They're ready to fight to keep their way of life, and this Administration is not going to turn its back on them. I've asked the commission to have on my desk by Sept. 30 a national strategy to save the small farm. I look forward to acting on it, and I ask all of you to help me highlight the importance of this issue to every American. This is one way we can help young people see a future for themselves on the farm. Without that, there isn't going to be much of a future for this nation.
Small farms are an important part of our heritage.
They are a vibrant part of our rural communities. How we handle their decline is an important test of America's values headed into the big, new economy of the 21st century. So is how we handle civil rights. We're losing minority-owned farms at 3 times the rate of farm losses nationwide. I wish I could pin the blame on broad economic factors and bad weather.