George Bush photo

Proclamation 6164—National Agricultural Research Week, 1990

August 04, 1990


By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Today fewer than one in 100 Americans are farmers. Yet these 2 million individuals produce enough food and fiber to feed and clothe our entire country -- and much of the world, as well.

The continuing success of American agriculture depends on the ingenuity and hard work of our farmers and on the cooperation of all those who help to bring crops from the field to the table. Viewed in its broadest sense, agriculture is one of our Nation's largest employers: the storage, transportation, processing, distribution, and merchandising of U.S. agricultural products employ approximately nine other workers for every farmer or rancher. In all, well over 20 million people earn their living in farming and agriculture-related industries.

Among the unsung heroes of our Nation's agricultural success story are the many individuals who conduct agricultural research. Scientific research in agriculture is not a new phenomenon in the United States. In fact, a fruitful tradition of agricultural research and discovery was established on these shores long before Thomas Jefferson made his careful studies in horticulture and farming at Monticello. The earliest colonists in North America had to learn how to farm all over again on unfamiliar soil in an unfamiliar climate; but learn they did, as have generations of Americans ever since. A look at our Nation's history illustrates how agricultural research has not only paralleled, but, in large part, promoted, the steady growth of the United States.

Agricultural research has enabled farmers to produce a greater variety of food, and it has enabled them to farm more efficiently. The scientific and technological advances made possible through agricultural research have not only increased the amount and the safety of our food supply, but also enhanced the economic well-being of farmers and rural communities. Today agricultural research plays a vital role in maintaining the competitiveness of U.S. agriculture in the world marketplace. It is also helping our farmers to protect our natural resource base in order to sustain its productive capacity for future generations.

The chief beneficiaries of these achievements in agricultural research are American consumers. Thanks to the many scientific and technological advances research has generated, we enjoy a rich array of foods, fiber, and forest products that are unsurpassed in availability, affordability, and safety. In addition to helping our farmers produce a variety of high-quality foodstuffs and other goods, agricultural research is pointing the way to new and alternative uses for agricultural products. This week, we gratefully acknowledge the importance of agricultural research in keeping our families fit and healthy and our Nation strong and prosperous.

The Congress, by House Joint Resolution 548, has designated the week of August 19 through August 25, 1990, as "National Agricultural Research Week" and has authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance of that week.

Now, Therefore, I, George Bush, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim the week of August 19 through August 25, 1990, as National Agricultural Research Week. I encourage the people of the United States to observe that week with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this fourth day of August, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fifteenth.

Signature of George Bush

GEORGE BUSH

George Bush, Proclamation 6164—National Agricultural Research Week, 1990 Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/268313

Simple Search of Our Archives