The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry continues to hold hearings to gather information for the 2012 Farm Bill, including one this morning on healthy food initiatives, local production and nutrition. According to key Hill staffers, Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) is attempting to put together the starting point for a Farm Bill by the end of March with possible full committee action, or mark-up, on her draft bill sometime in April.

The House will hold its first Farm Bill field hearing of the year this Friday in Saranac Lake, N.Y. Three additional hearings will be held over the next six weeks in Galesburg, Ill.; State University, Ark; and Dodge City, Kansas. Details of the hearings are available on the committee’s website. 

Although only producers have been invited to testify, IDFA urges members with facilities close to the hearing sites to send representatives to listen to the testimony and participate to the extent possible. For the New York hearing, two IDFA members with facilities in the state, Great Lakes Cheese and HP Hood, submitted statements for the record.

The Senate is scheduled to hold its final hearing next Wednesday, March 14, on risk management and commodities. Details of the Senate hearings are available here.

“We are paying close attention to the progress of Farm Bill hearings in both houses of Congress,” said Jerry Slominski, IDFA senior vice president of legislative affairs and economic policy. “Although there is a lot of speculation that a Farm Bill may not be passed until next year, the committee leadership on both sides would like to get it done this year and are moving ahead with the process.”

IDFA continues to oppose the inclusion of a supply management provision in the Farm Bill and urges members to contact senators on the agriculture committee with their concerns.

In addition to Stabenow and Ranking Member Pat Roberts (R-KS), the Senate committee members are:

  • Max Baucus (D-MT)
  • Michael Bennet (D-CO)
  • Sherrod Brown (D-OH)
  • John Boozman (R-AR)
  • Robert Casey (D-PA)
  • Saxby Chambliss (R-GA)
  • Thad Cohcran (R-MS)
  • Kent Conrad (D-ND)  
  • Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
  • Chuck Grassley (R-IA)
  • Tom Harkin (D-IA)
  • John Hoeven (R-ND)
  • Mike Johanns (R-NE)
  • Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
  • Patrick Leahy (D-VT) 
  • Richard Lugar (R-IN)
  • Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
  • Ben Nelson (D-NE)
  • John Thune (R-SD)

For more information, contact Slominski at jslominski@idfa.org or Chelsee Woodey, IDFA director of legislative affairs, at cwoodey@idfa.org.