After House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas (R-OK) announced on January 2 that Rep. Rick Crawford (AR-1) will chair the Subcommittee on Livestock, Rural Development and Credit, Ranking Member Collin Peterson (D-MN) named Rep. Jim Costa (CA-16) as the subcommittee's ranking member. This subcommittee has jurisdiction over legislation affecting livestock, dairy, poultry, meat, seafood and seafood products; the inspection, marketing and promotion of such commodities; aquaculture, animal welfare and grazing; rural development, farm security and family farming matters; and agricultural credit.

Representative Rick Crawford

This is Crawford’s second term representing Arkansas’s first district.  After serving in the U.S. Army, Crawford attended Arkansas State University and graduated in 1996 with a degree in Agriculture Business and Economics. His professional career has primarily focused on agriculture in both agri-communications and general agri-business. He has been a news anchor and agri-reporter and served as marketing manager for the second largest John Deere dealer group in North America.

Representative Jim Costa

This is Costa’s fifth term representing California’s 16th district. As a third-generation family farmer and lifelong resident of the Central Valley, Costa has applied his farming background to fight for water, agriculture, and the economy in his district. Before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, Costa served for 24 years in the California State Legislature.

Subcommittee Assignments

Chairman Lucas released his subcommittee assignments this afternoon. Joining Chairman Crawford on the Livestock, Rural Development and Credit Committee are the following Republicans: Representatives Bob Goodlatte (VA-6), Steve King (IA-4), Randy Neugebauer (TX-19), Mike Rogers (AL-3), K. Michael Conaway (TX-11), Glenn "GT" Thompson (PA-5), Scott DesJarlais (TN-4), Christopher P. Gibson (NY-19), Reid J. Ribble (WI-8), Jeff Denham (CA-10), Richard Hudson (NC-8), and Ted Yoho (FL-3).

Ranking Member Peterson also named several democratic members to join Costa on the Livestock, Rural Development and Credit subcommittee. They are Mike McIntyre (NC-7),   David Scott (GA-13), Filemon Vela (TX-34), Michelle Lujan Grisham (NM-1), Pete Gallego (TX-23), Bill Enyart (IL-12), Cherie Bustos (IL-17), and Kurt Schrader (OR-5).  The subcommittee has two vacancies.

Scott, co-sponsor of the Goodlatte-Scott amendment, was named Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management. The Goodlatte-Scott amendment would provide margin protection for farmers without relying on a supply management program to fund it. The amendment also would help reduce price volatility in dairy markets without limiting the growth of the dairy industry. 

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