Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his support of this legislation to update and modernize the agricultural producers' small business size standards. President Eisenhower once said: Farming looks mighty easy if your plow is a pencil and the closest cornfield is a thousand miles away. Unfortunately, this quote is accurate when describing the statutorily established size standards for agriculture producers. Agricultural production is an important contributor to the American economy. According to the USDA, the total value of farm production exceeds $390 billion, and the agricultural industry supports 16 million domestic jobs. Farmers and ranchers provide the food, fiber, and fuel that are critical to our daily lives. Family-owned farms still account for the majority of farms and ranches in the United States. However, the advance of new technology has created increased productivity, leading to lower prices for many commodities. This downward pressure on prices is expected to increase, and newer technology will be adopted. As margins continue to thin, more and more single-owned family operations will consolidate into somewhat larger, multifamily-owned operations, but these are still small businesses. Unfortunately, the current small business size standard for agriculture has been set in statute and is outdated. The standard is too low for a vast majority of farms and ranches to participate in potential government contracts and subcontracting opportunities.…”