WOOSTER -- Tom Vilsack, United States Department of Agriculture secretary, said Monday American farmers are the best in the world at what they do, but unlike many other professions, they are not paid like the best in the world.
"If you're the best at baseball, you are making tremendous amounts of money and you never have to worry about your family or future," Vilsack said. "In America today, there is a disconnect between those who farm and those who receive enormous advantages from the family farmer."
Vilsack and 16th District U.S Congressman John Boccieri, D-Alliance, toured Ohio State Agricultural Technical Institute dairy milking parlor and quasar energy group, which converts biomass waste into energy, as part of a day-long visit to Wooster Monday.
Vilsack's main message of the day was the effort of USDA to show Americans the necessity of the family farm, including reconnecting the public with its food source. In every setting and speech made throughout the day, Vilsack gave examples of how Americans benefit from the family farm and said the USDA's goal is to get the national media to understand the "importance and significance" of the American farmer.
"I was a lawyer for 23 years. You don't need a lawyer every day, but you need a farmer two or three times each day," he said.
Vilsack said Americans have the most "affordable and accessible food" in the world, and the public sometimes takes that for granted.
"The reality is we spend somewhere between 10 and 15 percent of our paychecks for food of all kinds in America," he said. "And in other countries, folks are spending 25 to 30 percent of their take-home pay on food.
"The question I have for all of those folks who are not farmers is, 'what are you doing with that extra 10 to 15 percent you are not spending on food? When was the last time you thanked a farmer or a farm worker for that advantage you have?' "
Vilsack said one in every 12 jobs is connected to agriculture, and said there is a $28 billion surplus in agriculture
trade -- which means the U.S. is selling $28 billion more than it is buying.
"If you like to eat, and you like a little extra money in your paycheck, and you like a job, and you like wealth being created in your country as opposed to somewhere else, agriculture is a great story to tell," he said.
Vilsack and Boccieri then sat down for a roundtable discussion with local farmers and farm representatives, including Town & Country Co-Op CEO Al Holdren. Holdren told Vilsack about the local Families Learn And Grow Gardens community garden project -- a collaborative effort of Town & County Co-Op, Master Gardeners, Ashland Area Council for Economic Development and United Way of Ashland County that provides land for city families to grow a garden. He said it has been very successful and he is looking to expand it. The program caught Vilsack's attention, who said it helps the non-farmer understand the challenges the farmer goes through each day.
"The garden program that you have is a great program because it will teach people the work and risks associated with farming," he said.
Boccieri said he invited Vilsack to the district because the farm is crucial to so many people who live in the four counties Boccieri represents -- Ashland, Wayne, Stark and Medina.
"When we marry up our local universities with our local industries, success happens, and that's why I'm so proud to champion every opportunity I get to talk about what you all are doing here," he said.
Vilsack, a Democrat and former Iowa governor, also praised Boccieri for promoting his district to him and expressing his constituents' concerns to him.
"He understands that rural America has been under a lot of stress, not just the last few years but the last couple of decades," he said.
Jeff Russ can be reached at 419-281-0581, ext. 237, or jruss@times-gazette.com. |
