House Agriculture Committee
House Ag panel leaders try to bridge a food stamp chasm
The chairman of the House Agriculture Committee is sticking to his goal of gaining committee approval of the new farm bill by the end of this month — while also winning bipartisan support for it.
Roberts aims for farm bill mark-up in April
The Senate Agriculture Committee will draft its version of the 2018 farm bill in April if chairman Pat Roberts’ plans hold up. Roberts discussed the timeline for the bill, but not its contents, at a child nutrition luncheon.
Toss-up races could shuffle the House ag panel
Policy expert: 50 percent chance Congress extends 2014 farm law
Congress could just as easily extend the 2014 farm law, with add-ons to fix cotton and dairy subsidies, as pass a new farm bill this year, said Texas A&M economist James Richardson, a farm policy expert.
Bill calls for USDA to report on which stewardship programs work best
The USDA spends several billion dollars a year on voluntary land stewardship programs. With the 2018 farm bill on the horizon, two members of the House Agriculture Committee have unveiled legislation that would require the USDA to evaluate and report on the impact of the soil and water projects it bankrolls.
House farm bill website: Stronger safety net and food stamp ‘ladder of opportunity’
In preparation for the 2018 farm bill, the House Agriculture Committee unveiled a website that will serve as a central location for its activities on the panoramic legislation.
Peterson sees farm bill ‘sooner rather than later’ in 2018
Hard choices for the 2018 farm bill are on the horizon, says Conaway
The House could debate the new farm bill as early as January or February, said House Agriculture chairman Michael Conaway, meaning that very soon farm-state lawmakers “are going to have some hard decisions to make.”
Two Ag panelists among most vulnerable House incumbents
Freshman Republican John Faso and veteran Democrat Rick Nolan, both of whom serve on the House Agriculture Committee, are among the 10 most vulnerable House incumbents a year ahead of the 2018 midterm elections, says Roll Call.
Bipartisan House bill to help young and beginning farmers
Reps. Sean Maloney of New York state and Ryan Costello of Pennsylvania unveiled a U.S. House bill to help young and beginning farmers get established. The sponsors said action is needed because of the advancing average age of U.S. farmers, nearly 60 in the 2012 Ag Census.
Three House ag panelists’ races are toss-ups; so is House control
The Republican–Democrat battle for control of the House “looks something like a coin flip,” says Sabato’s Crystal Ball, which says three members of the House Agriculture Committee are toss-ups for re-election next year.
Former House aggie Steve Fincher may run for Senate in Tennessee
Farm operator Steve Fincher, who served three terms in the House, including time on the Agriculture Committee, said he is probably going to run for the Senate seat being vacated by Bob Corker, said the Memphis Daily News. The newspaper quoted Fincher as saying, "We're very close to getting in. We're not 100 percent. But we're very close."
Rep. Blumenauer’s ‘outsider’ farm bill comes in from the cold
An amalgam of budget hawks, environmentalists and food movement activists are scheduled to call for reform of U.S. food and ag policy today as Rep. Earl Blumenauer unveils legislation to challenge the farm bill being assembled by the House Agriculture Committee.
Senate panel may begin work on farm bill in October
Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley said the Senate Agriculture Committee may produce a farm bill before the end of this year, months ahead of the expiration of the 2014 farm law. “We probably will be working on the farm bill by the end of October,” Grassley said during a teleconference with ag reporters.
Traffic accident injures three during Perdue tour of Texas damage
Three federal workers were injured in the collision of a semi-truck and another vehicle in a motorcade carrying Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue on a tour of hurricane damage on the Texas Gulf Coast, said the Texas Tribune. Perdue, who was in another vehicle with Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller and U.S. House Agriculture Committee chairman Michael Conaway, was not injured.
Heitkamp starts re-election drive for Senate seat she won narrowly in 2010
Perdue schedules a two-day, three-state ‘back to our roots’ tour
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue plans to visit three New England states today and Friday "to gather input for the 2018 farm bill and increasing rural prosperity," announced USDA. The "back to our roots" tour follows a swing through five Midwestern states at the start of August.
Senate chairman says no crop insurance cuts in 2018 farm bill
With farm income in a slump, the government should be a partner, not an adversary, to farmers and ranchers, said the chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee in ruling out cuts to the federally subsidized crop insurance program. “Let me emphasize that crop insurance is, for many, the most valuable tool in the risk management toolbox,” said chairman Pat Roberts.
House Democrats elect Craig as party leader on Agriculture Committee
Minnesota Rep. Angie Craig said she will employ a principled bipartisanship in her new post as senior Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee, "working to find compromise where we can, but fighting for our values where we must." Farm groups said her first goal should be enactment of a new farm bill.