul Harvey addressed the Future Farmers 
of America at their annual convention and delivered a powerful message 
that highlighted the importance of our Nation's farmers.
  He said:

     And on the 8th day, God looked down on his planned paradise 
           and said: I need a caretaker.
     So God made a farmer.
     God said: I need somebody willing to get up before dawn, milk 
           cows, work all day in the fields, milk cows again, eat 
           supper, then go to town and stay past midnight at a 
           meeting of the school board.
     So God made a farmer.
     God said: I need somebody with arms strong enough to rustle a 
           calf and yet gentle enough to deliver his own 
           grandchild; somebody to call hogs, tame cantankerous 
           machinery, come home hungry, have to wait lunch until 
           his wife is done feeding visiting ladies, then tell the 
           ladies to be sure and come back real soon and mean it.
     So God made a farmer.
     God said: I need somebody willing to sit up all night with a 
           newborn colt and watch it die, then dry his eyes and 
           say: Maybe next year. I need somebody who can shape an 
           ax handle from a persimmon sprout, shoe a horse with a 
           hunk of car tire, who can make a harness out of 
           haywire, feed sacks, and shoe scraps; who, planting 
           time and

[[Page H6541]]

           harvest season, will finish his 40-hour week by Tuesday 
           noon and then painin' from tractor back, put in another 
           72 hours.
     So God made a farmer.
     God had to have somebody willing to ride the ruts at double 
           speed to get the hay in ahead of the rain clouds and 
           yet stop in midfield and race to help when he sees the 
           first smoke from a neighbor's place.
     So God made a farmer.
     God said: I need somebody strong enough to clear trees and 
           heave bales, yet gentle enough to tame lambs and wean 
           pigs and tend the pink-combed pullets, who will stop 
           his mower for an hour to splint the broken leg of a 
           meadow lark.
     It had to be somebody who would plow deep and straight and 
           not cut corners; somebody to seed, weed, feed, breed, 
           and rake and disc and plow and plant, and tie the 
           fleece and strain the milk and replenish the self-
           feeders and finish the hard week's work with a 5-mile 
           drive to church; somebody who would bale a family 
           together with the soft, strong bonds of sharing, who 
           would laugh, and then sigh, and then reply, with 
           smiling eyes, when his son says that he wants to spend 
           his life ``doing what dad does.''
     So God made a farmer.

                              {time}  1015

  Mr. Speaker, as chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture, it is 
my honor to advocate for their interests and ensure that they have 
certainty and stability for generations to come.
  Even though Paul Harvey wrote these remarks about our Nation's 
farmers, it encompasses so much more than that. Our farmers, ranchers, 
foresters, and producers are essential in providing food, fiber, and 
fuel to our Nation and the world.
  Mr. Speaker, food security is national security. As we head into the 
holiday season, I recognize and thank our Nation's producers for their 
contributions to our everyday lives.

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