Political Quotes

“Madam President, in the Senate here, prior to getting here, I have been a tree farmer since the late eighties and have been involved in the agricultural part of farming, other than driving the tractor, for a long time. And farming has got to be one of the most difficult things God ever created in terms of a complicated business that involves risk for a return that, in many cases, just isn't there. Thank goodness, currently, the markets are rewarding that effort and that great risk. Environmental credits present an incredible opportunity for American farmers because that bottom line is so meager to begin with. And when you have got voluntarily markets out there that are wanting to reward good stewardship, it should be easy. But significant barriers still remain. In today's market, if you are a small farmer, you are not able to connect with these markets. Only the large farmers, both tree and egg, can do it. This simplifies it; it democratizes it; and it does something, finally, that that small guy, the landowner, the American family farmer, can get some benefit for his or her good stewardship. The Growing Climate Solutions Act creates a USDA certification program for third-party technical providers and verifiers. It allows the USDA to provide legitimacy to the trustworthy actors in the marketplace. And what is really unusual, in the short time I have been here in the U.S.…”