March 17, 2000

During the week of Feb. 20, a delegation of 20 young farmers and ranchers from Texas attended the World Congress of Young Farmers in Orlando, Fla.

The purpose of this conference was to bring together the world’s best in agriculture and offer them the chance to focus on cultural similarities, as well as differences. It also offered an opportunity to work toward cooperative answers to the issues that these young producers face—both now and in the future.

The Congress, which was the first in over 10 years, was attended by almost 1,400 people from 44 countries. It was extremely interesting to visit with folks of other nationalities and to hear their opinion of proposed "free trade." This "international interaction" left us with several very different perceptions.

First and foremost, we were instilled with a sense of national pride. We were able to mingle with people whose countries and cultures are more than a thousand years old. This would make our 200-plus years of experience as a nation seem insignificant.

In spite of being a very young culture, however, it is apparent that we are the envy of the world when it comes to production of food and fiber. Very few nations can even begin to approach our overall level of production, and certainly none can equal the true value it represents to the American consumer. While in America we spend less than 11 percent of our income on food, there are folks in other countries who spend almost half of their incomes. And, even then, they are not assured of the safety, quality and availability we all enjoy.

The second feeling we came away with was the need for wariness. The attitudes towards America that we encountered ranged from genuine appreciation and curiosity to contempt and condescension. There are those that appreciate what we have accomplished in our short existence and strive to work with us to improve trade, political and cultural relations worldwide. There are also members of the international community whose goals with regards to us are far less noble. It is prudent that we remain wary and be practical when determining whether a particular nation is interested in a mutually beneficial relationship, or one that strictly benefits them at our expense.

Also instilled in us at this meeting was a strong need for determination. The world population is predicted to increase by 50 percent in the next 50 years. That means that we in agriculture will be asked to feed and clothe half again as many people as we do now—on the same amount of ground.

Mankind is capable of increasing the population at a staggering pace, but we have yet to develop the technology to produce more land. We will find that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) will be essential instead of controversial.

Regardless of what happens in the world politically, technologically or socially, one thing will always remain the same. People have to eat.

It is absolutely essential that we in America remain determined to be self-sufficient when it comes to food production. Dependence on others for the most essential element in our lives has grave consequences.

The final lesson we gleaned from this meeting is the need for unification. Agriculturalists are an independent lot. It is this independence that has helped make us the envy of the world.