[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 56 (Thursday, March 23, 2023)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 17363-17364]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-06106]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 56 / Thursday, March 23, 2023 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 17363]]

                Proclamation 10532 of March 20, 2023

                
National Agriculture Day, 2023

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                American farms remind us of the beauty and generosity 
                of our Nation. They feed the country and the world, and 
                with each new planting season, they embody that most 
                American of things--possibilities. On National 
                Agriculture Day, we celebrate all the farmers, 
                farmworkers, ranchers, fishers, foresters, and other 
                agricultural workers who do so much to make our Nation 
                strong, fuel our economy, and steward our lands. 
                America owes them.

                There is a common spirit across America's agricultural 
                community: a respect for tradition, a drive to 
                innovate, and a commitment to never giving up--even 
                when the going gets tough. Small farmers, ranchers, and 
                meat processors also face many challenges. Extreme 
                weather, made worse by the climate crisis, is 
                destroying crops and decimating herds. Markets for 
                seeds, feed, and fertilizer are dominated by a few 
                large companies, raising the cost of doing business. 
                Corporate consolidation has reduced what small 
                producers can get in exchange for their crops and 
                livestock, lowering farmer incomes and workers' 
                paychecks. Too many feel forced to give up farms that 
                their families spent generations growing. A lack of 
                competition has distorted the market.

                I have often said that capitalism without competition 
                is not capitalism--it is exploitation. My 
                Administration is working to promote fair competition 
                across our economy, including in agriculture. We are 
                encouraging antitrust agencies to focus on anti-
                competitive practices in agricultural markets. We are 
                working to secure the so-called ``right to repair'' so 
                farmers can fix their own machinery and tractors, 
                rather than being required to send them back to the 
                manufacturer. We are making it easier for farmers to 
                bring claims against exploitative poultry processors, 
                and the American Rescue Plan has invested $1 billion to 
                help smaller meat processors expand operations.

                To ease rising costs, we are also investing $500 
                million in domestic independent fertilizer production 
                and expanding crop insurance to support more farmers 
                who are willing to risk double cropping. The Bipartisan 
                Infrastructure Law is rebuilding roads, bridges, 
                railways, and ports and is expanding broadband, 
                particularly in rural areas, which will transform 
                supply chains. The Inflation Reduction Act is investing 
                a historic $40 billion in climate-smart agriculture and 
                other programs that can help producers stay on their 
                lands, including approximately $18 billion for 
                conservation and easements and $3.1 billion in relief 
                for distressed borrowers. The Act also dedicates 
                resources to help address generations of systemic 
                discrimination that have denied farmers of color equal 
                access to opportunities and credit.

                We will also keep fighting for the farm and food 
                workers who form the backbone of our economy, working 
                with unions to improve workforce training and workplace 
                safety--whether on farms and ranches, at processing or 
                packing plants, or in delivery and food preparation. 
                Every worker is entitled to fair pay, safe conditions, 
                and the free and fair choice to join a union. That 
                includes the large portion of agricultural workers who 
                are undocumented, many of whom have built lives and 
                worked here for decades.

[[Page 17364]]

                In return for all that they have done to keep America 
                running, undocumented farmworkers should have a pathway 
                to citizenship. Our economy needs them, and they 
                deserve dignity and respect.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of 
                the United States of America, by virtue of the 
                authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws 
                of the United States, do hereby proclaim March 21, 
                2023, as National Agriculture Day. I call upon all 
                Americans to join me in recognizing and reaffirming our 
                commitment to and appreciation for our country's 
                farmers, farmworkers, ranchers, fishers, foresters, and 
                all those who work in the agriculture sector across the 
                Nation.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twentieth day of March, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand twenty-three, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                seventh.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2023-06106
Filed 3-22-23; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F3-P