Remarks as prepared for delivery: Good morning and welcome to the Agriculture Committee’s Hearing to Review the 2016 Agenda for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Today’s hearing is held against a bleak backdrop for many commodity producers, especially those in farm country. The past two years have seen a dramatic fall in commodity prices, across the board, creating significant operational ... Read more »
Washington, D.C. - Today, House Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway (R-TX) sent a written reply to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack’s February 3 letter in which the Secretary denied the request of 100 members of Congress who sent a bicameral, bipartisan letter urging the Secretary to take urgent action to stave off a farm financial crisis in the cotton belt. The members of Congre... Read more »
Washington, D.C. - Today, Rep. K. Michael Conaway (R-TX), Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, announced the promotion of Mary Nowak to Professional Staff for nutrition and welfare issues. She will oversee the committee’s continued top-to-bottom review of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Last year, the committee held a total of 10 hearings dedicated to SNAP to hear fro... Read more »
Washington, D.C. - Following media reports that the U.S. Department of Agriculture intends to deny urgently needed assistance to American cotton farmers and the rural communities that depend on the U.S. cotton industry, House Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway (R-TX) issued the following statement. "I greatly appreciate that Secretary Vilsack has been taking time to consider the req... Read more »
Washington, D.C. - Today, Rep. Jackie Walorski (IN-2), Chairwoman of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Nutrition, held a hearing to review incentive programs aimed at increasing low-income families’ purchasing power of fruits and vegetables. Members heard from a variety of witnesses on how incentive programs are increasing the consumption of healthier foods, along with the challenges and oppor... Read more »
Remarks as prepared: Good morning and welcome to today’s Nutrition Subcommittee hearing. Thank you to everyone for taking the time to be here and I want to thank, in particular, our witnesses for their participation and valuable insights. It’s easy to think of malnutrition only in terms of the quantity of food intake: Is someone eating enough? But there’s another crucial element that we can’t over... Read more »
Washington, D.C. - House Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway submitted the following remarks for Congressional Record recognizing the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture on its 100th Anniversary. Remarks as prepared: "Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 100th anniversary of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA). NASDA is a non-pr... Read more »
Washington, D.C. - Today, Rep. Rodney Davis (IL-13), Chairman of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture and Research, held a hearing to examine the opportunities and challenges producers face in direct marketing. Members heard from farmers and ranchers who shared their experiences in direct sales ventures, and how engaging in open dialogues with consumers increases trans... Read more »
Remarks as prepared: Good morning and welcome. Today, we will hear from producers involved in direct marketing ventures, such as local farmers markets, direct to restaurant or grocery store sales, value added sales, and community supported agriculture. Entrepreneurial efforts of individual producers certainly drive success in direct marketing ventures. Nevertheless, as producers seek to develop ne... Read more »
Washington, D.C. - Today the House Committee on Agriculture sent its Budget Views and Estimates letter for fiscal year 2017 to the House Budget Committee. In the letter, Committee members requested that the Budget Committee "give careful consideration to the significant contributions toward deficit reduction already made by the Committee on Agriculture, the substantial reforms these savings entail... Read more »
