[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 11]
[House]
[Pages 16287-16288]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          NATIONAL CO-OP MONTH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Kansas (Mr. Marshall) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize National Co-op 
Month and the many co-ops of the big First District of Kansas.
  With a history spanning back to the 18th century, co-ops shaped the 
way American producers and consumers do business, and in doing so, 
these ventures have become an invaluable part of business in our own 
Nation.

[[Page 16288]]

  From a personal standpoint, I remember my first adventure to a co-op 
as a 6- or 7-year-old boy on a wheat farm in Kansas. My uncles would 
let me tag along, riding in our 1952 Chevy truck, and take that wheat 
to the Burns Co-op. When I was there, I got to taste my first Orange 
Crush pop. It was the biggest treat of the whole harvest for me, 
getting to go to that co-op and getting a little bottle of pop.
  Over time, though, co-ops have grown far beyond agriculture. We now 
have co-ops across our district working in broadband, our electric and 
gas service, housing needs, and so much more.
  Run by the people who run and use them, these co-ops, from Kansas to 
Kentucky, from Alabama to Arkansas to Alaska, are voluntary and self-
directed organizations. The benefits are apparent.
  Take, for example, MKC, one of the fastest growing co-ops in my 
State, which has donated more than $500,000 to our local communities in 
the last 5 years. The benefits of user-based economic control are 
growing each year.
  National Co-op Month brings to mind the hard work and dedication that 
goes into providing you and me with items and services that we take for 
granted every day.
  Going forward, I urge my colleagues and fellow Members to continue to 
work and support our farmers and ranchers, our co-ops and their vital 
work for all America.


  Recognition of Importance of Trade to Kansas Manufacturing Industry

  Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the importance 
of trade to the Kansas manufacturing industry.
  I recently had the opportunity to tour a number of local 
manufacturing companies as part of my Manufacturing Day tour in Kansas 
and was able to hear how these companies are working to meet both local 
and global demands for our products.
  These companies in Hutchinson, Kansas; McPherson, Kansas; and 
Moundridge, Kansas, showed me how they partnered with local community 
colleges to recruit and train employees as well as innovate to improve 
their own processes. They repeatedly emphasized how important trade is 
to manufacturing in Kansas.
  When it comes to trade, NAFTA remains of critical importance to the 
Kansas economy. Nearly 40 percent of the manufacturing exports produced 
in Kansas go to Canada and Mexico. Let me say that again: 40 percent of 
the goods manufactured in Kansas go to Canada and Mexico, at a value of 
nearly $3 billion each year.
  As we work through the process of updating and modernizing our free 
trade agreements, our goal must be to expand and open new markets for 
American exporters so we can grow our economies and put American-made 
products at the forefront of the global marketplace.

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