Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, the availability of credit is of paramount importance to the success of farm country, and we learned this lesson the hard way. Over a century ago, our farm forbearers faced a credit crunch that threatened the viability of the industry. As a result, farmers, creditors, rural stakeholders and policymakers worked together to create the Farm Credit System (FCS). This system has been improved upon throughout the years as events require and has provided more than $210,000,000,000 in loans to more than 500,000 customers. Today, the availability of farm credit is as vital an issue for rural America as ever. Without credit, a beginning farmer or rancher will find it nearly impossible to purchase land, equipment and inputs to start a farming operation, and a long-time farmer will find it equally difficult to continue and pass on their legacy to the next generation. To be clear, the importance of the FCS is not limited to the private land between the fence posts. Instead, the entirety of the rural economy benefits from services provided by the FCS whether those services include funding for housing, markets, or infrastructural upgrades. Finally, the success of the FCS is equal to the sum of its parts. The system works because it is composed of individuals who care about what they do, who believe 100 percent in the mission of their enterprise to bring results and prosperity to a rural community where, without them, there might be none.…”