Political Quotes

“for more than 60 years, the Federal government has fostered rural development through farm credit and other programs that are vital to small farms. Small, minority, women and beginning farmers have often had no other access to credit than USDA and Farmers Home Administration. The Conyers amendment preserves this traditional role as the ``lender of last resort'', maintaining open entry for a new generation of farmers by restoring the direct lending role that would otherwise end in five years. The programs and services of the Federal government should be freely accessible and open to all who are eligible to receive them. Local participation has been one of the high-points of USDA programs for years. However, some farmers have been excluded who do not meet some local idea of eligible farmers. Minority farm loss in previous decades has skyrocketed at a rate more than three times that of other farmers. Between 1987 and 1997, an additional 20% of African-American farms were lost. The lack of clear data on how many minority and women producers are on the land and participating in USDA programs is a critical barrier to any efforts to seek fairness.”