Mike Johanns Quotes (61 Quotes)

Food safety involves everybody in the food chain.

We had Taiwan, Egypt, Lebanon, and Oman open their markets to our beef, and we're excited about that.

Vessels are moving on the river. Vessels are being loaded today, literally as we speak,

USDA will re-enroll acres that have contracts expiring through 2010, including 16 million acres set to expire in 2007. Re-enrollment contracts will be offered for acres that provide the highest level of environmental benefit, ... The vast majority of contracts that are not re-enrolled will be offered extensions.

My goal with the Canadian border is the same goal I have for Japan and Korea.

It would be a grave mistake to declare this round at end,

We are doing everything we can to help our Gulf Coast producers recover from the affects of Hurricane Katrina, ... The assistance announced today is an important component of USDA's efforts and our commitment to help farmers and ranchers rebuild their operations.

Also announced was the establishment of a new USDA council to create a market-driven credit program that will establish credit transfers for clean water, greenhouse gasses and wetlands. Johanns envisions people selling such credits as easily as corn or soybeans. ... It fits perfectly with the president's vision of a cooperative conservation approach.

This report will provide the first USDA assessment of the effects of Hurricane Katrina on our farmers and ranchers, ... While it will take some time to determine the full impact of both the hurricane and drought, this report will give us some insight into the extent of the damage.

We're not going to give up. We're going to do everything we can to bring it to a successful conclusion,

The big producer is going to figure out how to deal with whatever the rules are, but the little guy who is running a few hundred units or maybe feeding 1,500 cattle a year, how will they ever comply with these requirements?

I ended up being the governor of a very ag state, Nebraska.

On the professional side, those 18 years on the farm instilled my love for agriculture.

We want to send a signal as to what the farm bill will be so that producers can make decisions.

In 75 foreign countries, we have a presence in the USDA.

The farmer in Central City, Nebraska, is feeling the impact of this. The farmer in Hope County, Iowa, is feeling this,

I describe the current farm bill as perhaps the most high-risk approach we could take for our nation's farmers and ranchers in the future, ... Some have expressed concern about giving up what is considered to be the current safety net. I ask you to contemplate the purpose of a safety net, and whether current farm programs truly fulfill that purpose for American agriculture.

This funding will purchase emergency response vehicles, radio gear, warning sirens, improve public safety facilities and upgrade communications systems, ... While these requests were submitted and approved before hurricane Katrina struck, these funds will contribute to rebuilding efforts and to the long-term commitment of the Bush Administration to prepare our nation to respond to emergencies of any kind.

Approximately 16 million acres subject to CRP contracts expire in 2007. Fulfilling President Bush's directive to allow eligible farmers and ranchers to re-enroll or extend their CRP contracts helps ensure that the quality of soil, water, air and wildlife benefits of CRP continue across the nation for years to come.

The meat and poultry industries are outstanding industries, and it's going to be a very natural fit for me.

This president has said this has to be a priority for our nation, protecting our food supply from terrorist acts, so he continues to provide the funding that is necessary.

Science is the international language, so when we are able to convince countries that good decision-making for human health and animal health is based upon science, that's a real success story for us.

The thoroughness of this report demonstrates just how serious we are about addressing this incident and providing assurance to our trading partners that our system is among the best in the world. I believe our actions fully address the facts that led to this incident and provide added protections on a broader scale to prevent similar problems in the future.

announced without the benefit of a public hearing as to necessity and reasonableness ...

When one cow was found with BSE in 2003, many of our trading partners closed their borders to our beef.

I spent the morning in (U.S. Speaker of the House) Denny Hastert's district in northern Illinois. There's no question there is impact from the drought. Some ears have four or five kernels, others have nothing, and some are two-thirds filled,

The 2007 farm bill will affect America's entire agricultural community, so I believe our entire agricultural community should have a say in the process. I welcome input from across the nation about what is working and what we can do to improve farm policy.

Agriculture is very sensitive to (energy) issues, ... It's fertilizer-based and the irrigation equipment ... the tractors, the combines and all of that ... run on diesel. So it's a very difficult situation out there.

The Bush Administration and the U. S. Department of Agriculture are now very supportive of renewable energy.

The world is really figuring BSE out, and that's positive.

There is a tremendous amount of support for the approach we have taken, which again is to base our decisions on risk analysis and thoughtful scientific process.

We need to always be vigilant on the sanitary issues.

We asked ourselves and the world to base decisions on good science, and I really believe the United States can be the leader in delivering that message to our international trading partners.

We're going to do everything possible to make sure that food safety is always paramount, and that we work with the industry as aggressively as we can to make sure that we're paying attention to the food-safety issues.

I am encouraged by the resumption of grain movement along the Mississippi River just one week after grain transportation was virtually halted by Hurricane Katrina, ... Clearly, there is much work to be done but I am confident that remaining obstacles will be overcome to resume all activity in a timely manner. We are assuring our international customers that we expect minimal disruptions.

There is a certain amount of momentum that is achieved when one country after another reopens their borders.

The goal is to normalize trade relations based on sound science and consumer protection.

I will always advocate we should support agriculture, ... I just think it's good federal policy and we can continue to do that notwithstanding what happens at the WTO.

Our job is to ensure that meat and poultry products are safe, wholesome, accurately labeled for the benefit of the American consumers, and to make sure that they are in compliance with all federal laws.

I'm pleased that USDA can offer assistance to farmers and ranchers who have sustained losses from Hurricane Katrina, ... This agriculture disaster designation will enable eligible producers to apply for low-interest emergency loans from USDA to help cover their losses. This announcement is a part of our commitment to help farmers and ranchers to rebuild their operations.

The industry is becoming very ready for animal identification.

Gil Gonzalez and Jim Little will bring their in-depth knowledge and experience in community development and agriculture to the important role of coordinating USDA Hurricane response and recovery efforts in the region, ... I have great confidence in this senior team to work with all of our federal, state and local partners. USDA is delivering all the assistance possible to help displaced residents along the Gulf coast.

I meet with people in the industry on an ongoing basis.

There is a lot of damage, ... This is my third visit to the area in the last few days and I can assure you that the Department of Agriculture is doing its part in the recovery effort.

Producers are so much better-educated in issues related to terrorism.

People enjoy our meat and our poultry, as I do as a consumer.

For the past two years, Allan has demonstrated outstanding leadership at USDA Rural Development, ... The people we serve in rural America and USDA will all benefit from his experience and knowledge in this new position.

We don't want this generation of young people to be the first generation that lives fewer years than their parents,

In this day and age when we do so much business in foreign trade, we need the ability to identify trace an animal very quickly, identifying where it came from - where it has been, and where it is at today.

I toured the area this morning with (House Speaker) Dennis Hastert, ... Corn is about what you'd expect. You peel one husk, and there are maybe four or five kernels. You peel another, and there is no ear at all. You peel a third, and maybe two-thirds of the kernels are there. We'll have a better handle on what the yields are once harvest gets underway.