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[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 458 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 458

Commemorating May 15, 2012, as the sesquicentennial of the founding of 
                     the Department of Agriculture.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 10, 2012

Mr. Johanns (for himself, Ms. Stabenow, and Mr. Roberts) submitted the 
        following resolution; which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
Commemorating May 15, 2012, as the sesquicentennial of the founding of 
                     the Department of Agriculture.

Whereas, on May 15, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed into law an Act that 
        established a Department of Agriculture (12 Stat. 387, chapter 72);
Whereas President Lincoln gave the Department of Agriculture general authority 
        to acquire and spread useful information on agricultural subjects and to 
        assist in the development and use of new and valuable seeds and plants;
Whereas, in 1862, President Lincoln also signed into law the Act entitled ``An 
        Act to secure homesteads to actual settlers on the public domain'' 
        (commonly known as the ``Homestead Act of 1862''; 12 Stat. 392, chapter 
        75) and the Act of July 2, 1862 (commonly known as the ``First Morrill 
        Act''; 12 Stat. 503, chapter 130), which, along with the creation of the 
        Department of Agriculture, lay the foundation for Federal agricultural 
        policy;
Whereas, in the 1850s, there was 1 farmer for every 2 people in the United 
        States, while today the average farmer in the United States feeds more 
        than 150 people;
Whereas the United States is now the second largest producer and the largest 
        exporter of agricultural products in the world;
Whereas the role of the Department of Agriculture has expanded to include 
        functions impacting nearly every aspect of the rural United States and 
        beyond;
Whereas the Department of Agriculture helps to ensure the safety of the food 
        supply of the United States, provides conservation assistance, collects 
        market data, provides nutrition assistance, protects the health of 
        plants and animals, supports rural communities, conducts agricultural 
        research, maintains risk management tools for producers, and promotes 
        agricultural exports; and
Whereas the professionalism, dedication, and work ethic of the public servants 
        at the Department of Agriculture provide a shining example of why 
        President Lincoln called the Department of Agriculture the ``People's 
        Department'': Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) congratulates the men and women of the Department of 
        Agriculture on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the 
        Department;
            (2) celebrates the growth and success of agriculture in the 
        United States; and
            (3) honors the farmers and ranchers of the United States, 
        whose ingenuity, adaptability, and skill have created the 
        safest and most abundant food supply in the history of mankind.
                                 <all>
```