John Block Reports from Washington

Hello everybody out there in farm country. I'm talking to you by telephone from the farm today. The sun is shining, corn is coming up. Some of it you can row and some is just peeking through the rich black soil. It has been a wet tough spring for farmers across the land, but, once again, perseverance pays off. I want to thank the sponsors of the “John Block Program." They are a vital part of rural America. Right here in Knox County, Illinois, we have a new Wal-Mart store. That's where you can find real value for your money. Think how our corn yield would suffer if we didn't have Monsanto to kill the weeds, the root worms, the corn bore. The Renewable Fuels Association is helping us reduce our reliance on that $130 foreign oil. Finally, I'm proud to announce a new member of our sponsoring team – John Deere. What would we do without these great companies?

Today, I don't want to talk about or even think about the Barack Obama, or Hillary Clinton, or John McCain campaigns. I don't want to talk about the farm bill that took forever to write, or our immigration problems. I'm not going to complain about the failure of Congress to pass the Colombian Free Trade Agreement, or the Korean Trade Agreement, or any of that stuff.

The Congress can't get anything done. They argue, talk, and posture. The political games go on and on. Blame the other guy. It is our system -- a good system, but it can drive a sane person crazy.

Look at the contrast. On our farms across this land, we have planted a crop in spite of all the challengcs. We did it on time. We get our work done. The American people count on an abundance of food at a cheap price. And it is stilJ cheap. We deliver.

When I drive these country roads and see the farmer working the soil to produce not only an abundance here at home but also enough to export 1/3 of the crop to the hungry of the world, it makes me so proud. When I look down on a mother sow nursing 10 or 12 chubby little baby pigs, it makes me feel good all over.

It lifts my spirits to be back here on the farm where the work gets done.

Until next week, I am John Block from Washington.