Date: 1987-05-08
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. 125 years ago. on May 15. 1862. President Abraham Lincoln signed into law the bill that created the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Congress has passed a lot of legislation in the succeeding 125 years. But I believe there. have been few laws whose anniversaries are more worthy of commemoration. . The law was passed because the Congress and the President recognized that agriculture was the foundation of our national welfare and because they recognized a century and a quarter ago that Government had a responsibility to promote progress In agriculture both for the benefit of farmers and for the benefit of the entire national population. Since the day President Lincoln created the Department of Agriculture. that Agency has been working with farmers to provide a full and reasonably priced supply of food and fiber to American consumers. and to consumers in. may other parts of the world. The Departments achievements over these years have been too many to list completely in these brief remarks. But we should put on record just a few. During the past century and a quarter. the Agriculture Departments research workers. and the scientists it has helped in other institutions. have discovered new *and improved plant varieties and improved livestock. And these researchers have helped farmers make amazing gains in production yields and in the quality of their products. The Departments extension programs have brought the lessons of agriculture and knowledge about agriculture. home economics and many allied areas. into homes and classrooms all over the Nation. The Department has worked with farmers. ranchers. and conservationists to preserve the Nations topsoils and its water resources. It has helped communities develop their resources. and it has helped local people protect their localities against floods and erosion. The Department has been the custodian of our great national forests. managing them for all the many uses the American people expect in those forests. everything from timber production and grazing to outdoor recreation and wilderness preservation. The Department has acted to protect our borders from pests and diseases that could harm the health and wellbeing of the people and agricultural industries. The Department has carried on. at the direction of Congress. a wide variety of food assistance and nutrition programs to help needy people in this country and abroad. And through its inspection and grading services. it has helped guarantee the safety and quality of our farm products. The Department has worked to open and maintain foreign markets for our farm products. And the Agriculture Department has. under the direction of the law made by Congress. been responsible for farm income and supply stabilization and credit programs that we have designed to help farmers survive economic storms. This is a summary. Mr. Speaker. not a complete list by any means. But it should be enough to underline the importance of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It should be enough to indicate why I now offer my personal best wishes to Secretary Richard E. Lyng and his distinguished predecessors in that office. and why I now ask the House to pass House Joint Resolution 70 offering our congratulations on the USDAs 125th anniversary. and urging the President to issue a proclamation commemorating the 125th anniversary of the Department. The joint resolution was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time. was read the third time. and passed. and a motion to reconsider was laid on the table.