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AUBURN TO HOST FARM BILL HEARING FEB. 7
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Bob Goodlatte, chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture, and Collin Peterson, ranking minority member (D-Minn.,), have announced that Auburn will host the second of two full-Committee field hearings on Tuesday, Feb. 7. The first hearing will be Monday, Feb. 6, in Fayetteville, N.C. The time, location and the witness list for both hearings will be announced in coming weeks. The field hearings are part of a series of hearings the committee will convene in the coming year to review the 2002 Farm Bill which is set to expire in 2007. Goodlatte and Peterson intend to hear from all those involved in agricultural policy including farmers, ranchers, agribusiness, and government officials. The hearings will give producers the opportunity to provide the committee with feedback about what aspects of the 2002 Farm Bill are working well and what aspects could be modified. The 2002 Farm Bill included 10 separate titles: commodity programs, conservation, trade, nutrition programs, credit, rural development, research, forestry, energy, and a miscellaneous category that included marketing issues, biotechnology, etc. The committee intends to review all aspects of the farm bill to determine the status of U.S. agricultural policy in anticipation of writing the next farm bill later next year. "A farm bill is a comprehensive piece of legislation that not only involves farm programs, but conservation, nutrition, forestry and trade among many other issues," Goodlatte said. "Because the scope of our agricultural policy is so diverse and extensive,
it is important to get an early start on reviewing the farm bill as we prepare to write the next farm bill. "Since the last farm bill was written, U.S. farmers and ranchers have experienced significant challenges and opportunities in the world market and it is important that our domestic policies reflect and adapt to this changing environment. Our producers are working on the frontlines and their daily lives are directly affected by agricultural policy. Therefore, the feedback we gather from our producers will give us a good sense of how these policies work in practice." For Agriculture Committee news and schedule updates via email, visit the committee's web site to add your email address to the list at http://agriculture.house.gov/Eupdates/updates.html.
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