Political Quotes

“Madam President, I support passage of the 2012 farm bill, S. 3240, the Agriculture Reform, Food, and Jobs Act of 2012. I have made it a priority to keep Pennsylvania's agricultural industry and our rural economies strong to support Pennsylvanian families. Agriculture is the Commonwealth's largest industry. Pennsylvania's farm gate value that is cash receipts to growers, in 2010, was $5.7 billion. Agribusiness in Pennsylvania is a $46.4 billion industry, and 17.5 percent of Pennsylvanians are employed in the food and fiber system. What does this mean? It means that the Senate MUST pass this farm bill, that the House must pass a farm bill, and that the President must sign a farm bill into law before it expires at the end of September. The farm bill creates economic opportunities in our rural areas and sustains the consumers and businesses that rely on our rural economy. When the cows need to be milked, dairy farmers go out to the barn and do their jobs. We should follow their example and reauthorize the farm bill in a responsible way that helps contribute to deficit reduction. If passed into law, this farm bill would reduce the deficit by approximately $23 billion through the elimination of some subsidies, the consolidation of programs, and producing greater efficiencies in program delivery. Dairy is the Commonwealth's No. 1 agricultural sector.…”