U.S. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Larry Combest (R-TX) says a House-Senate conference to finalize legislation for crop insurance improvements will begin soon with the aim of making expanded livestock and market revenue coverage available beginning with winter wheat crops seeded this September. Immediate improvements take place strengthening the program's management and integrity. Chairman... Read more »
Today, the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition, and Forestry passed by voice vote the Freedom to E-File Act (H.R. 852), legislation providing for electronic form filing by producers. "The biggest obstacle facing farmers is not lack of knowledge, or fear of the unknown," said Subcommittee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA). "Rather, the biggest obstacle to inter... Read more »
Today, the House Agriculture Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities, Resource Conservation, and Credit received testimony from the Clinton Administration and industry representatives and reviewed issues surrounding certain authorities of the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) — specifically, the Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS). "The role of grain inspection ... Read more »
Leaders of the House Agriculture Committee noted China's progress Tuesday in issuing orders to its port cities to receive the sales of U.S. meat, citrus as well as the continued expansion of Pacific Northwest wheat. Chairman Larry Combest (R-TX) and Ranking Minority Member Charlie Stenholm (D-TX) said that the good faith follow-through by the Chinese on last April's Agreement on U.S.-China Agricu... Read more »
Today, the House Committee on Agriculture convened for the second time in as many days hearing testimony from a total of 37 southern agricultural producers. While there was general agreement among witnesses regarding the need for regulatory and tax relief, their views on improving federal farm policy were as varied as the crops they raise. Yesterday's hearing in Memphis, Tennessee and today's in A... Read more »
The U.S. House Committee on Agriculture will convene a hearing to probe today's U.S. Department of Agriculture decision to group the locations of more than two dozen of its state-level agency headquarters around the country. In more than half the instances, offices would be moved across town, while other moves would shift operations to greater distances across a state. The Agriculture Committee w... Read more »
House Agriculture Committee Chairman Larry Combest (R-TX) and Ranking Minority Member Charlie Stenholm (D-TX) issued the following statement regarding Permanent Normal Trade Relations with China: China represents an agriculture market that is vital to the long-term success of American farmers and ranchers. Agriculture trade with China can strengthen development of private enterprise in that count... Read more »
At a hearing today, members of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition, and Forestry, led by Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) expressed continuing concern that the Forest Service (USFS) has requested a $380 million budget increase to fund poorly planned initiatives, yet has not achieved fiscal and performance accountability. In January of 1999, the General Ac... Read more »
As soil preparations begin for this year's crop, House Agriculture Committee Members broke ground for the first of ten nationwide field hearings, convening in the southern Great Plains region for producer assessments of the nation's current farm policy. Testimony from 19 producers of cotton, corn, soybeans, wheat, rice, peanuts, cattle and sheep praised the flexibility of the current farm policy ... Read more »
U.S. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Larry Combest (R-Texas) and Ranking Minority Member Charlie Stenholm (D-Texas) today announced the final schedule of farm policy field hearings in 10 cities in regions from March through May, encouraging producers to submit detailed proposals for agricultural policy. The regional hearings are convened exclusively for producers to describe specific policy i... Read more »
