[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 6604-6605]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO KATIE EDWARDS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MARIO DIAZ-BALART

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 22, 2008

  Mr. MARIO DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today to 
recognize Katie Edwards who will be inducted into the Dade County Farm 
Bureau's distinguished Hall of Fame on Saturday April 26, 2008.

[[Page 6605]]

  For more than four years, Katie has served as the Executive Director 
of the Dade County Farm Bureau. In that capacity, she has been a solid 
and steady voice advocating for the more than 4,000 members she 
represents. Under Katie's exceptional leadership, the Dade County Farm 
Bureau received the President's Award from the Florida Farm Bureau 
Federation in 2004 and 2007.
  Katie has focused her efforts on a variety of issues facing South 
Florida's diverse agricultural industry. She has consistently promoted 
and supported the economic viability of agriculture, the 
competitiveness for specialty crops, the need for agricultural disaster 
following numerous hurricanes, and increased funding for mitigating the 
risks associated with invasive pests and diseases.
  This fall, Katie will start law school at Florida International 
University, where she plans to stay true to her passion and concentrate 
on agricultural law. Though her shoes will be difficult to fill, I know 
she has a made a lasting impact on the Dade County Farm Bureau.
  I urge all my colleagues to join me in congratulating Katie Edwards 
on her induction into the Hall of Fame.

                          ____________________