Q: What is National Farm-City Week?
A: As Americans prepare to feast together in celebration of the nation’s Day of Thanksgiving, the president signed a proclamation designating November 16-November 22, 2001 as National Farm-City Week to draw attention to an often understated partnership that ties families in rural America together with those who live in urban America. When families across the United States sit down with relatives, friends and neighbors this holiday season, it is appropriate to reflect on the contributions made by our nation’s food producers. The commitment and hard work of the nation’s farmers and ranchers provide an abundant harvest that puts food on our tables 365 days a year. The modern day food chain has evolved into a complex delivery system that includes a vast number of tradespeople, including farmers, shippers, processors, marketers, grocers, truck drivers, food service providers, inspectors, researchers, and scientists who work together to feed America and the world. American agriculture not only provides the nation with its nutritional sustenance, the U.S. food industry also serves as an economic giant that contributes to America’s commercial success and prosperity. The president has called upon Americans to remember our farms and ranches this harvest season. Let us give thanks to the farm families and individuals who devote their lifetimes to meeting an essential need of human existence.
Q: Isn’t the town and country connection obvious enough in Iowa even without a presidential proclamation?
A: Yes, arguably more so than in other regions of the country especially during the busy harvest season. Yet even as the nation’s leading producer of corn and hogs, fewer and fewer Iowans have direct ties to life on the farm and fewer still depend solely on farming for their livelihood. In the ongoing debate surrounding Iowa’s challenge to retain and attract younger generations of residents, much as been made about its lack of sand and sea. Instead of rocky mountaintops and coastal shorelines, the land between two rivers is blessed with gently rolling hills and fertile prairie soils. With such rich natural resources and hardworking people, the state’s agrarian heritage runs deep for generations of Iowans. However, technological efficiencies and mechanical advances on today’s farm requires less labor to produce more food. While fewer hands may be needed on the farmplace, new opportunities exist in food production and value-added agriculture to keep future generations of Iowans productive contributors in the food chain. As a farmer-legislator in the U.S. Senate, I speak from experience at the policymaking tables in Washington and during global trade negotiations when I advocate for the interests of America’s family farmers and for those who work to get our food from farm to table. More often than not I’m the only lawmaker in the room who ever has had fresh farm dirt underneath his nails. It’s an advantage I don’t take for granted. As the new farm bill makes its way through Congress and the ninth round of world trade talks begin, I’ll continue my advocacy for the farm families and their communities who work so hard to keep the world fed.