USDA Secretary Perdue Engages House Ag Committee in Discussion on the Ag Economy and How USDA Can Help

May 18, 2017

House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway welcomed newly-confirmed U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Sec. Sonny Perdue to Capitol Hill to testify on the “State of the Rural Economy.”

Chairman Conaway released a statement on Perdue's time with the House Ag Committee at the end of the hearing- “Against the backdrop of a four-year, 50-percent decline in net farm income, Sec. Perdue’s comments today rightly recognized the concern of America’s farmers and ranchers and the many challenges faced by rural America. I was pleased to hear the secretary express his dedication to effectively and efficiently optimizing USDA to better see America’s farmers and ranchers through these tough times. By underscoring his commitment to work with newly-confirmed U.S. Trade Representative Lighthizer to enforce U.S. trade laws and hold our trading partners accountable to their commitments, Sec. Perdue can begin leveling the playing field for our nation's farmers and ranchers.

“It was also refreshing to hear Sec. Perdue acknowledge the importance of strong U.S. farm policy. With the farm bill upon us, it is going take all of us in the ag community working together to ensure we have an effective safety net for all farmers and ranchers, including our friends in the cotton industry who are in need of immediate assistance.

“These are challenging times in agriculture, but we can rest assured Sec. Perdue will be a fierce advocate for our nation’s farmers and ranchers.”

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Border View Farms is a mid-sized family farm that sits on the Ohio-Michigan border. My name is Nathan. I make and edit all of the videos posted here. I farm with my dad, Mark and uncle, Phil. Our part-time employee, Brock, also helps with the filming. 1980 was our first year in Waldron where our main farm is now. Since then we have grown the operation from just a couple hundred acres to over 3,000. Watch my 500th video for a history of our farm I filmed with my dad.

I started making these videos in the fall of 2019 as a way to help show what I do on a daily basis as a farmer. Agriculture is different from any other industry and I believe the more people that are showing their small piece of agriculture, helps to build our story. We face unique challenges and stressful situations but have some of the most rewarding payoffs in the end. I get to spend everyday doing what I love, raising my kids on the farm, and trying to push our farm to be better every year. I hope that I can address questions or concerns that you might have about farms and agriculture.