Senate Ag Committee Begins Hearings on Farm Policy, NCGA Notes (5-31-06)

The Senate Agriculture Committee will begin its series of field hearings across the country in an effort to reach out to growers and producers and gather feedback on how farm policy programs have or have not been working, the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) notes. The House Agriculture Committee and the U.S. Department of Agriculture have been holding field hearings on the upcoming 2007 farm bill.

“NCGA is looking forward to the Senate Agriculture Committee members engaging growers across the nation to hear their thoughts on the current farm programs and what they hope to see in the next farm bill,” said Steve Pigg, NCGA Public and Policy Action Team chairman. “We need a farm bill that ensures an effective safety net coupled with other programs that enable corn growers and all of agriculture to be competitive on a global scale. Growers will have the opportunity to speak candidly with these members about farm policy now and for the future.”

Pigg noted that it is very important to engage congressional leaders who will be integral in developing the next generation of farm policy.

Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) and Ranking Democrat Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) announced the hearings this week. The first regional hearing will be held June 23 at 9 a.m. eastern standard time (EST) on the campus of Albany State University in Albany, Ga. Additional hearings are scheduled for July 17 in Missouri; July 21 in Pennsylvania. The committee is expecting to announce more hearing dates for Iowa and two states within the nation’s western region.
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