At a hearing today of the House Committee on Agriculture, high level representatives from the Clinton Administration and farm groups testified while Members of the Committee expressed overwhelming support for Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) with China. "China represents an agriculture market that is vital to the long-term success of American farmers and ranchers," Committee Chairman Larry... Read more »
This week, the House Agriculture Committee, led by Chairman Larry Combest (R-TX), completed the final two farm policy field hearings in a series of ten. With the two most recent hearings in Boise, Idaho and Peoria, Illinois, the Agriculture Committee has visited every region in the United States and heard the views of 181 producers who testified before the panels. "During this series, we've heard... Read more »
H.R. 434 Authorizes New "Carousel" Tactic for Trade Pressure House Agriculture Committee Chairman Larry Combest (R-TX) and Ranking Member Charlie Stenholm (D-TX) praised Thursday's passage of H.R. 434, a new trade and investment policy for sub-Sahara Africa, which provides the means for "Carousel Retaliation" provisions from their legislation, H.R. 2991. The "Carousel" provisions will apply to all... Read more »
Throughout Farm Country, Confidence, but Not Consensus for Policy Change Sioux Falls, South Dakota — Planting among Northern Plains and Northern California producers this week occurred in field hearings as well as the fields, as farmers planted ideas for farm policy with House Agriculture Committee Members, as region-by-region hearings progressed to the seventh and eighth in the series of 10 heari... Read more »
Late Thursday afternoon, by a vote of 375-37, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Rural Local Broadcast Signal Act (H.R. 3615), a bill that would extend loan guarantees to companies willing to provide rural communities with access to local television via satellite. "For rural communities around the country, local television is about more than entertainment," said House Agriculture Commit... Read more »
Prior to Vote, USDA Secretary, Trade Rep Assess Benefits for U.S. Producers On May 17, just prior to the U.S. House of Representatives scheduled vote on Permanent Normal Trade Relations with China, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Larry Combest (R-TX) convenes a Committee hearing with lead-off witnesses Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman and Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky. House ... Read more »
The House Agriculture Committee's Livestock & Horticulture Subcommittee today called on representatives of cattle and sheep ranchers, general farm organizations, retailers and processors to work together to fully explore development of a voluntary country-of-origin labeling (COOL) program. "Our visits with various participants in the COOL debate suggest there is real opportunity to develop a sour... Read more »
U.S. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Larry Combest and Ranking Minority Member Charlie Stenholm have formally requested that the General Accounting Office analyze costs to the agriculture and forestry sectors from additional water quality regulations proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency. In their bipartisan letter requesting the GAO study, Reps. Combest (R-TX) and Stenholm (D-TX) ... Read more »
In the most recent hearing of the House Agriculture Committee's review of federal farm policy, a panel of output sector group presidents testified before the Committee today. Hearings, like today's, are being held throughout the spring to complement the ten field hearings held around the country during which producers are able to testify. "I think all of the members at this table know we have a p... Read more »
Today, by vote of 397-1, the House of Representatives passed the Freedom to E-File Act (S. 777), legislation which would allow farmers and ranchers to file paperwork with the U.S. Department of Agriculture electronically. "As in any other business, advanced technologies and the Internet are becoming increasingly common and important tools for American farmers and ranchers," Combest said. "This bi... Read more »
