150th Anniversary of USDA

Floor Speech

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Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, I am here today to commemorate the United States Department of Agriculture on its 150th anniversary.

Our country has changed dramatically since 1862, when President Abraham Lincoln signed a bill into law creating the Department of Agriculture.

Despite all the changes we have seen in the last century and a half, the USDA remains true to its original mission as ``The People's Department,'' administering critical programs that touch the lives of all Americans.

So as we celebrate this important milestone for the USDA, I think we should also take a moment to recognize the men and women who are putting its programs to use--the farmers and agriculture leaders who grow our crops, produce our food and power our homegrown energy supply.

Sometimes, people forget that food doesn't just magically appear on grocery store shelves. But the truth is that behind every aisle--whether it's dairy or produce--there is farmer or a rancher who has made it their livelihood to produce nutritious, abundant food.

In Minnesota, our economic strength is anchored in the soil of our land and the sweat of our farmers. Agriculture is our State's leading export, accounting for $75 billion in economic activity every year and supporting more than 300,000 jobs. And while we are 21st in the country for population, we are the sixth largest agricultural producer.

Minnesota is number one in turkeys, green peas, and oats, number two in spring wheat, number three in hogs and soybeans, and number four in corn.

I have spent the last year traveling across our State as part of an economic tour that has taken me to dozens of communities and businesses throughout Minnesota. And no matter where I go, I am always reminded of the critical role that farming plays in our State's economy.

For generations, the Department of Agriculture has stood behind our farmers and rural communities and made sure they had the tools and resource to move forward.

The USDA may be best known for administering the farm programs that help agricultural producers manage risk and recover from disasters--everything from floods to market failures. But programs such as crop insurance, which provides a safety net across 254 million acres, are just one component of the USDA's larger portfolio of priorities--everything from clean energy development and conservation to export promotion.

In terms of research, the USDA has helped our farmers and ranchers remain the most productive in the world. It has funded research that not only shields our food supply from pests and dangerous diseases, but also increases the productivity of farmers growing everything from wheat to watermelons.

Anyone who has visited a farm using modern precision agriculture can tell you just how far we have come. And in terms of the economic benefits, studies have shown that for every dollar spent on agricultural research, it returns over $20 to our economy.

The USDA is also making great headway with conservation programs. By working with hundreds of thousands of farmers and ranchers and implementing conservation practices on tens of millions of acres of private land, the USDA is helping reduce soil erosion and ensure clean drinking water.

And in preserving our natural resources, USDA is also strengthening key industries like fishing and hunting, which are so much more than just hobbies in my State--in Minnesota, sportsmen put $3.4 billion into our economy each year and support 55,000 jobs.

On the energy front, USDA is moving us closer to oil independence by encouraging the development of homegrown sources--like cellulosic biofuels, methane digesters and other renewable and energy efficient solutions. Altogether, those solutions are expected to save enough energy to power nearly 600,000 homes a year.

At a time of spiking gas prices and volatility in foreign oil markets, I believe we should be investing in the energy innovators of the Midwest--not the oil cartels of the Mideast.

With the right tools, America's farmers can develop the next generation energy sources that will power the world.

We are already feeding the world, and the USDA has helped make that possible through its work to lift export barriers and open new markets for agricultural goods. In 2011 farm exports reached a record high of $137 billion, which support 1.5 million jobs here in the U.S.

Finally, so much of the USDA's work boils down to strengthening rural communities. That is why programs to help finance everything from broadband to infrastructure for clean drinking water are so important. They are critical to ensuring a kid who grows up in rural American can stay in rural America and doesn't have to move somewhere else to find a job, raise a family or start a business.

In this sense, the USDA truly is the ``People's Department.'' This only underscores the importance of the work we're doing in the Senate to craft a strong and successful farm bill--one that builds on the success of existing programs while also making key improvements and accounting for challenges created by the current budget environment.

The Agriculture Committee took the first step by passing the farm bill out of committee in April, on a strong bipartisan vote of 16 5, that should pave the way for full Senate action.

The legislation strengthens and continues many vital programs that farmers rely on in States across the country.

It maintains a robust farm safety net which makes several improvements to the crop insurance program, including changes to ensure the program works better for fruit, vegetable and organic producers.

I sponsored an amendment that will give beginning farmers better access to the crop insurance program by making it more affordable for them to purchase coverage.

And because I believe we should do more to invest in the future of American agriculture, I worked to make sure the bill included provisions for the Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Program and for promoting public-private research opportunities.

Importantly, the bill we passed in the Committee also streamlines and strengthens the conservation programs that farmers rely on to keep our soil healthy and our water clean. It preserves the essential nutrition programs that millions of families and children rely on every day. And it includes a strong energy title for encouraging homegrown energy production.

Every single American has a direct stake in the success of our farms and food businesses. Through the food we eat, the water we drink, the fuel we put in our cars and the air we breathe, each and every one of us is personally invested in the success of American agriculture, and that is why the USDA is such a critical resources.

I congratulate all my friends with the USDA on a remarkable 150 years, and I want to thank my colleagues on the floor today for their great work
and dedication to supporting our farmers and rural communities. I look forward to working with all of my colleagues in the Senate to pass a strong Farm Bill that supports vital services at the USDA and gets the job done for our Nation's farmers.

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