Remarks as prepared for delivery: Good morning. We have under consideration the bill, H.R. 2393. This bill is narrowly drafted to eliminate the requirement for country of origin labeling for meat products from cattle and hogs for which the WTO ruled against the program. We also eliminate the requirement for chicken, which faced high costs and little if any quantifiable benefits, and asked to have ... Read more »
Good morning. Thank you all for coming today and welcome. Today, the Committee is examining H.R. 2289, the Commodity End-User Relief Act. The bill before us represents the bipartisan work of dozens of members of this Committee over the past three years to address the challenges and uncertainties that end-users are facing in derivatives markets. I’d like to start by thanking the leadership of the C... Read more »
Remarks as prepared: Good afternoon. I would like to welcome everyone to this hearing in which we will continue to examine aspects of pollinator health. As many of you are aware, the Agriculture Committee has had a long interest in examining and promoting pollinator health. In both the 2008 and 2014 farm bills, provisions were included to authorize pollinator research and extension programs, impro... Read more »
Remarks as prepared: Our next order of business is to consider a bill to reauthorize the Livestock Mandatory Reporting Act of 1999. This bill, like the underlying act and each subsequent reauthorization has been the result of dialogue and consensus between livestock producers and meat packers. We fully understand that government mandates like price reporting can be onerous, and that not all indust... Read more »
Remarks as prepared: Our next order of business is to consider a bill to reauthorize the United States Grain Standards Act. As our grain standards program nears its 100th anniversary, we wish to recognize the importance this program has played in establishing value and price-discovery in the U.S. grain and oilseed marketplace. U.S. competitiveness in global markets, as well as stakeholders ranging... Read more »
Remarks as prepared: Good afternoon. I want to welcome everyone to this hearing of the Conservation and Forestry Subcommittee. The health of our national forests is an issue of vital importance for rural America. Not only are national forests a source of immense natural beauty, but they provide us with natural resources, healthy watersheds, recreational opportunities, and wildlife habitat. But, pe... Read more »
Remarks as prepared: Good afternoon. I would like to welcome our witnesses to this discussion regarding reauthorization of the Livestock Mandatory Reporting Act. First enacted in 1999, the Act was developed in response to changing markets with an increasing number of animals being sold via marketing arrangements under which prices were not publicly disclosed. As these structural changes continued,... Read more »
Remarks as prepared: This hearing comes nearly a century after the Grain Standards Act of 1916 was signed into law by then President Woodrow Wilson. For nearly 100 years, this law has been the cornerstone of the vibrant grain trade both for domestic consumption and international trade. This law is relied upon not only by exporters and domestic shippers, but by the whole US agricultural sector. It ... Read more »
Remarks as prepared for delivery: I want to welcome our witnesses to today’s hearing and thank them for taking the time to travel here to share their perspectives and answer our questions on how the charitable sector plays a vital role in providing food assistance to families in need. Today is about hearing from the folks on the ground, practitioners in the field. They will provide us with their f... Read more »
Remarks as prepared for delivery: Good afternoon. Thank you all for being here with us today to discuss how the future of agriculture can be sustained through enhancing the rural/urban coalition. Here in the Agriculture Committee we have seen challenges in enacting the Agriculture Act of 2014. If we do not mend the divide between rural and urban areas and foster a widespread understanding of the f... Read more »
