Ag Secretary comments on Memorial Day
Farm and Ranch May 30, 2011 U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack provides a reminder for all of this holiday on why we celebrate Memorial Day. Vilsack: “This Memorial Day Weekend Americans across the nation will gather with their friends and families to go swimming, for picnics, parades and barbecues. But the weekend is not only for celebration. We should also take time to pay tribute to the heroes who gave their lives in service to the is country and we should think of the service men and women who cannot be here this year because they are serving abroad. Farmers and ranchers understand from years of experience that you can‘t continually take from the land without giving back. The same is true for a nation. Perhaps that is why, although rural American‘s represent only 16% of the population of America they make up 44% of our men and women in uniform. This commitment to service has been essential to the success of our nation for over 200 years and will continue for years to come. And so this Memorial Day I hope you think of what you can do to serve our nation and give back to your community. Those patriots who we honor this weekend gave their lives in defense of America. In respect of their sacrifice let us offer our support to all our men and women in uniform, their families and loved ones. Let us dedicate some time in our busy lives to make some improvements in our own communities so that we too may serve and strengthen our nation as a whole.” USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack. I’m Bob Hoff and that’s today’s Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on Northwest Aginfo Net.
