"It will not be doubted, that, with reference to either individual or national welfare, agriculture is of primary importance. In proportion as nations advance in popluation and other circumstances of maturity, this truth becomes more apparent, and renders the cultivation of the soil more and more an object of public patronage. Institutions for promoting it grow up, supported by the public purse; and to what object can it be dedicated with greater propriety?" -George Washington, Presidential Address 1796