On the recordJune 18, 2014
I have a few more comments after listening to my colleague from Missouri. I did want to mention a few. The first point is on exports. We all know we have a bad trade deficit. We all know that. But it would be horrendous if it were not for agriculture. Agriculture is really a huge net plus for us when it comes to exporters. You may ask yourself why that is. It is because we raise the safest, highest quality food in the world, and other people want it. There is no question that when that food shows up on shelves in foreign countries, if this says ``Made in the USA,'' sometimes they can charge a premium because they know the USDA seal of approval is of the highest quality you can find anywhere in the world. So exports are very important. We heard the President--not just this President but the previous President as well--talk about exports and how many jobs exports create. We need to get back in the exportation business, and agriculture is a great way to do that. Senator Blunt alluded to research. There are some tremendous numbers in research. For every dollar of research, you get a $20 return to the U.S. economy. That is a no-brainer. That is smart policy. That is the right thing to do. It is good for the economy. But also we both had an experience a few weeks ago where Bill Gates, who founded Microsoft, came in and talked to us about American agricultural research and how important it is in feeding the world.…
