I had the distinct honor of helping see off the Kentucky Agribusiness Development Team earlier this month as it prepared to deploy to Afghanistan. This team, a special unit of the Kentucky National Guard, will help the Afghan people recapture agricultural knowledge lost after generations of war.
More that 70 percent of Afghanistan’s people count on agriculture as their main source of income. If we can help them develop a stronger food-based agriculture economy, that will go a long way toward stabilizing the region and reducing the threat of terrorism around the world.
This country’s Founding Fathers understood that agriculture is absolutely critical to any nation’s well-being. America’s ability to feed itself is the main source of our strength.
That’s especially the case in Kentucky. Even after the tobacco quota buyout, Kentucky still has more than 80,000 farms. That’s how many families depend on agriculture for at least part of their livelihood. Those people use their farm income to pay the bills, put their children through school, and purchase many other necessities, usually in our rural communities.
We can’t take our agriculture industry for granted. With farm cash receipts of more than $4 billion each of the last three years, agriculture simply is too important to Kentucky’s economy. We’ve been able to manage much of the dramatic change that has occurred over the past decade by speaking to Kentucky’s leaders with one voice. We must continue to work together toward the goal of strengthening Kentucky agriculture for decades to come.
I salute the men and women of the Kentucky Agribusiness Development Unit as they embark on their noble mission. And I applaud Kentucky’s hard-working farm families. The Kentucky Department of Agriculture is at your service.
1 comment:
What state leaves in 2010?
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