Veneman's stop marked her first official visit to Georgia since becoming part of President George Bush's administration.
During a 90-minute stay in Houston County, she toured a peach processing facility and inspected a peanut and cotton field. She saw and heard firsthand how Georgia farmers are embracing new technologies and research to stay competitive in today's expanding marketplace.
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UGA CAES Dean and Director Gale Buchanan (far left) talks peanuts with Calhoun County farmer Bob Mclendon, Berrien County farmer Darvin Eason and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman. |
Veneman told a gathering of farmers and state officials that the
United States has to expand international markets, especially for
agricultural products.
Veneman said 96 percent of the world's population lives outside
the United States. So it's vital to have access to global
markets.
She said the domestic market is stable and that U.S. farmers
already produce surplus commodities.
"We export over $53 billion a week in agricultural products," she
said.
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U.S. Secretary Ann Veneman and U.S. Rep. Saxby Chambliss talk with Houston County peach farmer Duke Lane./font> |
The United States will have to become more aggressive towards
markets outside the country, she said.
"There are 130 regional and bilateral trade agreements that have
been negotiated around the world," Veneman said. The United
States is part of two of those agreements.
"Only two," she said. "If we don't get proactive, we will be left
behind."
Veneman defended U.S. participation in the North American
Free Trade Agreement. The agreement has benefitted agriculture,
she said. U.S. farm exports to Mexico have doubled since NAFTA
was implemented in 1995.
Good for the state
"I think it's important and extremely beneficial that Secretary
Veneman has come to see Georgia agriculture up close," said Gale
Buchanan, dean and director of the University of Georgia College
of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
Buchanan said he appreciated Veneman allowing Georgians to show
her
some of Georgia's agricultural.
"I appreciate it," said Ralph Dorsett, a Houston County farmer.
"The fact that she took time out of her schedule to come to
middle Georgia and see the crops we grow and listen to our
problems says a lot."
Peanut talk
Many farmers in attendance were concerned about the fate of the
federal peanut program. Georgia produces almost half of the U.S.
peanut crop. But the peanut program has come under fire in the
House of Representatives.
U.S. Rep. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) accompanied Veneman. He said
the changes "look after our folks that have been quota holders
for years. But it also attracts producers into the market,
probably, that we've never had before. It's going to make it more
competitive, but that's OK."
