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8 LONG TITLE
9 General Description:
10 This concurrent resolution recognizes the importance of the agriculture industry to the
11 state and declares the Decade of Agriculture.
12 Highlighted Provisions:
13 This resolution:
14 ▸ addresses how the agriculture industry affects the world, the state, emergencies, and
15 the environment;
16 ▸ discusses the characteristics of Utah agriculture now and into the future;
17 ▸ addresses Utah's agriculture community being unified in an effort to pursue a
18 Decade of Agriculture;
19 ▸ acknowledges the importance of agriculture; and
20 ▸ declares the Decade of Agriculture.
21 Special Clauses:
22 None
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24 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
25 WHEREAS, farmers and ranchers, who have long been stewards of our land and
26 animals, and as the providers of sustenance for our people, have shown over the course of
27 history the ability to create economically viable solutions in harmony with ecological
28 sustainability, thereby feeding the world;
29 WHEREAS, the world population is expected to increase by 2 billion in the next 30
30 years, exceeding 9 billion by 2050, and consequently global agricultural output will need to
31 grow by no less than 70% to feed humanity;
32 WHEREAS, episodic weather events, environmental and climate stressors, loss of
33 farmland from urbanization, declining revenue share to the producer, and regulatory
34 complexity impose strain on the production of food and fiber, and have the potential to impede
35 necessary growth;
36 WHEREAS, the economic, social, and environmental demands of a growing global
37 population require resilient and creative solutions that Utah, as an agricultural leader, is already
38 engaged in through sustainable practices and investing in much-needed research to inform the
39 future;
40 WHEREAS, Utah is well positioned as a state to further invest in the potential of its
41 agricultural community and commit to being part of a forward-thinking, economically viable
42 and sustainable future;
43 WHEREAS, Utah's agricultural industry is resilient, innovative, evidence-based,
44 solution-oriented, and learns from a remarkable past;
45 WHEREAS, Utah's agricultural industry is restorative, continually adapting
46 management practices, and making systemic improvements;
47 WHEREAS, Utah's agricultural industry is climate smart:
48 • developing and conserving healthy soils, clean water, and clean air;
49 • making strides toward carbon reduction through biodiversity, use of
50 biofuels, cover crops, crop rotation, no and reduced till techniques, and
51 carbon cycling; and
52 • implementing protective and practical fertilization and waste
53 management practices;
54 WHEREAS, Utah's agricultural industry is productive of food, natural fiber, and clean
55 energy;
56 WHEREAS, Utah's agricultural industry is sustainable, employing proper stewardship
57 practices, maximizing animal welfare, minimizing waste, and investing in the future through
58 improved farm technology, infrastructure development, and university innovation, research and
59 endowments;
60 WHEREAS, Utah's agricultural industry is economically viable, making market-based
61 decisions that fit a profitable business model, and contributing $1.8 billion in annual sales and
62 employing 25,148 Utah workers;
63 WHEREAS, Utah's agricultural industry is vibrant, diverse (over 18,000 farms),
64 equitable, collaborative and a major producer in the United States of livestock and crop
65 commodities (such as pork, milk, cherries, corn, hay, wheat, trout, lamb, and wool);
66 WHEREAS, 98% of farms and ranches are owned by individuals, family partnerships,
67 or family corporations;
68 WHEREAS, Utah's agricultural industry is prosperous, feeding the world, informing
69 and educating consumers, developing respect and value across economic sectors, and deserving
70 of protection and continuity for our future;
71 WHEREAS, agriculture workers have been categorized as essential in emergency
72 declarations and continue to work through recent pandemic surges despite obvious health risks;
73 WHEREAS, agriculture has been impacted by recent supply chain concerns and wants
74 to be part of solutions that ensure Utah's food and other needs are met, even during times of
75 emergency;
76 WHEREAS, although 79.4% of diverted water is used in agriculture, the most
77 beneficial use of water in Utah is in support of production agriculture because Utah's farmers
78 and ranchers produce commodities worth $1.82 billion of products sold in 2019, and increase
79 other sales as a result of agricultural producers doing business with other businesses; and
80 WHEREAS, Utah's agriculture community is unified in an effort to pursue a Decade of
81 Agriculture where resilient, restorative, economically viable and climate-smart agricultural
82 systems produce abundant and nutritious food, natural fiber, and clean energy for a sustainable,
83 vibrant, and prosperous America:
84 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the
85 Governor concurring therein, acknowledges the importance of agriculture to the state and
86 agriculture's critical contributions into the future.
87 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and Governor declare that the
88 decade of 2020 to 2030 be known as the Decade of Agriculture.