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Chairman Conaway Rejects USDA Legal Analysis, Presses for Action

| Posted in Press Releases

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...

Chairman Conaway Announces Additional Senior Staff

| Posted in Press Releases

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...

Chairman Conaway statement on Secretary Vilsack's comments regarding cotton crisis

| Posted in Press Releases

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...

Nutrition Subcommittee reviews food incentive programs

| Posted in Press Releases

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...

Opening Statement: Subcommittee Chairwoman Walorski: Food Incentive Programs

| Posted in Opening Statements

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...

Chairman Conaway recognizes the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture on its 100th Anniversary

| Posted in Press Releases

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...

Subcommittee examines opportunities and challenges of direct marketing

| Posted in Press Releases

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...

Opening Statement: Subcommittee Chairman Davis: Direct Marketing

| Posted in Opening Statements

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...

House Agriculture Committee Approves Budget Views and Estimates Letter

| Posted in Press Releases

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...

Opening Statement: Chairman Conaway: Budget Views & Estimates Letter for FY2017

| Posted in Opening Statements

Remarks as prepared for delivery: Good morning everyone. As you all know, we have a Biotechnology, Horticulture, and Research subcommittee hearing on “Opportunities and Challenges in Direct Marketing” coming up in a few minutes, so I will keep my comments brief. The Committee’s budget views and estimates letter that we have before us this morning respectfully requests that the Budget Committee giv...