NCGA Encourages Grower Participation in House Ag Committee Field Hearings (1-30-06)

The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) urges growers to attend the House Agriculture Committee’s field hearings on the 2002 farm bill in the coming weeks. The hearings give growers the opportunity to discuss the farm bill candidly with congressmen.

House Committee on Agriculture Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and ranking Minority Member Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) announced this week the first two full-committee field hearings to review the 2002 farm bill, which is set to expire in 2007. The field hearings are part of a series of hearings the committee will convene in the coming year. The first hearing is scheduled for Feb. 6 in Fayetteville, N.C., followed by a hearing on Feb. 7 in Auburn, Ala. 

“We are very pleased the House Agriculture Committee is launching its field hearings on the next farm bill here in North Carolina,” said NCGA Corn Board member Charles Alexander of Stonewall, N.C. “This is an excellent opportunity for producers to share their views on today’s farm programs and offer ideas on how we can improve our agriculture policies. These hearings will provide Congress the opportunity to learn about the priorities and concerns of corn growers at the grassroots level and give growers the opportunity to promote forward-thinking ideas for the next farm bill.”

The hearings, according to Goodlatte and Peterson, are designed to be a public forum where farmers, ranchers, agribusiness and government officials can provide feedback about positive aspects of the 2002 farm bill and what aspects could be modified. The 2002 farm bill includes 10 separate titles: commodity programs, conservation, trade, nutrition programs, credit, rural development, research, forestry, energy and a miscellaneous category that included issues such as marketing and biotechnology. 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 next year. 

Alexander also noted NCGA is actively participating in meetings and coalition building to promote cooperation among farm groups. “NCGA strongly believes that by working with everyone involved in the agriculture industry, a strong agriculture economy, a critical asset for America, will result,” he said.

“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. I look forward to working with ranking member Peterson and the rest of our colleagues throughout this process,” said Goodlatte.

The House Agriculture Committee will provide a web broadcast of the hearings on its Web site.

The information on the first two hearings is:

Monday, February 6
1:00 p.m., EST
Crown Expo Center
Section A
1960 Coliseum Drive
Fayetteville, North Carolina

Tuesday, February 7
10:00 a.m., CST
Auburn University
Foy Union Ballroom
Auburn, Alabama