Washington, D.C. - Today, the House Agriculture Committee debuted a new blog, Homegrown, to chronicle daily life of American farmers and ranchers from the perspective of producers. The gap between urban and rural Americans is growing, and many Americans may not understand how the food on their table gets from the farm to the grocery store, or have ever stepped foot on a farm. Agriculture affects e... Read more »
Washington, D.C. - Today, House Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway joined House Speaker Paul Ryan and Republican lawmakers to unveil a policy plan, “A Better Way,” aimed at helping lift people out of poverty and onto the ladder of opportunity. The rollout was announced at House of Help City of Hope, a poverty-fighting organization in Washington, DC, focused on cultural, spiritual, a... Read more »
By: Rep. K. Michael Conaway (R-TX) Agriculture is the foundation of our livelihood and the lifeblood of rural America. I like to joke with my urban colleagues who say they do not “have agriculture” in their district that as long as their constituents eat, dress, and drive, they have a vested interest in agriculture. I am honored to chair the House Agriculture Committee, one of the most bipartisan ... Read more »
Roll Call By: Rep. K. Michael Conaway (R-TX), Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN), Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME) Have you ever gotten into an argument about whether a carton of eggs are still good even though the date on the label has passed? It's happened in our households and we bet it's happened in yours. Although it seems like a harmless domestic disagreement, the truth is when you throw away perfectly ... Read more »
Remarks as prepared: Since I became chairman of the House Agriculture Committee at the beginning of last year, we’ve held more than 70 hearings and have invited a broad range of experts, including people in the field, to share their knowledge on everything from the futures markets to farmers markets. The committee doesn’t agree all the time on every issue, but one of the reasons we’re able to work... Read more »
Washington, D.C. - Today, the House Agriculture Committee held a hearing to understand the sources and impacts of food waste. Members heard from a variety of witnesses from industry, academia and the private sector who shared their efforts and initiatives in place to address the issue of food waste across the food chain. “An estimated forty percent of the food grown in this country is wasted, endi... Read more »
Washington, D.C. - Today, Rep. David Rouzer (NC-7), Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture, held a hearing on the market outlook for the livestock, dairy and poultry sectors. This was the final hearing in the Focus on the Farm Economy series, where each of the six subcommittees examined the growing pressures in rural America from the perspec... Read more »
Remarks as prepared: Good morning. This is the final hearing in our farm economy series. Each of the other five subcommittees has examined the growing pressure in rural America from the perspective of their jurisdictions. Farmers are currently facing a steep drop in commodity prices, resulting in the largest 3-year decline in net farm income since the Great Depression. Razor tight margins are like... Read more »
Remarks as prepared: Good morning. Last November, the Agriculture Committee began examining the links between agriculture and our national security. The first hearing highlighted global security challenges and underscored the connection between food security and political stability. As former President George W. Bush said, “A nation that can feed its people is a nation more secure.” We followed th... Read more »
Washington, D.C. - Today, the House Agriculture Committee held a hearing to examine the opportunities and challenges for veteran farmers and the contributions they make to our national food security. This is the fourth hearing in the committee’s hearing series focused on national security. Members heard from a panel of veterans-turned-farmers who shared their personal experiences encountering glob... Read more »
