Washington, D.C. - Today, the House Agriculture Committee approved two measures—one designed to stimulate job creation in Maine and the other to honor the distinguished career of former Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer. H.R. 1177, the Removing Outdated Restrictions to Allow for Job Growth Act, would remove the deed restriction on the parcel of land around the airport in Old Town, ME, allowing f... Read more »
Washington, D.C. - Today, House Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway (R-TX) issued the following statement concerning the exclusion of critical help for cotton and dairy farmers from the omnibus appropriations bill. “It is no secret that times are extremely difficult in farm and ranch country right now, with net farm income down 50 percent from where it stood just four years ago. It i... Read more »
Washington, D.C. - Today, House Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway issued the following statement upon the confirmation of Governor Sonny Perdue as the 31st Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). “Today is a great day for American agriculture. Secretary Perdue is a strong friend of America's farmers and ranchers, and I know he will work to ensure that agric... Read more »
Washington, D.C. - Earlier this week, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) publicly released a report on the U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID) implementation and oversight of additional food aid flexibility authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill. Under the 2014 Farm Bill, USAID is authorized to use up to 20 percent of Food for Peace (Title II) funds for administrative purposes, n... Read more »
Washington, D.C. - Today, the House Agriculture Committee held a hearing to examine how the tax code impacts agricultural producers. Members of the committee heard from a panel of Members of Congress—including Rep. Kristi Noem (SD-at large) and Rep. Lynn Jenkins (KS-2)—from the House Committee on Ways and Means, the committee charged with crafting our nation's tax code. The Committee also heard fr... Read more »
Remarks as prepared for delivery: Good morning. I want to welcome you all to today’s hearing examining how the tax code impacts American agricultural producers. Much like it did in 1985 and 1986, tax reform is poised to again consume much of Washington’s attention. Before that happens, today’s hearing will offer Members a baseline understanding of how the current tax code affects farmers, ranchers... Read more »
Washington, D.C. - Today, Rep. Austin Scott (R-GA), Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on Commodity Exchanges, Energy, and Credit, held a hearing to evaluate the effectiveness of farm bill authorized credit programs administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA). This hearing is a continuation of the committee’s hearing series to set the stage for the next farm bill. Members... Read more »
Remarks as prepared for delivery: Good afternoon, and welcome to today’s subcommittee hearing. Over the past several weeks, the Agriculture Committee has held a series of hearings in preparation for crafting the next farm bill. Through this, the Committee has examined the overall farm economy, reviewed the safety and soundness of the Farm Credit System, and heard from a broad constituency on nearl... Read more »
Washington, D.C. - Yesterday afternoon, House Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway and Ranking Member Collin Peterson sent the following letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts, and Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow, encouraging the swift confirmation of Governor Sonny Perdue as the ... Read more »
Washington, D.C. - Today, Rep. Rick Crawford (AR-1), Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management, held a hearing to further examine the effectiveness of farm policy in advance of crafting the next farm bill. Members of the committee heard from witnesses who shared the perspectives of the cotton, rice, peanut, canola, and sugar industri... Read more »
