World Food Program

October 15, 2020

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 –

The Presidential election battle rages on. Biden leads in the polls. But don’t forget that
four years ago Hillary Clinton was leading, and the Trump victory shocked the world. Think
about this – in one respect, whoever wins, rural America and Agriculture will come out on top.
President Trump’s victory in the last election would never have happened if rural America had
not carried him across the finish line. Candidate Clinton referred to the rural workers, and
people of the heartland as deplorable. That gave Trump the election. Today’s election – just
around the corner is different. Vice President Biden has been meeting with rural and farm
voters. He has been in the farm states. Also, other Democratic candidates continue to reach out
to the voters that had been forgotten before. Rural America is at last getting the respect and
attention deserved.

New subject – one week ago it was announced that the United Nations World Food
Program would receive the Nobel Peace Prize. When we are out in the field picking corn or
sorting pigs, we don’t even think about the World Food Program. But I think the World Food
Program is a big deal. The WFP provides food to 100 million people in 88 countries. Those
people are desperate as they face food insecurity and hunger. “With the coronavirus pandemic,
we have seen a dramatic rise in the number of people living on the brink of starvation” reported
by the Nobel Committee.

David Beasley, former Governor of South Carolina is the WFP Executive Director and
had this to say, “WFP is out there in the most difficult, complex places in the world. Whether
it’s war, conflict, climate extremes, it doesn’t matter.” I have a special place in my heart for the
World Food Program. The U.S. is the program's largest donor providing 43% of the total of $6.3
billion. Also, the United States has an organization supporting the World Food Program that is
Friends of WFP. I served on that board for several years and came to appreciate the unselfish,
huge volume of food made available to desperate people all over the world. I remember the first
American woman to head that organization, Catherine Bertini. She did a great job. To the Nobel
selection committee- the World Food Program was the right choice.

Until next week, this John Block reporting from Washington, D.C. If you would like to review my radio shows going back more than 20 years, just go on-line to www.johnblockreports.com.