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AGRICULTURE COMMITTEE'S NEBRASKA FIELD HEARING FOCUSES ATTENTION TO NATION'S AGRICULTURAL ECONOMIC STATE

Bill Barrett (R-NE), chairman of the General Farm Commodities Resource Conservation and Credit Subcommittee, and Members of the Committee bring together producers and agricultural economists in the year's first review of the nation's agricultural economy.  The Committee field hearing begins Monday, February 15 at 9:00 a.m., in the auditorium at College Park in Grand Island, Nebraska.

"We bring this House Agriculture Committee field hearing to Nebraska to focus attention to the fact that agriculture still carries the weight of last season's market and weather-related losses and to bring additional perspective to the challenges of the season ahead," said House Agriculture Committee Chairman Larry Combest (R-TX).

"This is a tremendous opportunity for Nebraskans to see, firsthand our government in action," said Subcommittee Chairman Barrett.  "I'm excited to have my Committee colleagues experience Nebraska hospitality and hear from those whose lives are devoted to agriculture.  This hearing will help form the base of information for legislation that will affect our state and the agricultural economy."

The four panels feature USDA Chief Economist Keith Collins, State of Nebraska Department of Agriculture Director Merlyn Carlson, State of South Dakota Department of Agriculture Secretary Darrell Cruea, State of Minnesota Department of Agriculture Commissioner Gene Hugoson, and Professor of Agriculture Economics & Extension-Policy Ray Frederick from the University of Nebraska.

Livestock  panelists are Homer Buell, President, Nebraska Cattlemen Association of Rose, Nebraska; Scott VanderWal, VanderWal Farms, Inc., Custom Feeding Operation of Volga, South Dakota;  Annette Dubas, cattle and grain producer of Fullerton, Nebraska; and Max Waldo, Waldo Farms of  DeWitt, Nebraska

Grains panelists are Mark W. Kepler, Vice President, Nebraska Wheat Growers Association of Chappell, Nebraska; Bill Northey, Past President, National Corn Growers Association of Spirit Lake, Iowa; Steve Peterson, wheat producer of Smith Center, Kansas; Louis Kehn, corn, soybean, and wheat producer of  Bonesteel, South Dakota; and Randy Cruise, Cruise Farms of  Pleasanton, Nebraska

Note: The hearing is available to those able to downlink a digital satellite signal from GE3, digital channel 102.

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