Investment alliances, such as the 21st Century Alliance located in Kansas and others provide excellent models. The 21st Century Alliance in the four years since it was organized has invested in five successful ventures. Rather than just selling a specialized wheat to a cereal company, an alliance can partner with an existing company to manufacture cereal, or can own the plant itself. For example, the 21st Century Alliance supplies specialized wheat to a Mexican manufacturer of bake goods, cooperating in a way that its identity-preserved wheat products sell at a price higher than what the farmer would get in the United States. In summary, farmers must change their thinking.
Farmers are no longer in the commodity business.
Farmers are in the consumer products business with our commodities. Government can provide a small amount of initial funding to help launch enterprises like FarmConnect. I would like see dozens of 21st Century Alliances and FarmConnects throughout the United States. Mr. Chairman and the Committee. This is what we need.