Mark Souder: “I support H.R. 2534, the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reauthorization Act for 1997. I have had the…”

“I support H.R. 2534, the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reauthorization Act for 1997. I have had the opportunity to meet with farmers, producers, and processors from northeast Indiana, as well as Dean Vic Lechtenberg of Purdue University's School of Agriculture. They have emphasized that the excellent research and extension education system of our land grant universities and the USDA has allowed U.S. agriculture to provide the lowest cost and highest quality food supply in the world. As you know, agriculture is an extremely important industry, not only to my home State of Indiana, but many other parts of the country as well. In the 1996 farm bill, we made great strides in bringing agriculture production into a new era of technological competitiveness. As American agriculture relies more on world markets, it is imperative that its technology and human resources continue to be strong. Without superb technology and an outstanding education system, U.S. producers and processors will be unable to compete effectively with other nations where labor and other costs are less. There is little doubt that our agricultural industry will need the necessary tools to compete in the global market with technology based research.”