“Thank you Chairman Lucas for holding today’s hearing and welcome, Secretary Vilsack, back to the Committee.
“As the Chairman indicated, today’s hearing is focused on the rural economy. The rural economic outlook remains positive in many parts of the country, even as commodity markets are starting to decline and weather challenges persist.
“Of course now, we need to make sure we don’t do anything to screw this up. People who don’t understand agriculture and are driven more by political ideology are the biggest threats to the rural economy. The Ryan budget proposes an additional $23 billion in cuts to the farm safety net and turns SNAP into a block grant while the EPA at times seems intent on regulating farmers out of business.
“Having a new farm bill is good for the rural economy. Providing farmers with at least five years of certainty allows them to make long-term planning decisions. The farm bill’s rural development, research and energy programs all benefit local communities and the 16 million American jobs tied to agriculture.
“Mr. Chairman, I think you might agree with me that getting the farm bill passed was almost a miracle. Hopefully, implementation will be a lot easier. There are several complicated programs but I have confidence that USDA and Secretary Vilsack are up to the task.
“With that, I look forward to hearing from the Secretary and yield back."
Source: House Committee on Agriculture
