Proclamation 6698

By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation

Few images are more traditionally American than the vast geometric tapestry of plowed fields and lush crops that carpet our country. Since our Nation's founding, farms have defined both the topography of our land and the steadfastness of our national character. Farm families take particular pride in knowing that women-as field workers and financial managers, as mothers and homemakers-have been a vital, driving force in sustaining this essential enterprise from its beginnings.

Today, American agriculture encompasses far more than a quiet picture of pastoral beauty. Our Nation's farmers grow the food that feeds the world. Merging old-fashioned know-how with the latest innovations in production technology, farmers across the United States work to ensure that our markets are filled with low-cost, high-quality goods. With wise leadership and firm support, women in their myriad roles in our agriculture industry reflect the proud American commitment to excellence.

As we celebrate National Women in Agriculture Day 1994, we recognize new ways in which women's energy and determination are helping to keep our agricultural system strong. Whether in investigating the ecosystem of a Brazilian rain forest or in exploring new opportunities in international trade, women are working to enhance efficiency and competitiveness in American agribusiness-a mission that benefits all of the Earth's people.

With an abiding love for their families and a deep understanding of the challenges farmers face, women have urged our Nation to action in areas from environmental protection to providing health care to every one of our citizens. Their personal experiences of hard work and cooperation have made the world of American agriculture thrive. Just as important, they have demonstrated to all of us the strength of compassion and the power of perseverance. For this lesson and for the gifts of their labor we enjoy every day, our Nation's women in agriculture have our heartfelt gratitude.

Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 9, 1994, as "National Women in Agriculture Day." I call upon the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and eighteenth.

William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 11:15 a.m., June 1, 1994]