First Regular Session

Sixty-first General Assembly

LLS NO. R97@0739.01 KLA

STATE OF COLORADO

BY REPRESENTATIVES K. Alexander, Entz, Gordon, Grossman, S. Johnson, Miller, Musgrave, Owen, Reeser, Schwarz, Smith, Taylor, Tool, Udall, and Young;

also SENATORS Dennis, B. Alexander, Ament, Bishop, Hernandez, J. Johnson, Matsunaka, Phillips, Powers, Reeves, Rizzuto, and Wattenberg.

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 97-1022

WHEREAS, The basis of the American economy at its founding and for many years thereafter was rooted in an agrarian society, an important legacy for Americans to remember; and

WHEREAS, Agriculture continues to be a large force in the American economy by employing 21 million people or 18.5 percent of the labor force; and

WHEREAS, By the year 2000, agriculture is expected to generate 25 percent of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product; and

WHEREAS, U.S. farmers and ranchers produce more than 200 raw commodities yearly for domestic and export markets; and

WHEREAS, America's top exporting industry is agriculture, with Colorado exporting $1.16 billion in overseas sales; and

WHEREAS, The Agribusiness sector is among the top three industries in Colorado, responsible for more than 86,000 jobs and generating over $13.6 billion in sales each year; and

WHEREAS, Each year, one American farmer provides food and fiber for 129 people, 97 in the United States and 32 abroad; and

WHEREAS, Agriculture is a way of life for many Americans, with 99 percent of U.S. farms and ranches owned by individuals and family partnerships or corporations; and

WHEREAS, Agriculture as an industry has actively pursued new methods and technologies which not only increase productivity but also conserve natural resources, such as, by the use of reduced tillage practices on more than 72 million acres, many farmers prevent damaging soil erosion; and

WHEREAS, Agriculture contributes to environmentally­friendly efforts by producing crops suitable for making biodegradable plastics, by recycling chemical containers, feed bags, and food by­products, and more; and

WHEREAS, An entire day's harvest in the 1930's yielded what can now be harvested with modern technology in 7 minutes, and as a result of the industry's improved efficiency, Americans spend approximately 9 percent of their income on food, one of the lowest in the world; and

WHEREAS, The week of March 16­22, 1997, is National Agriculture Week; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the Sixty­first General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the Senate concurring herein:

That we, the members of the General Assembly, proudly recognize "National Agriculture Day" on March 20, 1997, in celebration of the many men and women who provide Americans and others worldwide with food and fiber.