[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 4]
[House]
[Pages 5556-5557]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         KEEP THEM ON THE FARM

  (Mr. POE of Texas asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, the regulators are going after 
America's farms. Now they are considering

[[Page 5557]]

prohibiting kids from working on farms. Growing up on a farm teaches 
kids valuable lessons and a strong work ethic.
  Now the Federal Government is contemplating prohibiting kids from 
doing chores on their uncle's farm, including ``the storing, marketing, 
and transporting of farm product raw materials.''
  According to the Department of Labor, ``prohibited places of 
employment would include county grain elevators, grain bins, feedlots, 
stockyards, and livestock exchanges.''
  Anyone under 16 would not be allowed to drive any type of power 
equipment, including tractors. So if the farmer wants to hire a young 
boy to help him move some hay, it'd be a crime?
  People who know nothing about farms are trying to stop educating our 
future farmers, because a lot of these farm kids grow up to be farmers. 
Now we're faced with the problem that the average farmer in the United 
States is over 50.
  If the regulators have their way, and young people are shut out, 
there will be a lost generation of American farmers. This ought not to 
be, but that's just the way it is.

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