[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 8689]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




      CELEBRATING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FARM CREDIT SYSTEM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Ross) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to recognize the 100th 
anniversary of the Farm Credit System. Established by Congress in 1916, 
Farm Credit's mission is to provide a reliable source of credit for 
United States farmers.
  At the time of Farm Credit's creation, credit was virtually 
unaffordable or inaccessible in rural areas. Over the next 100 years, 
Farm Credit helped our Nation's farmers survive the Great Depression, 
feed a country during World War II, and survive nearly two decades of a 
farm crisis.
  Today Farm Credit provides more than one-third of the credit needed 
by those living and working in rural America. In my home State of 
Florida, Farm Credit is the largest single lender to agriculture. It is 
made up of people like a good friend of mine, Al Bellotto, a World War 
II hero who survived Iwo Jima and Okinawa, came back home and served 
for 35 years as the chairman of the Farm Credit of Central Florida and 
is now a chairman emeritus and member of Florida's Agricultural Hall of 
Fame. It is people like him who make sure that Farm Credit is dedicated 
to the people and to the business of agriculture, the heart and 
lifeblood of the United States.
  It is my hope that the Farm Credit System will continue to support 
our Nation's great farmers, that our agricultural industry will thrive, 
and in 100 years a future Representative of central Florida will be on 
this floor celebrating Farm Credit's 200th anniversary.
  Happy anniversary, Farm Credit.

                          ____________________