The Hill News

American agriculture always seems to get a bad rap. We are demagogued as huge, impersonal agribusiness that exploits workers. Nothing could be further from the truth. American agriculture is an innovative and diverse industry focused on healthy food production, community building and economic development.

My home state of Oregon is a prime example. We produce traditional agriculture crops, such as wheat and cattle, but we are primarily a state of family farms that grow specialty crops. Specialty crops, like vegetables, fruits, nursery crops and organics, account for less than five percent of harvested crops across the country. They receive only a fraction of funding from existing farm bill programs, yet represent nearly half of all domestic farm gate crop value.

In a twenty first century global economy it is going to be difficult for American agriculture to compete with countries that do not have our environmental standards, pay subminimum wages ! and receive significant national subsidies. However, we can compete by innovating, encouraging value added production and illustrating to everyday folks the dietary and economic value of buying American crops. American agriculture is beginning to realize that old methods of direct payments to not grow something make less and less sense to the public.

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