Chuck Grassley: “we have an opportunity this week, as we do every year, to celebrate American agriculture. This is the week we…”

“we have an opportunity this week, as we do every year, to celebrate American agriculture. This is the week we traditionally recognize. It is called National Agriculture Week. Ask any friend or neighbor what is eating them and you are likely to get an earful about rising gas prices, military action in Iraq, the high cost of health care, prescription drugs, or the downturn in the U.S. economy. In my most recent town meetings, I listened to Iowans express anxiety about job security, retirement security, health care security, energy security, national security, and homeland security. But never once did I have a single person in my State list as one of their concerns the concern of food security. That is because we in the United States are blessed with a rich agricultural bounty to provide more than enough food to feed U.S. consumers and a growing world population. American farmers are the most productive food producers in the world and, as a result, each American farmer can feed more than 120 people at home and abroad. That is reason enough to give Americans an extra peace of mind. Yet I guess a majority of Americans take their food and how it got to their fork somewhat for granted. That is, in fact, a shame. American agriculture serves an instrumental role in the life of every American. As George W. Bush has noted: A nation that can feed its people is a nation more secure.…”