To rename the Red River Valley Agricultural Research Center in Fargo, North Dakota, as the Edward T. Schafer Agricultural Research Center.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2154) to rename the Red River Valley Agricultural Research Center in Fargo, North Dakota, as the Edward T. Schafer Agricultural Research Center, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise today in support of H.R. 2154, to rename the Red River Valley Agricultural Research Center in Fargo, North Dakota, as the Edward T. Schafer Agricultural Research Center. And this, Mr. Speaker, is in spite of the fact that it is located at North Dakota State University, which, in January of 2015, beat my Illinois State Red Birds for the FCS football championship and caused me to have to bring cupcakes from Normal, Illinois, to pay a bet with my colleague who is the author of this bill, Congressman Kevin Cramer. So I still support this bill in spite of those actions because it is a good bill, Mr. Speaker.

Ed Schafer served as North Dakota's Governor from 1992 to 2000, and as our Nation's Secretary of Agriculture from 2008 to 2009. Renaming the Red River Valley Agricultural Research Center in Fargo, North Dakota, to honor Secretary Schafer is a fitting tribute to his distinguished career in public service.

Located in Secretary Schafer's home State and at one of the Nation's premier land grant universities, this research center continues to advance its vital work on improving crops to strengthen our Nation's food security. I greatly appreciate the work--in spite

of the cupcakes--that Congressman Kevin Cramer has put forth on this bill, his leadership, and I urge my colleagues to join me today in supporting this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, again, I thank the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Peterson) for supporting this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from North Dakota (Mr. Cramer), the author of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I agree with my colleagues from Minnesota and North Dakota. I urge all Members to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Davis and my colleague, Mr. Peterson, from across the Red River in Minnesota for their support for this renaming of the Red River Valley Agricultural Research Center. For all of the reasons that Representative Peterson talked about, it is a world-class facility in a world-class town, and I think it should be named after a world-class guy, and I think Ed Schafer is that.

I had the opportunity to serve under Ed when he was Governor for 8 years. I served in his cabinet. His intellect and his common sense are matched only by his boundless energy and his eternal optimism, qualities he brings to every job he does, including his work at the Department of Agriculture.

When he was recognized by his former Governor colleague, President George W. Bush, and asked to join the administration in that department, it was a remarkable thing not just for agriculture, not just for Ed, but for our State. North Dakota is number one in the production of many crops. Agriculture is the number one industry in our State. It is what makes North Dakota what North Dakota is: the ability to feed hungry people in a growing world. Ed brought that common sense to USDA and that work ethic that works the land so effectively.

I feel like this is a fitting tribute to him. It is a celebration not only of his accomplishments, but a celebration of agriculture in North Dakota and the entire Red River Valley, including Congressman Peterson's district, and really for our world.

I would note that our two Senators, while it is easy for me to get unanimity in the House for the North Dakota House caucus since I am the only one, North Dakota's two Senators have a companion bill in the Senate introduced by Senator Hoeven and cosponsored by Senator Heitkamp, and they support this effort as well.

I appreciate the work of the committee and the work of Ed Schafer, and I look forward, hopefully, to a celebration of the renaming.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

H.R. 2154 recognizes former U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary and former North Dakota Governor Ed Schafer by renaming the Red River Valley Agricultural Research Center in his honor.

The research center serves the region, including my district in Minnesota, by coordinating five research units in two Fargo laboratories. The center does a wide range of work with a focus on animal metabolism-agricultural chemicals, cereal crops, insect genetics and biochemistry, sugar beet and potato, and sunflower and plant biology research.

I worked closely with Ed Schafer when he was at USDA and also during the time he was North Dakota's Governor. We worked on many things together. Some of them were pleasant and some of them not so pleasant, such as floods and so forth.

I think it is a fitting recognition for an outstanding career in government, and I am happy to be here to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers on this side. Again, I thank the gentleman from North Dakota (Mr. Cramer) for bringing this forward. Mr. Schafer is a great member of our community. He spends some time in my hometown every year and I have gotten to know him very well. He very much deserves this honor. I am happy to support this bill, and I ask my colleagues to support it.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 2154 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.