Today, Ranking Member Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and Rep. Jerry Moran (R-KS) introduced a bill to extend current farm policy for one year to ensure stability for America’s farmers and ranchers as they begin planting their 2008 crops. While the 2007 Farm Bill reauthorization remains stymied in the Senate, farmers and ranchers throughout the nation are already feeling the negative effects of the bill’s ex... Read more »
As the Farm Bill debate began this year, reformers thought they found an unlikely ally in the Bush Administration, which has argued forcefully against the farm safety net because it allowed big city millionaires to collect farm payments. What reformers don’t know or have conveniently forgotten is that the Bush Administration has failed to use the authority it already has to end those payments and ... Read more »
Today, the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry held a hearing to review recent recalls in the meat industry. Congressman Leonard Boswell of Iowa is Chairman of the Subcommittee. The Subcommittee heard testimony from U.S. Department of Agriculture Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Richard Raymond about food safety concerns related to recent recalls and illnesses caused... Read more »
Today, the House Agriculture Committee held a hearing to review the development, implementation and regulation of new technologies used in the meat industry to improve safety and quality. “Over the past several decades, technology has improved the quality and safety of meat products available to consumers,” Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson said. “This hearing is a good opportunity to... Read more »
Today, the House Committee on Agriculture heard about drought, flood, fire and other weather-related disaster conditions that are affecting agriculture producers in many parts of the United States. “Each year, farmers invest a great deal of time and resources into their crop, but all the hard work and money in the world can’t guarantee a good harvest and one of the most unpredictable and important... Read more »
Today, the House Agriculture Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management held a hearing to review reauthorization of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Congressman Bob Etheridge of North Carolina is Chairman of the Subcommittee. “Today, the Subcommittee took another important step on the road to reauthorization of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission,” said Chair... Read more »
Today, the House Agriculture Committee held a hearing to review the structural changes taking place in agriculture and their impacts on the farm economy. The committee heard testimony from a panel of three economic analysts about recent developments in the farm economy, examining both short- and long-term trends in prices and farm output. The committee also discussed rising input costs from energy... Read more »
Today, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a resolution that sets an ambitious goal to expand renewable energy production in the United States over the next two decades. The 25 by ’25 Resolution (H.CON.RES. 25) expresses the sense of Congress that by the year 2025, at least 25 percent of the total energy consumed in the United States should come from homegrown renewable sources. Currently, ... Read more »
Today, the House Committee on Agriculture heard from agriculture organizations and farmers concerned with the growing shortage of farm labor in the United States. As a labor-intensive industry, agriculture relies heavily on seasonal workers to produce and harvest a wide variety of products. Agriculture employs more than 3 million people every year in this country, and the need for an adequate agri... Read more »
Today, the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture held a hearing to examine the joint performance of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), the Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in protecting U.S. agriculture from foreign pests and diseases. Congressman Dennis Cardoza o... Read more »
