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Farm Bill Debate Starts Anew
As discussion of the next farm bill begins to heat up and budgets start to solidify, I’m working to put Iowa in the middle of the debate. This week I sent a request to Senator Debbie Stabenow, the Chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, and Senator Pat Roberts, the Ranking Member of the committee, asking them to hold a committee field hearing in Iowa to discuss the upcoming farm bill. I also pointed out that the Senate Agriculture Committee has a history of conducting farm bill field hearings in our state.
It makes sense to keep Iowa at the forefront of these discussions. Iowa is the number one producer of corn, soybeans, pork, and eggs. In addition, Iowa farmers produce a large number of beef cattle from the many cow-calf operations throughout the state. And, we have many dairy farms that are vital parts of their communities.
Iowa’s greater agriculture industry is crucial to the economic health of the state. Iowa agriculture supports thousands of non-farm jobs around the state. In the farm bill legislation, we not only set farm policy, but we also set policy in other areas such as rural development, food and nutrition, agricultural research, conservation, and energy. In fact, close to 80 percent of the funding in the farm bill is devoted to nutrition programs like food stamps and the Emergency Food Assistance Program.
I joined Governor Terry Branstad and Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey in making the field hearing request. It’s important for one of the largest agriculture-producing states in the country to have an opportunity to host a hearing and showcase not only Iowa agriculture, but all Iowans impacted by this important legislation.
Friday, June 24, 2011
As discussion of the next farm bill begins to heat up and budgets start to solidify, I’m working to put Iowa in the middle of the debate. This week I sent a request to Senator Debbie Stabenow, the Chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, and Senator Pat Roberts, the Ranking Member of the committee, asking them to hold a committee field hearing in Iowa to discuss the upcoming farm bill. I also pointed out that the Senate Agriculture Committee has a history of conducting farm bill field hearings in our state.
It makes sense to keep Iowa at the forefront of these discussions. Iowa is the number one producer of corn, soybeans, pork, and eggs. In addition, Iowa farmers produce a large number of beef cattle from the many cow-calf operations throughout the state. And, we have many dairy farms that are vital parts of their communities.
Iowa’s greater agriculture industry is crucial to the economic health of the state. Iowa agriculture supports thousands of non-farm jobs around the state. In the farm bill legislation, we not only set farm policy, but we also set policy in other areas such as rural development, food and nutrition, agricultural research, conservation, and energy. In fact, close to 80 percent of the funding in the farm bill is devoted to nutrition programs like food stamps and the Emergency Food Assistance Program.
I joined Governor Terry Branstad and Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey in making the field hearing request. It’s important for one of the largest agriculture-producing states in the country to have an opportunity to host a hearing and showcase not only Iowa agriculture, but all Iowans impacted by this important legislation.
Friday, June 24, 2011