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 »
Barley Growers Present Committee with Policy Recommendations Modifications in policy to help remove U.S. barley from endangered list (March 8, 2001) House Agriculture Committee Chairman Larry Combest (R-Texas) convened the third in a series of hearings on the future of American farm policy today. Responding to the Chairman's challenge to present specific proposals on their own commodity programs w... Read more »
Committee Reviews Farm Credit Administration National Charters Proposal is first of Ag Committee's examination of FCA's rules and credit needs (March 7, 2001) Reviewing the proposed rule for issuing Farm Credit System national charters, House Agriculture Committee Members on Wednesday brought the Farm Credit Administration's chairman and banking industry representatives before a hearing prior to t... Read more »
Statement of Chairman Larry Combest in response to the President's Budget Blueprint for New Beginnings (February 28, 2001) The priorities that President Bush outlined last evening in his address to the Congress show a keen understanding of the needs of all Americans. This budget plan will protect social security, improve education for our children and allow us to pay down our national debt. Americ... Read more »
House Ag Committee Hears Cotton's Farm Program Specifics National Cotton Council first to answer Chairman's commodity challenge (February 15, 2001) House Agriculture Committee Chairman Larry Combest (R-Texas) on Thursday convened the first of what promises to be an intense and interesting set of hearings on specifics for future national farm policy. First to volunteer specifics on its own farm com... Read more »
Ag Committee Focuses on Farming's Fragile Economy Panel of economists predicts 4th consecutive year of record low commodity prices (February 14, 2001) House Committee on Agriculture Chairman Larry Combest (R-Texas) today opened a series of hearings to the recommendations of farm economists, agricultural experts, and producer organizations addressing the needs of the fragile farm economy. Wednesday... Read more »
Ag's House Members Examine Future Farm Policy Options Reviewing the Commission Report on 21st Century Production Agriculture (January 31, 2001) As House Agriculture Committee Members prepare to embark upon the process of building consensus in future farm policy, they convened Wednesday to examine the final report of the Commission on 21st Century Production Agriculture, created by the Ag Committee... Read more »
