USDA Domestic Food Programs Reviewed by Subcommittee Congress must work to ensure the effectiveness of programs like TEFAP (April 3, 2001) Representatives from USDA and the food distribution organizations were on hand today to help explain how USDA domestic food programs operate and to examine their effectiveness. The Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition, and Forestry focuse... Read more »
Oilseed Producers Group Presents Farm Program Recommendations to Committee (March 29, 2001) America's soybean and other oilseed farmers were the topic of the day as the House Agriculture Committee convened the eighth in a series of farm program hearings. The program recommended by the soybean producers would include oilseeds in an expanded PFC program, set current market loan rates as floors rathe... Read more »
Farm Budget Secures Share of $500 Billion Strategic Reserve House-passed budget resolution aids agriculture this year and next 10 years March 28, 2001 The U.S. House of Representatives Wednesday afternoon approved a ten-year budget resolution that Agriculture Committee Chairman Larry Combest (R-Texas) said will set the course for predictable support to the agricultural community based on sound pol... Read more »
Agriculture to Share in Budget's $500 Billion Strategic Reserve Budget Committee Defers to Agriculture Committee for policy, funding needs (March 22, 2001) Agriculture's funding needs for the coming year and the ten-year budget baseline were guaranteed priority -- with national defense -- in securing a share of the ten-year $500 billion strategic reserve fund approved Wednesday night by the House ... Read more »
Livestock Industry Presents Farm Policy Recommendations (March 22, 2001) Four segments of the livestock industry appeared before the House Committee on Agriculture today. Representatives from the poultry, beef, pork, and sheep and goat industries offered their recommendations for the future of America's farm policy. The common refrain heard from all four industries was "let the market work." Poult... Read more »
Committee Questions the Rice Industry (March 21, 2001) Rice producers today advocated a farm program that would keep many features of the current law, including fixed payments at $4 billion per year, and marketing loan rates set at current loan rates, but also advocated an additional counter-cyclical program based on gross revenue for each crop. The rice industry was the latest commodity group to ... Read more »
New USDA Secretary Sends Promised Crop Loss Payments (March 16, 2001) Compensation for 2000 crop year losses are arriving to pay off last season's loans and secure final arrangements for a new crop year already underway in many parts of the country. In previous years, producer payments had not arrived until April 2000 and as late as June in 1999. Producers began in January making applications for ... Read more »
House Agriculture Committee Cites Farm Budget Needs Combest: "Farmers need a farm program that they can bank on at this time of year" (March 15, 2001) House Agriculture Committee Members have recommended that the House Budget Committee be prepared to provide needed assistance for 2001 and to permanently increase the budget allocation for agriculture so that future ad hoc bills can be avoided. Writ... Read more »
Committee Examines Recommendations from the Wheat Industry Wheat producers believe farm policy will brighten producers future (March 15, 2001) Commodity and farm groups have been lining up to respond to the challenge issued by Chairman Larry Combest (R-Texas) to present the House Agriculture Committee with specific recommendations about the future of farm policy. Today, the Committee heard the pro... Read more »
