On the recordMarch 25, 2014
As a member of the House Agriculture Committee, I rise in support of the goals of National Agriculture Day, which is today, March 25. Agriculture remains the number one industry in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, supporting upwards of 63,000 family farms, generating more than $67 billion in economic impact, and one in seven residents of Pennsylvania works in the agriculture sector. While a good portion of America's population does not see firsthand where our food supply comes from, a wise man once told me that we shake hands with a farmer at least three times a day. This saying truly illustrates the importance of supporting agriculture, but equally the importance of supporting the future of agriculture and our future food security. I had the pleasure of meeting with two officers of the Pennsylvania chapter of the Future Farmers of America earlier this morning. I commend them for their outreach efforts here in Washington to promote the goals of National Agriculture Day. Their advocacy in engaging the next generation to become farmers is crucial to ensuring our country has the most affordable, the highest quality, abundant, and safest food supply in the world. ____________________
