This is the inaugural hearing of the Rural Enterprises Subcommittee which has been added as a new Small Business Subcommittee in the 106th Congress. I represent the Second Congressional District of New Jersey which covers a third of the state geographically. Southern New Jersey is home to a thriving agricultural community. We have many fresh market fruit and vegetable farms, nurseries, and seed farms. I also grew up on a farm, so I have first hand knowledge of agricultural issues.
American farmers feed the nation and they also help feed the world.
Our farmers are also able to grow crops in a cost-effective manner. Food is most affordable in the United States. We spend a smaller percentage of our income on food than all other industrialized nations. Our farmers perform a service and our farmers are in trouble. Natural disasters, extreme weather, fluctuating prices, uncertainties in international markets, and other factors have plagued our farmers the last couple of years.