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“RECOGNITION OF DANIEL T. BRANTON” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Agriculture was published in the Senate section on pages S4294 on April 22, 2004.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
RECOGNITION OF DANIEL T. BRANTON
Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I am pleased to commend Daniel T. Branton of Leland, MS, for his distinguished service as president of Delta Council this year.
Delta Council is an economic development organization representing the 18 Delta and part-Delta counties of Northwest Mississippi. Organized in 1935, Delta Council has worked to bring together the agriculture and business leadership of the region to focus on the challenges which face the economy and the people of the Mississippi delta.
Ad president of Delta Council and a farm leader, Dan has been a strong proponent of maintaining the agricultural policies which were adopted in the 2002 Farm Law. As a representative voice of farmers from the Delta region which produces more than $3 billion of agricultural goods annually, Dan's advice on matters affecting agriculture has been invaluable to me and my staff as we attempt to address those issues which will ensure the future viability of American agriculture.
Dan has been a strong proponent of Delta Council's programs in education and health care. During Dan's year as president, the teacher shortage programs which evolved from earlier Delta Council policies have expanded in a way that is having a meaningful impact on the problem of attracting school teachers to rural areas.
I am pleased that I have had the opportunity to work with Dan and Delta Council to make certain that special health care needs in areas such as the Mississippi Delta, where there is a large underserved population, have been enhanced. Through Delta Council's efforts to establish the Delta Health Alliance, a new Federal and local partnership is now producing extraordinary outcomes. In the area of transportation and water resource improvement, Dan has coordinated the activities of Delta Council in a manner which has brought local consensus to very touch issues facing the Delta's economic future. Dan has been a leader in all aspects of Delta Council's work while maintaining a successful family farming operation.
Dan has also been a leader in his community. He currently serves as president of Burdette Gin Company and is a director of Leland Compress. He is also a delegate and has served as a director of the National Cotton Council. Dan serves on the Black Bayou Drainage Commission and is a former member of the Advisory Board for the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce.
I congratulate Dan Branton for his contributions to the Delta region, the State of Mississippi, and the Nation. I look forward to his future contributions in improving the quality of life for our citizens.
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