Jeff Fortenberry

Can I stop you there? Madam Chair, would you be willing, perhaps with Ms. Lee, to go deeper into this issue?

Instead of all of what we are talking about being somehow reasons for divisiveness, are actually reasons for consensus.

I am highly interested in the whole concept of distributed energy generation, which is a component, an emerging field actually, in agricultural production.

Conservation is development, sustainable business is good business, and stewardship is a noble value.

I think this could serve many, many purposes that are consistent with the vision of the Department.

It is like a diplomatic agricultural corps.

This has huge potentiality and we have got a Foreign Agricultural Service that, from my perspective, doesn't really touch this at all.

Let's think creatively about the constructive partnerships that could potentially be out there that use our expertise of our farmers.

The potentiality is enormous in terms of what we are trying to achieve with the full integration of U.S. agriculture into international markets.

I think we have got some work to do. That is very well-expressed.

International Food Aid is indispensable to America's humanitarian outreach. Our impulse is not to simply sit around while other people die.

This is exciting news.

I think this is a very important point, either in terms of the architectural flexibility or some specificity for the Secretary.

So in the supplemental disaster package that's being written currently, are there--is there enough flexibility in this regard to potentially help you to help with the problem of onsite grain storage that's been lost?

Thank you. One other subset of this is, do you have any idea--and it can be just an approximation of how many farmers actually use private insurance to indemnify on-stored--on-site storage of grain because I am trying to get a handle on…

There is a lot of consequences to flooding, some of which are--couldn't be perceived before it actually happens.

Americans want Congress to actually do the same; to put aside any differences, and find consensus.

A natural disaster like this can also, in some ways, create blessings in disguise.

I think this is another tool that could be transformative in improving the safety of the blood supply and lowering the costs, reducing the need to defer people who want to donate blood.

I, frankly, was surprised and pleased by the outcry from the international scientific community about this rogue scientific experiment in China.

Do you think that the FDA is the proper regulatory authority in this regard particularly in response to your thoughtful response regarding the ethics?

I think if we cross boundaries that cause deep concern for a large section of the population, we end up potentially besmirching this technology.

We help feed America and feed the world and we are very proud of that.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, again for calling this important hearing.

I think you are not in front of this dynamic yet, that might be an important on-ramp to leveraging the Farm Credit System.