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The creed for the National FFA Organization begins, "I believe in the future of agriculture". Like past and current FFA members, I too believe in the future of agriculture in Western Iowa, our state’s Fifth Congressional District.
The 36,881 hard working farmers in Iowa’s Fifth Congressional District deserve recognition for their work. Iowa farmers and rural communities have made the Fifth District the national leader in corn, soybean, eggs, beef and pork production. If you were to place a dollar value on agriculture production, the Fifth district produces in the neighborhood of $4.5 billion worth of agriculture goods every year.
Currently, the Fifth district is the third largest soybean producing district in the country, tenth in cattle and calves, number three in eggs, number one in hogs and pigs, and number two in corn production. There is no other place in America that can compete with our agriculture rankings.
What does this mean for Western Iowa? It means farmers in Western Iowa are doing their part to wean the United States off of Middle Eastern oil by producing corn which can be turned into ethanol that displaces gasoline. We are growing the soybeans that are turned into bio-diesel that is used to displace diesel fuel refined from Middle Eastern oil. We are producing the hogs and cattle whose fat is being processed into bio-diesel. All these accomplishments move us toward the goal of weaning the United States off Middle Eastern oil-- all due to the hard work of the farmers in Western Iowa.
Western Iowa is being revitalized by renewable fuel investments, due to value-added agriculture. More of our young people are finding good jobs in our communities due to the jobs that come with renewable fuel investments. We are seeing small towns grow again. Our wealth in Iowa is in the land, and we are seeing the fruits of those labors in our small towns.
Furthermore, the farmers in Western Iowa are not only paving the way to America’s energy independence, they are also feeding the world.
Because the farmers in the Western Iowa are such efficient producers of agricultural commodities, they are able to export high quality food in the form of grain and meat. In this session of Congress, an important trade agreement was finalized with Peru. While this is not a bin buster market, it will provide a new outlet for $209 million in agriculture products from the United States. The agreement provides duty-free tariff rate quotas on standard beef cuts, chicken leg quarters, yellow corn, rice, and dairy products. Being a leader in beef and corn production, trade with Peru will only increase the market value for Western Iowa’s agriculture products. Further trade deals, like those taking shape with Columbia and South Korea, will only add to the of value of to our agriculture commodities in Western Iowa.
International Trade deals have an immediate positive impact on Iowa’s producers and consumers. The trade deals contribute significantly to economic growth in places like the Western Iowa because they put more money into the pockets of farmers, which then circulates in rural communities.
Western Iowa farmers are efficient producers who care about our environment and rural communities. They produce the grain that feeds the world, the will wean America off of Middle Eastern oil, and they are producing the livestock that provides excellent sources of iron and protein for developing countries. Just like the FFA, yes, I do believe in the future of agriculture, and I think we can all agree that there is good reason to believe that its future is bright.
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