Deborah Koff Ross: “Today I rise to recognize the 100th anniversary of the Farm Credit System. Established by Congress in 1916, Farm…”

“Today I rise to recognize the 100th anniversary of the Farm Credit System. Established by Congress in 1916, Farm Credit's mission is to provide a reliable source of credit for United States farmers. At the time of Farm Credit's creation, credit was virtually unaffordable or inaccessible in rural areas. Over the next 100 years, Farm Credit helped our Nation's farmers survive the Great Depression, feed a country during World War II, and survive nearly two decades of a farm crisis. Today Farm Credit provides more than one-third of the credit needed by those living and working in rural America. In my home State of Florida, Farm Credit is the largest single lender to agriculture. It is made up of people like a good friend of mine, Al Bellotto, a World War II hero who survived Iwo Jima and Okinawa, came back home and served for 35 years as the chairman of the Farm Credit of Central Florida and is now a chairman emeritus and member of Florida's Agricultural Hall of Fame. It is people like him who make sure that Farm Credit is dedicated to the people and to the business of agriculture, the heart and lifeblood of the United States. It is my hope that the Farm Credit System will continue to support our Nation's great farmers, that our agricultural industry will thrive, and in 100 years a future Representative of central Florida will be on this floor celebrating Farm Credit's 200th anniversary. Happy anniversary, Farm Credit. ____________________”