    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book II)]
    [August 4, 2004]
    [Pages 1482-1485]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on the Conservation Reserve Program in Le Sueur, Minnesota
    August 4, 2004

        The President. Thank you all. Please be seated. Thanks for the warm
    welcome. It's good to be on a farm. [Laughter] American farm and ranch
    families embody the best values of our country, don't they--love of
    family, love of the land, love of their country. These are good, hard-
    working people. Farming is what I like to call America's first industry,
    and that industry feeds us, and it clothes us. It's now providing more
    energy for us.
        The success of America's farmers and ranchers is essential to the
    success of our country. That's why it's fitting we're here on a farm to
    talk about the success of America. I'm going to talk about another role
    that farmers play today, and that's the essential role of being good
    stewards of our land, and how the Federal Government can help. See, I
    like to tell people every day is Earth Day if you make a living off the
    land, because people care more about the land if the person has to make
    a living off the land.
        And so today I'm going to talk about some initiatives where the
    Federal Government can help the best stewards of the land be better
    stewards of the land. I want to thank you all for coming. I appreciate
    the Governor. Thank you for being here,
    sir. Thank you for your introduction. I particularly want to thank
    Mark and Shirley Katzenmeyer; they're the host family here. Little did they
    realize--where is Mark?
        Mark Katzenmeyer. Right over here, sir.
        The President. Oh, there you are. Good, you got a good seat. That's
    good. [Laughter] And Karen as well, their
    sweet daughter. Thanks for coming, Karen.
        Guess what we talked about? Mountain biking. [Laughter]
    Mark is a mountain biker, and gosh, what a
    special place to mountain bike, isn't it? I'm sorry I didn't bring mine.
    [Laughter]
        Mr. Katzenmeyer. You can borrow one.
        The President. I could borrow one, yes. Well, I'm not that sorry.
    Anyway--[Laughter]. But I really appreciate your hospitality. Senator
    Norm Coleman is with us, and the Governor. We
    were on the same helicopter. He said, ``I wonder if the Katzenmeyers really
    understood what was about to happen''--[laughter]--four choppers heading
    into their farm. But thanks for having us. I also want to thank your
    neighbors for putting up with us, and I appreciate you all coming. I
    want to thank Norm. He's a good friend, a fine United States Senator.
        I appreciate Gil Gutknecht. And the
    Congressman for this area, John Kline, is with us
    too. Thank you both for being here. I'm honored you guys are here. I
    also want to thank--I want to thank Vicky, who
    is John's wife. I appreciate you coming, Vicky.
        I thank the mayor of Le Sueur for being here. Mr. Mayor, appreciate you coming.
        Mayor Bob Oberle. You're welcome.
        The President. Yes, thank you. It's an honor for us to be here. I
    want to thank the other local officials who've come. I want to thank the
    conservation groups. I see some of my friends from the conservation
    groups, the people who want to make sure that the land is taken care of
    so wildlife can flourish. We're going to talk about something today that
    I think you'll appreciate. As a matter of fact, you've been instrumental
    in helping to construct the policy. I want to thank--and the farmers and
    ranchers who are here. It's really good to be here.
        Bryan--there's Bryan. Yes, today when I
    landed--by the way, I always like to greet somebody in the community who
    is serving the community by volunteering. And Bryan Comstock is a
    volunteer firefighter for this part of the world. I want to thank you
    for being here. I told him I was a supporter of the Crawford Volunteer
    Fire Department. I know something about it. It's--

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    these volunteer fire departments are really important for rural America,
    and I want to thank Bryan and others who are volunteering time to help
    these farmers and ranchers who might get in trouble because of a sudden
    or instant fire.
        At any rate, we--this country better appreciate our farmers and
    ranchers. I mean, it's--really the cornerstone of good economic policy
    is good farm policy, isn't it? And I'm--I appreciate the effects of the
    farm bill that we worked on and passed. It's a good bill. And it's
    making a difference. It has helped farmers because it helped them plan
    and operate on market realities, not based upon Government dictates.
    It's important any bill that deals with economics to understand the
    markets, and that we view the markets as important. And a market-
    oriented approach to farming is good, and it's working. It's making a
    difference for people right now.
        One reason it is, is because we recognize there's a lot of consumers
    for American farm products outside the United States. Good farm policy
    is good trade policy. Listen, if you're good at something--and we're
    really good at growing things; we ought to be selling what we grow, not
    only here at home but elsewhere. I'm committed to making sure that
    markets are open and we're treated fairly. I like to explain trade to
    our people this way, that we've opened up our markets here in the United
    States, and it's good for consumers. We do. Think about it. When you get
    more products coming into the country, you can shop. You can make
    decisions. The more opportunities you have to decide, you're going to
    get better quality at a better price. That's just the way it is. That's
    the way the market works. We want to be treated in other countries the
    way we treat people here at home. That's good trade policy. And so we're
    opening up markets. The more markets we open up, the better it is for
    farmers and ranchers because we can compete with anybody, anytime,
    anywhere just so long as the playing field is level.
        And as a result--we also, by the way, cut taxes on our farmers and
    ranchers as well as everybody else who paid taxes. That helps. I like to
    tell people I think the people in southern Minnesota can spend their
    money better than the Federal Government can. Now, we'll set priorities;
    don't get me wrong. [Laughter] We got a war to win. We've got a homeland
    to protect. We got people to take care of that can't take of themselves.
    But by setting priorities, I believe that you can meet obligations and
    let people have more of their own money. It helps this economy grow; I'm
    telling you. When you got more money in your pocket, you demand an
    additional good or a service. And when you make that demand, somebody is
    going to produce it. And when somebody produces it, somebody is likely
    to find a job.
        We also put the death tax on its way to extinction. In order to have
    a vibrant agricultural economy, it must be so that people can pass their
    farm from one generation to the next without the Federal Government
    getting in the way. We're going to have to make the death tax--the
    elimination of the death tax permanent. In order to get it out of the
    Congress, it's--it was a decision to say, ``Okay, we're going to put it
    on its way to extinction,'' and then it comes back after 10 years.
    That's the way we had to get it out, which means in the year 2011,
    there's going to be some unusual decisions by people when the death tax
    comes into being. I'm pledged to eliminate it totally. I don't think it
    makes any sense. I don't think you ought to--[applause].
        Anyway, we've taken action. And the productivity of our farmers
    are--it really means we can compete anywhere. And therefore, America's
    farmers have posted record net-cash farm income. I'm not talking about
    good--I'm talking about record. Our exports are way up. Farm equity and
    land values are strong. In other words, we got a good farm economy, and
    I intend

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    to keep it that way as best as I possibly can.
        I'm going to talk about conserving the land. The best thing from the
    farm bill was the conservation title. It encouraged people to put aside
    lands for the right reasons: to protect the soil, protect the water,
    provide habitat for wildlife. The conservation title was doubled from
    the previous farm bill to this one. It's up to about $40 billion over a
    10-year period of time. The Katzenmeyers
    understand it. Here's what Shirley said.
    She said, ``You're giving back to nature when it comes to putting
    money--land aside for the CRP. You're giving back to nature. You're
    giving back something to the soil so it doesn't get depleted. All
    around, it's a good practice.'' I agree, and so do farmers all across
    America.
        So the main reason I've asked you all to come, besides being in a
    beautiful part of the world, was to talk about three initiatives I think
    you'll find interesting; three initiatives important for our country;
    three initiatives which enable our farmers and sportsmen to continue
    their roles as citizen-stewards of the land. This initiative I think is
    good for the environment. It's good for the agricultural sector.
        First, we're going to expand and extend the Conservation Reserve
    Program. The Conservation Reserve Program is the largest public-private
    conservation partnership in the Nation. Approximately 800,000 farmers
    participate in this program. In return for an annual payment from this
    program, farmers retire some of their land, letting it turn back to its
    natural state. As I told you, it's good for the soil. It's good for
    habitat. Interestingly enough, one of the things I like to ask is, does
    it work? The question we need to ask more often in Washington, DC--is it
    actually working? In this case, this program has helped reduce soil
    erosion by more than 40 percent since 1986. That is a positive
    development for America.
        Right now we have 35 million acres of farmland in the CRP, the
    Conservation Reserve Program. Contracts covering roughly two-thirds of
    the existing land in the program are scheduled to expire in 2007 and
    2008. To make sure these farmlands stay protected, I directed the
    Secretary of Agriculture to offer early
    reenrollments and extensions of existing contracts.
        The farmers no longer need to worry about whether or not this--
    they'll be reenrolled in the program, as of this moment. You will be.
    We're taking action now rather than waiting so that there's certainty
    when it comes to planning. I'm also directing the Secretary to enroll farmers for an additional 800,000 acres of land.
        Secondly, we're going to expand the conservation program to cover
    vital grasslands that often serve as borders of farmlands. I'm ordering
    the Secretary of Agriculture to help protect
    250,000 acres of grasslands, which are the home of several species of
    birds, including the northern bobwhite quail. By expanding this program,
    our goal is to increase the quail population by about 750,000 birds a
    year.
        Thirdly, we're going to expand the conservation program to cover
    wetlands that are not in--the CRP now covers wetlands that are in a
    flood plain. But if you're out of a flood plain--if your wetlands are
    out of a flood plain, you're not currently eligible for the program.
    These wetlands are what the farmers around here call ``prairie
    potholes,'' and offer a home for pheasants and ducks and other birds.
    These prairie potholes will now be a part of the CRP, and that's good
    for wildlife. I'm also making available resources needed to help farmers
    protect 250,000 acres of such wetlands. This is part of an initiative
    that I outlined last Earth Day which was to restore, improve, and
    protect at least 3 million wetland acres over the next 5 years.
        Audience member. Thank you, Mr. President.
        The President. And that's what I'm here to announce. I'm here to
    announce we can

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    do a good job of conserving nature by empowering our farmers and
    ranchers. I want to thank the wildlife people that are here. I want to
    thank you for your practical way of approaching important issues for our
    country. I particularly want to thank the farmers and ranchers who are
    here for doing what you were raised to do, which is feed us and help
    clothe us and, in the meantime, protect your land, which is good for the
    country.
        I'm honored to be here. Mr. Mayor, thanks for
    coming. It's great to be in a part of the world where people work with
    their hands and make a living off the land.
        God bless you all, and may God continue to bless our great country.
    Thank you very much.

    Note: The President spoke at 2:55 p.m. at the Katzenmeyer family farm.
    In his remarks, he referred to Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota.