Ehrlich on Washington column, September 4, 2000

EHRLICH ON WASHINGTON By Congressman Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. 1 407 York Road, Suite 304 Lutherville, Maryland 21093 MEWS FROM Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. Second Congressional District of Maryland 3 1 5 Cannon House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 Week of September 4, 2000 Laborers of Maryland’s Land This past weekend, many of you enjoyed cookouts, picnics at the beach, or visits to the Maryland State Fair in Timonium. During these Labor Day activities, you may not have realized the very men and women who helped make your family events enjoyable are our own Maryland farmers. As stewards of the state’s land and livestock, these dedicated men and women help keep America the greatest nation in human history. Agriculture is the bedrock of the country’s freedom and self-sufficiency in the world. Maryland farmers help feed people throughout the state, country, and world. They allow us to be net exporters of superior agricultural products worldwide. More than 350,000 Marylanders — 14% of the state’s workforce — are employed in agricultural businesses. They care for over 40 percent of our state’s land (more than two million acres) and generate more than $1 1 billion annually - making it the state’s largest commercial industry. In addition to its economic contribution, Maryland agriculture is richly diverse. Driving from Bel Air to Sevema Park, through Harford, Baltimore and Anne Arundel counties, it’s difficult not to pass dairy farms, orchards and fields of soybean and com. This patchwork of different crops and livestock bind to form a mosaic - a picture of Maryland’s unique agricultural industry. While we celebrate our state’s laborers of the land, we must also recognize the threats they face today. Maryland farmers are heavily regulated, overtaxed, and sometimes unfairly targeted by environmentalists. Good farmers are devoted to their land and are true conservationists. The farm is often the family’s legacy and its hope for the future. In my view, the current Administration’s Washington-driven, “one-size-fits-all” approach to land management and preservation is ill-advised. Farmers and local communities are in the best position to implement conservation programs based on facts unique to their areas and on sound science. In Congress, I will continue my efforts to expand export markets and support local conservation programs; increase accessibility to crop insurance; repeal inheritance and marriage penalty taxes; and reform legal immigration to deal with labor shortages. I firmly believe advances in science will help lead the state’s agricultural industry into the 21s1