Today, the House Agriculture Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management held its second hearing in as many days to review implementation of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (FCEA), commonly known as the Farm Bill. Congressman Leonard Boswell of Iowa is Chairman of the Subcommittee.
“We had good discussion today on the status of many vital programs to our farmers and ranchers safety net," said Chairman Boswell. “USDA is working hard to ensure our county Farm Service Agency offices are up to speed on programs such as Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE). I am also anxious to see the rules for the Supplemental Revenue Assistance (SURE) disaster program. With the implementation of this program we will decrease the need for Congress to pass ad hoc disaster assistance every year and increase the producer’s ability to make the best decision for their operation."
“Yesterday we heard from producers about their concerns with implementation of the 2008 farm bill," said Ranking Member Jerry Moran. “It was good that we were able to raise their concerns with Under Secretary Miller today. I hope USDA will quickly work to address the concerns that were raised by Subcommittee members in today’s hearing."
The Subcommittee heard testimony from new USDA Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services (FFAS) Under Secretary James Miller. FFAS oversees three agencies charged with implementing FCEA provisions: the Risk Management Agency, the Farm Service Agency, and the Foreign Agricultural Service. Yesterday, the Subcommittee reviewed FCEA implementation with witness testimony from major farm and producer groups.
Written testimony provided by witnesses for both hearings are available on the Committee website: http://democrats-agriculture.house.gov/hearings/index.html. A full transcript of the hearing will be posted on the Committee website at a later date.
Witness List:
Panel I
Mr. James Miller, Under Secretary of Agriculture, Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C.
http://democrats-agriculture.house.gov
Source: House Committee on Agriculture
