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National Association of State Departments of Agriculture 



1156 1 5m Street. N. W. • Sum 1020 • Washington. DC 20005 

 TtLtPHO\t: 202 296-9680 • FAX: 202/296-9686 



OSITION STATEMENT 



Testimony of 



Arthur R. Brown, Jr., Secretary 



New Jersey Department of Agriculture 



for the 



National Association of State Departments of Agriculture 



before the 



Agriculture Subcommittee on Foreign Agriculture and Hunger 



U.S. House of Representatives 



June 23, 1994 



re: "Long Term Trade Strategy and Export Policies" 



Good morning, Mr. Chairman, and members of the Subcommittee. I am Art Brown, Secretary 

 of the New Jersey Department of Agriculture. 



I appear before you today on behalf of the National Association of State Departments of 

 Agriculture (NASDA), an organization for which I have served as President. NASDA is the 

 nonprofit association of public officials representing the Commissioners, Secretaries and 

 Directors of Agriculture in the fifty states and territories of American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico 

 and the Virgin Islands. 



As the chief state agriculture officials, NASDA's members are keenly aware of the importance 

 of developing and maintaining a viable, long-term export trade strategy not only for 

 safeguarding the future of America's agricultural producers and processors but also for the 

 nation's economy. 



BACKGROUND 



The future of American agriculture depends on using every available export trade avenue and 

 resource, backed by a solid commitment from the United States government, to protect, 

 maintain and increase our share of the world market for food and fiber. In fact, exports use the 

 production of one of every three acres of U.S. cropland. Almost 20% of U.S. agricultural 

 production is exported. 



Seventeen percent of jobs in the U.S. are food related. Consumers spend less than 10 percent 

 of their income for food. America produces more than she can consume, to the advantage of 

 our consumers. To protect the availability of low cost food for our people, new export markets 

 must be developed and current markets expanded. 



Export is the key to profitability for American agriculture and to maintaining an inexpensive, 

 safe and secure food supply for our nation. 



nasda is a nonprofit association of public officials representing the commissioners. 

 Secretaries and Directors of Agriculture in the fifty states and four territories 



Primed on A>, >i ltd Paper 



