Labor Day

September 8, 2021

Hello everybody out there in farm country. This radio commentary is brought to you by the National Corn Growers Association, CropLife America, and Renewable Fuels Association. They are all friends, supporters, and allies of a healthy farm economy and prosperous rural America. Thank you.

And now for today’s commentary –

Monday this week was Labor Day. Thank you to the hard-working men and women that carry the load of our great nation into a positive productive future. It has not been easy. Parts of Louisiana and the Northeast U.S. were hit by Ida’s destructive wind and rain. The path of the hurricane blew down farm crops. Some crops are still under water. The labor to repair and rebuild will be huge.

Thank you to the fire fighters in the West. With the drought, western rivers are only a fraction of
their normal size. The COVID-19 pandemic unexpectedly came upon the whole world. Thank
you to the doctors, nurses, and others that have stepped up to care for us. Let’s not forget the
farm workers. Without them we wouldn’t have food to eat. I know the police have been getting a
lot of criticism, but we really need them to keep law and order so our economy can function.
I’m not going to sing it today, but I love the country song “Small Time Laboring Man.” In 1894
President Grover Cleveland signed into law Labor Day as a national holiday. That was good.
Next here in DC the pressure for congressional action to pass huge spending bills just won’t go
away. If they get $5 trillion of spending passed, they will never find the money to pay for it. But
the liberals still want to eliminate the stepped-up basis when a family owner dies. The death tax
will be the death of the family businesses. Family business in the U.S. is vital to our nation’s
future and prosperity.

Last subject- good news. The ag industry has a good case to make. Environmentalists have called meat “the world’s most urgent problem. Steaks and hot dogs damage the planet.” To set the record straight, our diet including meat has almost no impact on the climate. According to the EPA, agriculture is responsible for only 10% of greenhouse emissions. Our livestock is responsible for only 5% of US emissions and only 1% of global emissions. So, environmentalists - quit telling us what to eat. I’m going to grill a steak tonight.

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