House Agriculture Committee to Hold Farm Bill Hearing in Auburn

The House Committee on Agriculture will hold its second field hearing reviewing the 2002 Farm Bill at Auburn University’s Foy Union Ballroom Tuesday, Feb. 7 from 10 a.m to 1 p.m. CST.

House Committee on Agriculture Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and Ranking Minority Member Collin Peterson (D-MN) will be joined by Alabama congressmen Jo Bonner, Terry Everett and Mike Rogers at the Auburn hearing.

The field hearings are part of a series of hearings the committee will convene in the coming year. The first hearing will be held Monday, Feb. 6 in Fayetteville, N.C.

Dr. Gaines Smith, interim director of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, says that this type of hearing gives those most affected by the farm bill a chance to speak.

“We are pleased that the House Committee on Agriculture has chosen to hold a field hearing in our state,” Smith said. “I think the congressmen will gain valuable insights from hearing from farmers and producers across Alabama.”

The Agriculture Committee wants 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 and biotechnology among others. The committee will review all aspects of the farm bill before tackling the writing of 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."

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