Postscript 



During the business portion of ttie 1982 Western 

 Governors' Conference, Governor Ted Sctiwinden of 

 Montana, co-moderator of ttie "Food in thie West" 

 session, submitted a resolution calling on ttie Confer- 

 ence to establish a task force on agricultural issues. 

 The resolution, which was adopted unanimously, 

 states: 



WHEREAS, the program "Food in the West" was a 

 major plenary session topic of the 1982 annual West- 

 ern Governors' Conference meeting; and 



WHEREAS, agriculture is the basic industry of the 

 West and provides a major contribution to the positive 

 US. foreign trade balance; and 



WHEREAS, agriculture provides employment for over 

 one half million farmers and ranchers in the West and 

 comprises over twenty percent of the nation's total 

 economy; and 



WHEREAS, agriculture is a renewable industry that 

 provides long-term economic stability to the region; 

 and 



WHEREAS, agriculture is suffering a third consecutive 

 year of depressed prices and 1982 farm income is 

 projected on levels of the 1930's, causing increased 

 farm foreclosures and bankruptcies, and 



WHEREAS, federal budget cutbacks are restricting 

 agricultural research that will hamper our efforts to 

 feed a world population that will double to 8 billion 

 people by the year 2015; and 



WHEREAS, the future of economic recovery in the US 



will be significantly enhanced by a healthy agriculture 

 economy; 



NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Western 

 Governors' Conference establishes a Task Force on 

 Agriculture; and 



BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Conference calls 

 for the Task Force to develop and present at the 

 1983 annual meeting of the Western Governors' Con- 

 ference, a "Western Agricultural" program, including 

 regional programs and strategies to strengthen the 

 agricultural economy. 



Subsequent to the completion of the Conference, 

 Governor Schwinden was named Chairman of the 

 Western Governors' Conference Task Force on Agri- 

 culture A staff group is now working to examine 

 issues that the Task Force and the Western Gover- 

 nors' Conference should address in meeting the ever 

 changing needs of our nation's most important indus- 

 try. In the near future, the staff working group will 

 present a work plan to Governor Schwinden and other 

 members of the Task Force to meet this objective. 



For more information 

 Please contact: 



Joseph A, Kinney 



Producer 



Food in the West 



National Governors' Association 



Hall of States 



444 North Capitol Street 



Washington, DC, 20001 



(202) 624-5367 



67 



