FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 23, 2006

Goodlatte and Peterson Announce First Farm Bill Hearings
Committee to Hear from Producers on Farm Policy

WASHINGTON, D.C. – House Committee on Agriculture Chairman Bob Goodlatte and Ranking Minority Member Collin Peterson (D-MN) today announced the first two full-Committee field hearings to begin reviewing the 2002 Farm Bill which is set to expire in 2007. The field hearings are part of a series of hearings the Committee will convene in the coming year. The first hearing will be held on Monday, February 6, 2006 in Fayetteville, N.C., followed by a hearing on Tuesday, February 7, 2006 in Auburn, Ala. Times, locations and witness lists will be announced in the coming weeks.

Chairman Goodlatte and Ranking Member Peterson intend to hear from all those involved in agricultural policy including farmers, ranchers, agribusiness, and government officials. The hearings will give producers the opportunity to provide the Committee with feedback about what aspects of the 2002 Farm Bill are working well and what aspects could be modified. The 2002 Farm Bill included ten separate titles: commodity programs, conservation, trade, nutrition programs, credit, rural development, research, forestry, energy and a miscellaneous category that included marketing issues, biotechnology, etc. The Committee intends to review all aspects of the farm bill to determine the status of U.S. agricultural policy in anticipation of writing the next farm bill later next year.

“A farm bill is a comprehensive piece of legislation that not only involves farm programs, but conservation, nutrition, forestry and trade among many other issues,” Chairman Goodlatte said. “Because the scope of our agricultural policy is so diverse and extensive, it is important to get an early start on reviewing the farm bill as we prepare to write the next farm bill. Since the last farm bill was written, U.S. farmers and ranchers have experienced significant challenges and opportunities in the world market and it is important that our domestic policies reflect and adapt to this changing environment. Our producers are working on the frontlines and their daily lives are directly affected by agricultural policy; therefore, the feedback we gather from our producers will give us a good sense of how these policies work in practice. I look forward to working with Ranking Member Peterson and the rest of our colleagues throughout this process.”

To receive Agriculture Committee news and schedule updates via email, please visit the Committee’s website to add your email address to the list: http://agriculture.house.gov/Eupdates/updates.html.

###