[House Hearing, 116 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
MEMBER DAY
=======================================================================
HEARING
BEFORE THE
COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
DECEMBER 11, 2019
__________
Serial No. 116-27
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Printed for the use of the Committee on Agriculture
agriculture.house.gov
______
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
40-284 PDF WASHINGTON : 2020
COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE
COLLIN C. PETERSON, Minnesota, Chairman
DAVID SCOTT, Georgia K. MICHAEL CONAWAY, Texas, Ranking
JIM COSTA, California Minority Member
MARCIA L. FUDGE, Ohio GLENN THOMPSON, Pennsylvania
JAMES P. McGOVERN, Massachusetts AUSTIN SCOTT, Georgia
FILEMON VELA, Texas ERIC A. ``RICK'' CRAWFORD,
STACEY E. PLASKETT, Virgin Islands Arkansas
ALMA S. ADAMS, North Carolina SCOTT DesJARLAIS, Tennessee
Vice Chair VICKY HARTZLER, Missouri
ABIGAIL DAVIS SPANBERGER, Virginia DOUG LaMALFA, California
JAHANA HAYES, Connecticut RODNEY DAVIS, Illinois
ANTONIO DELGADO, New York TED S. YOHO, Florida
TJ COX, California RICK W. ALLEN, Georgia
ANGIE CRAIG, Minnesota MIKE BOST, Illinois
ANTHONY BRINDISI, New York DAVID ROUZER, North Carolina
JEFFERSON VAN DREW, New Jersey RALPH LEE ABRAHAM, Louisiana
JOSH HARDER, California TRENT KELLY, Mississippi
KIM SCHRIER, Washington JAMES COMER, Kentucky
CHELLIE PINGREE, Maine ROGER W. MARSHALL, Kansas
CHERI BUSTOS, Illinois DON BACON, Nebraska
SEAN PATRICK MALONEY, New York NEAL P. DUNN, Florida
SALUD O. CARBAJAL, California DUSTY JOHNSON, South Dakota
AL LAWSON, Jr., Florida JAMES R. BAIRD, Indiana
TOM O'HALLERAN, Arizona JIM HAGEDORN, Minnesota
JIMMY PANETTA, California
ANN KIRKPATRICK, Arizona
CYNTHIA AXNE, Iowa
______
Anne Simmons, Staff Director
Matthew S. Schertz, Minority Staff Director
(ii)
C O N T E N T S
----------
Page
Conaway, Hon. K. Michael, a Representative in Congress from
Texas, opening statement....................................... 2
Peterson, Hon. Collin C., a Representative in Congress from
Minnesota, opening statement................................... 1
Prepared statement........................................... 1
Members
Spanberger, Hon. Abigail Davis, a Representative in Congress from
Virginia....................................................... 2
Prepared statement........................................... 4
Cline, Hon. Ben, a Representative in Congress from Virginia...... 6
Prepared statement........................................... 8
Malinowski, Hon. Tom, a Representative in Congress from New
Jersey......................................................... 9
Prepared statement........................................... 10
Case, Hon. Ed, a Representative in Congress from Hawaii.......... 11
Prepared statement........................................... 13
Norton, Hon. Eleanor Holmes, a Delegate in Congress from District
of Columbia.................................................... 14
Prepared statement........................................... 16
Vela, Hon. Filemon, a Representative in Congress from Texas...... 17
Prepared statement........................................... 18
Delgado, Hon. Antonio, a Representative in Congress from New York 18
Prepared statement........................................... 20
Fitzpatrick, Hon. Brian K., a Representative in Congress from
Pennsylvania................................................... 21
Prepared statement........................................... 22
Van Drew, Hon. Jefferson, a Representative in Congress from New
Jersey......................................................... 22
Prepared statement........................................... 24
Torres Small, Hon. Xochitl, a Representative in Congress from New
Mexico......................................................... 25
Prepared statement........................................... 26
Westerman, Hon. Bruce, a Representative in Congress from Arkansas 27
Prepared statement........................................... 28
Finkenauer, Hon. Abby, a Representative in Congress from Iowa.... 29
McGovern, Hon. James P., a Representative in Congress from
Massachusetts.................................................. 30
Prepared statement........................................... 32
Submitted Material...................................
Reschenthaler, Hon. Guy, a Representative in Congress from
Pennsylvania, submitted statement.............................. 35
MEMBER DAY
----------
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2019
House of Representatives,
Committee on Agriculture,
Washington, D.C.
The Committee met, pursuant to call, at 10:09 a.m., in Room
1300 of the Longworth House Office Building, Hon. Collin C.
Peterson [Chairman of the Committee] presiding.
Members present: Representatives Peterson, McGovern, Vela,
Adams, Spanberger, Hayes, Delgado, Cox, Craig, Van Drew,
Harder, Schrier, Axne, Conaway, Thompson, Crawford, Allen,
Marshall, Dunn, Johnson, and Baird.
Staff present: Kellie Adesina, Anne Simmons, Matthew S.
Schertz, Patricia Straughn, Jennifer Tiller, Dana Sandman, and
Jennifer Yezak.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. COLLIN C. PETERSON, A REPRESENTATIVE
IN CONGRESS FROM MINNESOTA
The Chairman. This hearing of the Committee on Agriculture
for Member day, will come to order. This is something that is
provided for in the Rules so that Members can come and tell us
what they think about issues affecting agriculture, issues that
they think should be brought to our attention that will help us
in our work in making sure that we have thriving rural
communities and continue to have the most productive food,
fiber, and fuel system in the world.
As everybody knows, this Committee covers a wide range of
jurisdictions in agriculture, rural development, and other
issues. The House Rules say it is supposed to be limited to our
jurisdiction, but as far as I am concerned, anything that folks
think affects agriculture and rural America, we are happy to
hear their advice. I don't know if we are going to answer
questions or not.
But anyway, we appreciate the Members being here, and look
forward to their issues that are impacting their constituents
and suggestions that they have for us.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Peterson follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Collin C. Peterson, a Representative in
Congress from Minnesota
Thank you to all the Members who have joined us for today's Member
day hearing.
Agriculture has a strong foundation in our nation's history, and
the House Agriculture Committee has a proud history of working together
to advance legislation needed to ensure we continue to have thriving
rural communities and the most productive food, fiber, and fuel system
in the world.
The jurisdiction of the Committee covers a wide range of topics
related to agriculture and rural development. As Chairman, I have
charged our Subcommittee Chairs and Ranking Members with giving these
issues the time and attention they deserve. Jurisdiction over these
issues often crosses over into other committees. I recognize the
importance of working with Members outside of our Committee to find
solutions to these issues.
It is no secret that farmers, ranchers, and rural communities
across the country are facing serious challenges. Rural communities
have barriers to health care and broadband. Commodity prices have been
on a roller coaster, and input costs are continually rising. Erratic
weather is destroying crops; and an unpredictable trade environment
adds another level of stress.
I'm looking forward to hearing from the Members today on the issues
impacting their constituents and their suggestions on how to address
those issues.
The Chairman. I recognize the Ranking Member.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. K. MICHAEL CONAWAY, A REPRESENTATIVE
IN CONGRESS FROM TEXAS
Mr. Conaway. Well thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate you
doing this. I appreciate our Members, both on and off the
Committee, taking the time to be here today, both to listen and
to share their thoughts on a host of issues under the
jurisdiction of this Committee.
We are witnessing difficult conditions in farm and ranch
country. I am grateful we have a new farm bill in place and a
President who constantly stands up for the very Americans who
provide our food and fiber.
Yesterday's announcements regarding an agreement on USMCA
is welcomed, despite its being long overdue. I appreciate the
hard work of both President Trump and Ambassador Lighthizer,
and look forward to the agreement's swift passage.
Thank you for doing this today, and I yield back.
The Chairman. I thank the gentleman. I welcome our
colleagues. We have a couple of them here at the table.
Before we recognize Ms. Spanberger, I would like to take
this opportunity to thank our Chief Counsel on the Democratic
side, Kellie Adesina, for her service. Friday is her last day
with the Committee. She has been with us for 10 years, and she
is moving on to bigger and better things.
She has done a great job for us, and we will miss her. But
we wish her all the best in her future endeavors.
So, with that, we will recognize the gentlelady from
Virginia, Ms. Spanberger, for 5 minutes, I guess.
STATEMENT OF HON. ABIGAIL DAVIS SPANBERGER, A REPRESENTATIVE IN
CONGRESS FROM VIRGINIA
Ms. Spanberger. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, Mr.
Ranking Member, and to my fellow colleagues. I appreciate the
opportunity to address fellow Members of the House Agriculture
Committee. I am proud to represent the people of central
Virginia in the U.S. House of Representatives. Our district is
home to more than 3,000 farms, and 96 percent of those farms
are family farms. Across our rural communities, crop and
livestock production remains a mainstay of our way of life, and
it binds families together across generations. These producers
are an extremely important part of our region's economy, and
their dedication is evident each and every day. As the saying
goes, ``They work in acres, not hours.''
Since coming to the House of Representatives, I have
listened firsthand to the concerns of our rural neighbors who
work, ``in acres''. I have heard clearly about the need to
focus on revitalizing our rural infrastructure, and I have
heard loud and clear the need to advance long-awaited reforms.
As Members of Congress, and of this Committee, we have an
opportunity to heed these calls and enact policies that can
create an environment for farmers and rural communities to
succeed. Today, I would like to use this opportunity to talk
about how reliable broadband, trade, labor, and technical
assistance complement one another to enable farmers and rural
communities to reach their potential.
During my conversations with constituents, whether over a
cup of coffee or on my farm tours, I have continued to hear a
similar refrain: The lack of high-speed broadband internet is
not being addressed swiftly enough. Limited broadband access
inhibits the ability of our farms and businesses to stay
competitive in an increasingly-connected economy.
While we have made improvements over the past few decades
in boosting high-speed internet access across rural America, we
haven't adequately addressed the need for new and expanded
broadband infrastructure, including in portions of central
Virginia. At the present moment, roughly \1/4\ of my district's
farms still do not have reliable access to the internet.
Today, I'd like to thank many of my colleagues on this
Committee for joining efforts I led this year to increase
funding for the USDA's ReConnect Program. From South Dakota to
South Carolina, we have demonstrated that there is indeed a
strong, bipartisan, and cross-country consensus on the top
priority of boosting rural broadband access.
And why is that? Well, fundamentally, we all recognize that
the issue of broadband connectivity is an issue of equal
opportunity. Increased access to internet means students can
complete their homework assignments, farmers can take full
advantage of precision ag tools, and seniors can access
telehealth services.
Essentially, by making sure our rural schools and
businesses are on the same playing field as urban and suburban
areas, high-speed internet serves as a great equalizer and
helps strengthen our communities across rural America.
And while we are discussing the need to work together on
issues that can keep our farms competitive, there are few areas
where farmers, cattlemen, poultry producers, and agribusinesses
agree on more than on the issue of trade.
At a time of heightened market volatility and fluctuating
farm income levels, our ag producers need unwavering market
access when it comes to trade with our partners in Canada and
Mexico. Canada and Mexico are two of Virginia's largest trading
partners, and throughout my first year in office, I have heard
farmers describe the need to protect these critical
relationships. We need to advance a USMCA that can protect
these relationships, expand access to North American markets,
and actively advance economic interests of U.S. businesses and
workers. And I am glad that we will finally be getting this
done.
As House negotiators, the Administration, and U.S. Trade
Representative Lighthizer work out the very final stages, I
hope all Members of Congress will understand that American
agriculture is closely watching this situation. Our
constituents are closely watching this situation, and the work
that we are about to undertake.
I would also like to use this time to discuss the need for
additional reforms to our immigration system, which directly
impacts our country's producers. We will vote on the Farm
Workforce Modernization Act on the floor of the House of
Representatives. This legislation, which I helped introduce
with a bipartisan group of colleagues, would provide necessary
changes to our immigration system and the H-2A program as we
look to stabilize our farm workforce. Right now, my district
ranks first in the Commonwealth for annual greenhouse sales,
and clearly, horticulture is a key component of our district's
rural community and economy, and I have made a point to
personally visit with our greenhouse operators and hear
directly about the challenges that they face. Among their
concerns continues to be the need for labor certainty.
Greenhouses, like dairy farms, need year-round labor, not just
extra hands during planting and harvest months. The Farm
Workforce Modernization Act would enact a major reform. It
would create a new, year-round guestworker program, and these
changes are enthusiastically supported by my district's
greenhouses and dairy producers. The bill is the result of
bipartisan, months-long negotiations with a broad range of
parties and stakeholders. It is an example of how working
across the aisle, in good faith, can lead to actual reforms of
our nation's broken immigration system, and can help address
the labor needs of U.S. businesses without undercutting
American workers.
I thank you all for your time. I thank you for your
attention to what is most important across our rural
communities. And as a representative of central Virginia of
many, many farmers and producers, it is so important that we as
Members of this Committee continue to advocate for the needs of
rural America, the needs of our farmers and producers, and the
needs of our economies in these communities.
Thank you very much, and I yield back, Mr. Chairman.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Spanberger follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Abigail Davis Spanberger, a Representative
in Congress from Virginia
Revitalization & Reform: Building a Long-Term Future for the Rural
Economy
Good morning, and thank you for providing me with the opportunity
to address my fellow Members of the House Agriculture Committee.
I am proud to represent the people of Central Virginia in the U.S.
House. Our district is home to more than 3,000 farms--and 96 percent of
those farms are family farms. Across our rural communities, crop and
livestock production remains a mainstay of our way of life--and it
binds families together across generations. These producers are an
extremely important part of our region's economy, and their dedication
is evident each and every day--as the saying goes, ``They work in
acres, not hours.''
Since coming to the House of Representatives, I've listened
firsthand to the concerns of our rural neighbors who work in acres.
I've heard clearly about the need to focus on revitalizing our
rural infrastructure--and I've heard loud and clear the need to advance
long-awaited reforms. As Members of Congress and of this Committee, we
have an opportunity to heed these calls and enact policies that can
create an environment for farmers and rural communities to succeed.
Today, I would like to use this opportunity to talk about how reliable
broadband, trade, labor, and technical assistance complement one
another to enable farmers and rural communities to reach their
potential.
During my conversations--whether over a cup of coffee or on my 2
day Farm Tour, I've continued to hear a similar refrain: The lack of
high-speed broadband internet is not being addressed swiftly enough.
Limited broadband access inhibits the ability of our farms and
businesses to stay competitive in an increasingly-connected economy.
While we've made improvements over the past few decades in boosting
high-speed internet access across rural America, we haven't adequately
addressed the need for new and expanded broadband infrastructure--
including in portions of Central Virginia. At the present moment,
roughly \1/4\ of my district's farms still do not have reliable access
to the internet.
Today, I'd like to thank many of my colleagues on this Committee
for joining efforts I've led this year to increase funding for the
USDA's Reconnect Program.
From South Dakota to South Carolina, we've demonstrated that there
is indeed a strong, bipartisan, and cross-country consensus on the top
priority of boosting rural broadband access.
And why is that? Well, fundamentally, we all recognize that the
issue of broadband connectivity is an issue of equal opportunity.
Increased access to the internet means students can complete their
homework assignments, farmers can take full advantage of precision ag
tools, and seniors can access telehealth services.
Essentially, by making sure our rural schools and businesses are on
the same playing field as urban and suburban areas, high-speed internet
serves as a great equalizer.
And while we're discussing the need to work together on issues that
can keep our farms competitive, there are few areas where farmers,
cattlemen, poultry producers, and agribusinesses agree more than on the
issue of trade.
At a time of heightened market volatility and fluctuating farm
income levels, our ag producers need unwavering market access when it
comes to trade with our partners in Canada and Mexico.
Canada and Mexico are two of Virginia's largest trading partners,
and throughout my first year in office, I've heard farmers describe the
need to protect these critical trading relationships.
We need to advance a USMCA that can protect these relationships,
expand access to North American markets, and actively advance the
economic interests of U.S. businesses and workers. As I've said before,
we need to get this done.
Just last week, I joined five of my colleagues in a bipartisan
meeting with Vice President Pence to discuss the status of USMCA
negotiations.
As House negotiators, the Administration, and U.S. Trade
Representative Lighthizer work out the final stages of this agreement,
I hope all Members of the Committee will understand that American
agriculture is closely watching this situation--and that includes
family farms and producers in my district. They understand the need for
reforms to NAFTA, and they've been patiently waiting.
I'd also like to use this time to discuss the need for additional
reforms to our immigration system, which directly affects our country's
producers.
Today, we will vote on the Farm Workforce Modernization Act on the
floor of the House. This legislation, which I helped introduce with a
bipartisan group of my colleagues, would provide necessary changes to
our immigration system and the H-2A program as we look to stabilize our
farm workforce.
Right now, my district ranks first in the Commonwealth for annual
greenhouse sales.
Clearly, horticulture is a key component of our district's rural
economy, and I've made a point to personally visit with our greenhouse
operators and hear directly about the challenges they face.
Among their concerns continues to be the need for labor certainty.
Greenhouses--much like dairy farms--need year-round labor, not just
extra hands during planting and harvest months.
The Farm Workforce Modernization Act would enact a major reform--it
would create a new, year-round guest worker program. These changes are
enthusiastically supported by my district's greenhouses and dairy
producers.
This bill is the result of bipartisan, months-long negotiations
with a broad range of parties.
It's an example of how working across the aisle--in good faith--can
lead to actual reforms of our nation's broken immigration system and
can help address the labor needs of U.S. businesses without
undercutting American workers.
In my role as the Chair of the Conservation and Forestry
Subcommittee and as I visit with central Virginian producers, I have
also seen the important role that technical assistance plays in terms
of improving farmers' profitability and resilience.
Whether the guidance comes from the Natural Resources Conservation
Service, conservation districts, extensions, peer farmers, or others,
this engagement is invaluable and is a key reason as to why American
agriculture excels and innovates at every turn.
Agriculture remains Virginia's number one sector, and with improved
infrastructure and much-needed reforms and technical assistance, we can
plant the seeds to ensure its long-term success in that position.
By making investments in rural infrastructure and providing
technical assistance to farmers, our rural areas can support family
farms, recruit new workers, and innovate for the future.
And by protecting the existing workforce and expanding existing
trade relationships, we can give farm workers and businesses the
certainty they need.
Thank you.
The Chairman. I thank the gentlelady.
I would like to warn the folks that I am going to recognize
people as they come in, and so Mr. Malinowski and Mr. Case, you
kind of came in together. I think he was ahead of you in coming
in the door. We next recognize the gentleman from Virginia, Mr.
Cline, for 5 minutes.
STATEMENT OF HON. BEN CLINE, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM
VIRGINIA
Mr. Cline. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Conaway,
Members of the Committee. I appreciate the opportunity to
testify today as the Agriculture Committee continues its work
to ensure the success of rural America and our nation's
farmers.
Agriculture is by far the largest industry in the district
that I represent in Virginia, the 6th Congressional District,
represented by my former predecessor, former Agriculture
Committee Chairman, Bob Goodlatte. In 2017, my district
produced nearly $1.5 billion worth of agricultural goods which
accounted for 37 percent of Virginia's agriculture sales alone.
Any change in Federal policy impacting agriculture has a direct
and dramatic effect on the families and businesses that I
represent.
Since being elected to Congress last year, I have made it a
priority to work on behalf of the many farmers and
agribusinesses in the district. Earlier this fall, I had the
honor of hosting the distinguished Ranking Member on a farm
tour in the district. I was able to show him firsthand the
vibrant agricultural economy we have in Virginia and meet the
hardworking men and women who get up every day to put food on
our tables.
As the Committee continues to oversee the implementation of
the 2018 Farm Bill, I know you will work to see that the
Department of Agriculture continues to implement this landmark
legislation as Congress intended. A provision important to my
constituents in the poultry industry is the National Animal
Disease Preparedness and Response Program, which will help
provide the tools and resources needed to prevent and respond
to outbreaks of disease. It is paramount that the Committee
continues to advance policies that ensure the stability and
safety of our nation's food supply.
Furthermore, I encourage the Committee to advance
legislation and promote policies that reduce the many
regulatory burdens our farmers face so that they can continue
to run their businesses without unnecessary red tape
interfering in their operations. With the recent repeal of the
2015 Waters of the U.S. rule, farmers are finally seeing relief
from overreaching regulations forced upon them by Washington,
and as legislators, we should be cognizant of yielding future
authority to Federal agencies.
I have also heard from many of my constituents about the
critical importance of reliable and affordable high-speed
internet. The agriculture industry is heavily reliant on
cutting-edge technology, and we must continue to invest in our
infrastructure to ensure that rural America is able to thrive.
Additionally, with the legalization of hemp production in
the farm bill, farmers in Virginia have started to grow and
explore the market potential of this new commodity. Virginia's
fertile farmland is ideal for hemp cultivation. In 2019, nearly
1,000 farmers registered with the Virginia Department of
Agriculture and Consumer Services to grow more than 8,500 acres
of hemp. I encourage this Committee to continue its work to
ensure farmers have every opportunity to take advantage of this
new crop and have access to crop insurance. It is vital that
USDA implement a Federal Yield-Based Industrial Hemp Crop
Insurance Program.
Earlier this year, I worked alongside my colleagues to
ensure Virginia's inclusion in an upcoming hemp crop insurance
pilot program. Congress must ensure all of America's farmers
are able to protect their investments with a level of certainty
just like any other commodity grown in our great nation.
Furthermore, as the Committee continues its oversight of
USDA's implementation of the U.S. Domestic Hemp Production
Program, we must ensure that the policies put in place are
workable for farmers and do not add obstacles to the production
of this new crop. USDA's interim final rule creates a process
for testing hemp; however, there are valid concerns that the
proposed requirements, along with the limited number of DEA
registered testing facilities, could present challenges, and as
a result, farmers may be delayed in getting their product to
market on time. Congress should also encourage USDA to
implement a rule that takes into account the realities farmers
will face if they have several fields maturing at different
times by increasing the allowed 15 day turnaround time
currently planned for sampling.
Finally, it is important that Congress continues to look at
ways to advance and increase domestic and international market
access for beef, timber, poultry, dairy, and other commodities
so that our farmers and ranchers are financially stable for
generations to come. Now that we are on the brink of voting on
the USMCA, I encourage all Members to support this important
agreement. USMCA has been one of the top priorities for the
agriculture industry in Virginia. U.S. agriculture exports are
expected to increase by over $2 billion annually as a result of
this agreement, and expanding market access for producers in my
district is critical to the long-term success of the family
farms I represent.
Thank you again for the opportunity to be with you today,
and I look forward to working with this Committee as it works
to ensure the success of our nation's farmers and address the
needs of rural Americans.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Cline follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Ben Cline, a Representative in Congress from
Virginia
Chairman Peterson and Ranking Member Conaway, thank you for the
opportunity to testify today as the Agriculture Committee continues its
work to ensure the success of rural America and our nation's farmers.
Agriculture is by far the largest industry in the district that I
represent in Virginia. In 2017, my district produced nearly $1.5
billion worth of agricultural goods which accounted for 37 percent of
Virginia's agriculture sales alone. Any change in Federal policy
impacting agriculture has a direct and dramatic effect on the families
and businesses that I represent.
Since being elected to Congress I have made it a priority to work
on behalf of the many farmers and agribusinesses that I represent.
Earlier this fall, I had the honor of hosting the distinguished Ranking
Member on a farm tour in my district. I was able to show him firsthand
the vibrant agricultural economy we have in Virginia and meet the
hardworking men and women who get up every day to put food on our
tables.
As the Committee continues to oversee the implementation of the
2018 Farm Bill, I know you will work to see that the Department of
Agriculture continues to implement this landmark legislation as
Congress intended. A provision important to my constituents in the
poultry industry is the National Animal Disease Preparedness and
Response Program, which will help provide the tools and resources
needed to prevent and respond to outbreaks of disease. It is paramount
that the Committee continues to advance policies that ensure the
stability and safety of our nation's food supply.
Furthermore, I encourage the Committee to advance legislation that
reduces the many regulatory burdens our farmers face so that they can
continue to operate their businesses without unnecessary red tape
interfering in their operations. It is also important that Congress
continues to look at ways to advance and increase domestic and
international market access for beef, timber, poultry, dairy and other
commodities so that our farmers and ranchers are financially stable for
generations to come.
I have also heard from many of my constituents about the critical
importance of reliable and affordable high-speed internet. The
agriculture industry is heavily reliant on cutting edge technology and
we must continue to invest in our infrastructure to ensure that rural
America is able to thrive.
Finally, with the legalization of hemp production in the farm bill,
farmers in Virginia have started to grow and explore the market
potential of this new commodity. Virginia's fertile farmland is ideal
for hemp cultivation. In 2019, nearly 1,000 farmers registered with the
Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to grow more
than 8,500 acres of hemp. I encourage this Committee to continue its
work to ensure farmers have every opportunity to take advantage of this
new crop and have access to crop insurance. It is vital that USDA
implement a Federal Yield-Based Industrial Hemp Crop Insurance Program.
Earlier this year, I worked alongside my colleagues to ensure
Virginia's inclusion in an upcoming hemp crop insurance pilot program.
Congress must ensure all of America's farmers are able to protect their
investments with a level of certainty just like any other commodity
grown in our great nation.
Thank you again for the opportunity to be here today, and I look
forward to working with this Committee as it works to ensure the
success of our nation's farmers and address the needs of rural
Americans.
The Chairman. I thank the gentleman for his input, and we
now recognize the gentleman from New Jersey, Mr. Malinowski,
for 5 minutes.
STATEMENT OF HON. TOM MALINOWSKI, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS
FROM NEW JERSEY
Mr. Malinowski. Thank you, Chairman Peterson and Ranking
Member Conaway, thanks for the opportunity to testify before
you today on behalf of my constituents in New Jersey's 7th
District.
There are upwards of 10,000 farm operations in New Jersey.
We are among the nation's leading producers of blueberries,
cranberries, peaches, squash, cucumbers, peppers, and more. We
have a particularly dynamic and vibrant agricultural sector in
the 7th District. Our farms sold more than $130 million worth
of products in 2017 alone, and according to the Organic Trade
Organization, we have more organic operations in the 7th
District than in any other in New Jersey. We are truly lucky to
have the farmers' markets, the vineyards, the family farms that
we do. They define the character of much of my district and I
am proud to represent them in Washington.
In my almost 1 year in this job, I have had the opportunity
to visit a number of these farmers and growers to hear directly
from them. I want to give a shout-out to a few, to Alstede
Farms and the Stony Hill Farm Market in Chester, New Jersey;
Ashley's Farms in Flanders; Snowbird Farms in Long Valley;
Clucas Farms in Califon; The Beneduce Vineyard in Snyder;
Research and Extension Farm in Pittstown; the Copper Creek
Landscape and Nursery in Frenchtown, New Jersey. Every one of
these farms is different and their priorities can vary, but
there were a few recurring themes that I heard on my visits to
every farm in my district.
First and foremost, on labor, as you know, there is
considerable frustration with the H-2A program as it is
currently administered. Too few workers and an overly
cumbersome application process are making it harder for our
farmers to access the experienced labor that they need. And I
have to say, talking to farmers in my district, you really get
the sense of the disconnect between the debate on immigration
that we have in Washington and the reality that our
constituents experience. If we are going to be realistic, we
have a choice here. We can go on as we have with an unstated
but very real policy in which we, as Americans, as consumers,
as producers, pay people to come to this country, including to
work on farms, and then take their kids at the border if they
try. Or we can do what Republicans and Democrats tried to do
with near success a few years ago and to try to craft
legislation that is going to enforce our immigration laws, but
to treat people here like human beings. I am happy to see that
the bipartisan Farm Workforce Modernization Act does that. It
hews to that principle and addresses a lot of the challenges
that I have heard from farmers in my district, and I very much
look forward to voting for it later today.
Next on trade, our farmers don't want last-minute bailout
checks from the government. They want to sell the products they
have devoted their lives to growing. This Administration's
habit of starting trade wars without the allies we need to win
them, or a strategy for winning them, is putting many of
America's farmers at risk, including the soybean growers in my
district who have seen the China market dry up as a result of
the President's ``shoot first, aim later'' approach.
Finally, on climate, unpredictable and extreme weather
events pose grave risks to farmers' livelihoods. Last year was
particularly wet in northern New Jersey, which led to
significant crop loss and other challenges for farmers and
growers. We need bold action to confront climate change for a
whole host of reasons. Protecting our farmers' harvests is one
of them.
I want to close briefly by highlighting the important
farmland preservation work happening throughout my district,
including in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, where more than 400
farms have been preserved since 1985. More than in any other
county in my state. These farms provide fresh produce to local
communities; they are tourist attractions; they are an integral
part of the history and identity of this beautiful part of the
state that I am privileged to represent. Preservation prevents
these farms from being lost forever, and ensures they can
continue to contribute to our economy. Hunterdon County is
leading the way in our state when it comes to farmland
preservation.
I look forward to working with Members of this Committee to
ensure that USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service, the
county's Federal partner in these preservation efforts, is well
funded into the future.
Once again, thank you, Mr. Chairman, for the opportunity to
testify, for all of your efforts to help our farmers. I look
forward to working with you.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Malinowski follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Tom Malinowski, a Representative in Congress
from New Jersey
Chairman Peterson and Ranking Member Conaway, thank you for the
opportunity to testify today on behalf of my constituents in New
Jersey's 7th district.
There are upwards of 10,000 farm operations in New Jersey and
750,000 acres of productive farmland. We are among the nation's leading
producers of blueberries, cranberries, peaches, squash, cucumbers,
peppers, and more.
We have a particularly dynamic and vibrant agricultural sector in
the 7th district--our farms sold more than $130 million worth of
products in 2017 alone. And according to the Organic Trade Association,
we have more organic operations in the 7th district than any other
Congressional district in the state.
We're truly lucky to have the farmers' markets, vineyards, and
family farms that we do--they are central to the character of our
district and I'm proud to represent them here in Washington.
In August, I had the chance to visit with a number of these farmers
and growers--to hear directly from them about their successes, their
challenges, and about how we in Washington can be most helpful.
I was able to visit:
Alstede Farms and the Stony Hill Farm Market in Chester;
Ashley's Farms in Flanders;
Snowbird Farms in Long Valley;
Clucas Farms in Califon;
The Beneduce Vineyard and Snyder Research and Extension Farm
in Pittstown; and
The Copper Creek Landscape and Nursery in Frenchtown.
Every farm is different and priorities can vary, but there were a
few recurring themes I heard during my various visits.
First and foremost, on labor, as you know, there is
considerable frustration with the H-2A program as it's
currently administered. Too few workers and an overly
cumbersome application process are making it harder for our
farmers to access the experienced labor they need. I'm pleased
to see that the bipartisan Farm Workforce Modernization Act
addresses several of the challenges identified by both farm and
labor interests, and I look forward to voting in favor of this
legislation later today.
Next, on trade, our farmers don't want last-minute bailout
checks from the government to stay afloat. They want to sell
the products they've devoted their lives to growing. This
Administration's habit of starting unilateral trade wars is
putting America's farmers at risk, including the soybean
growers in my district who have seen the China market dry up as
a result of the President's 'shoot first, aim later' approach
to negotiations. We need to expand market access for our
farmers--the best in the world--not cut it off.
And finally, on climate, unpredictable and extreme weather
events pose grave risks to farmers' livelihoods. Last year was
particularly wet in northern New Jersey, which led to
significant crop loss and other challenges for farmers and
growers. We need bold action to confront climate change for a
whole host of reasons--protecting our farmers' harvests is one
of them.
I want to close by highlighting the important farmland preservation
work happening throughout my district, including in Hunterdon County,
where more than 400 farms have been preserved since 1985--more than in
any other county in the state.
These farms provide fresh produce to local communities; they are
popular tourist attractions for the region; and they are an integral
part of the history and identity of this beautiful part of the state
that I am privileged to represent.
Preservation prevents these farms from being lost forever--replaced
by new development--and ensures that they can continue to contribute to
the rural economy as they have for generations.
Hunterdon County is leading the way in the state when it comes to
farmland preservation, and I commend them for their efforts. I look
forward to working with Members of this Committee to ensure that USDA's
Natural Resources Conservation Service, the county's Federal partner in
their preservation efforts, is well-funded into the future.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for the opportunity to testify today and
for all of your efforts to empower America's farmers to succeed. And
thank you to the farmers and growers in my district who have shown
themselves to be remarkably resilient amid challenging circumstances.
The Chairman. I thank the gentleman. Thank you very much
for your statement and input.
I now recognize the gentleman from Hawaii who used to be a
Member of this Committee when he was here in a former service,
and we welcome you back, Mr. Case.
STATEMENT OF HON. ED CASE, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM
HAWAII
Mr. Case. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member, and
Members of the Committee.
Yes, as a proud former Member of the House Agriculture
Committee from 2003 to 2006, I appreciate your allowing me to
share my thoughts on issues important to our agricultural
community, both nationally and in my home State of Hawaii.
It was just as true then as it is today that American
agriculture doesn't much care about partisanship and is, in
fact, a unifier across our nation. As you may remember from my
prior service, one of the key agricultural issues facing my
home State of Hawaii is invasive species and diseases.
Invasives are a major issue throughout our country, but
especially in Hawaii and other isolated areas where, because of
our unique ecosystems, natural resources and agricultural
crops, they have devastating effects requiring extraordinary
prevention and mitigation actions.
Hawaii is the most isolated island chain and one of the
most ecologically diverse places in our world. Plants and
animals that found their way to Hawaii evolved to thrive in
this isolated ecosystem. In fact, a 2014 survey identified
fully 9,975 endemic species in Hawaii. These unique
circumstances have also given rise to one of our nation's most
diverse and productive agricultural communities. With
ecosystems ranging from desert to tropical and with a year-
round growing cycle, our crops have ranged throughout our
history from the highest quality sugar and pineapple and cattle
to tropical specialty crops like fruit and cut flowers in the
highest demand worldwide.
Yet, it is exactly because these crops, like our natural
resources, have adapted to Hawaii's uniqueness that they are
the most susceptible to devastation from external species
against which they have no natural defenses. I sought to crack
down on a lax regime to prevent and curb invasives with my
introduction in 2005 of H.R. 3468, the Hawaii Invasive Species
Act, modeled after New Zealand and other isolated jurisdictions
with then, like now, the most stringent invasive species
prevention regimes in the world.
Since then, the consequences to Hawaii of insufficient
invasive species prevention have worsened materially. For
example, 195 new invasive species have been introduced to
Hawaii since then. This accelerating negative effect on our
environment and loss of biodiversity is, of course, a major
concern from not just a natural resources perspective but
agricultural. In fact, invasive species have drastically
impacted agriculture in Hawaii, threatening some of the
island's most valuable crops in the state's third-largest
industry.
As just a few examples, the coffee berry borer, which was
discovered in Kona in 2010, now infects all of the coffee
growing islands in Hawaii except Kaua`i. Hawaii's third most
valuable crop, the macadamia nut, is under threat from the
macadamia felted coccid, which substantially reduces macadamia
nut tree yields. Increased research, eradication and quarantine
dollars are needed to mitigate these invasive pests and prevent
other pests and diseases like the coffee tree rust from
entering the state.
I especially want to thank this Committee for including the
Macadamia Tree Health Initiative in last year's farm bill and
for your continued support for the Coffee Plant Health
Initiative and tropical and subtropical agricultural research.
These critical initiatives provide research and extension
grants and research support to crops that are vital to Hawaii's
agriculture. I will soon introduce an updated and strengthened
version of my Hawaii Invasive Species Prevention Act. I would
deeply appreciate this Committee's careful consideration of my
proposal, given the unique challenges we face in preventing and
controlling invasives and the severe negative consequences to
Hawaii from failing to do so.
In addition to invasive species, I want to urge the
Committee to continue its great work on specialty crops,
sustainability programs, conservation programs and rural
housing. When I previously served on the Agriculture Committee,
most of Hawaii's unique crops were not covered by crop
insurance, but through efforts by me and my then, and later,
colleagues and the sustained support of this Committee, crop
insurance now covers more than 130 crops. USDA conservation
programs have been an essential component in helping local
Hawaii products become more sustainable. USDA rural development
programs have helped address Hawaii's housing crisis in our
farming communities. These programs have proven themselves in
Hawaii as they have elsewhere throughout our country.
In closing, thank you very much for your leadership in
helping our nation's agricultural producers, and for your
consideration of my Hawaii's unique invasive species and
agricultural and rural development needs. Mahalo.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Case follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Ed Case, a Representative in Congress from
Hawaii
Chairman Peterson, Ranking Member Conaway, and Members of the
Agriculture Committee:
As a former Member of the House Committee on Agriculture from 2003
through 2006, I appreciate your allowing me to share my thoughts on
issues important to our agricultural community both nationally and in
my home state of Hawai`i. It was just as true then as it is today that
American agriculture doesn't much care about partisanship and in fact
is a unifier across our nation.
As you may remember from my prior service, one of the key
agricultural issues facing my home state of Hawai`i is invasive species
and diseases. Invasives are a major issue throughout our country, but
especially in Hawai`i and other isolated areas where, because of our
unique ecosystems, natural resources and agricultural crops, they have
devastating effect requiring extraordinary prevention and mitigation
actions.
Hawai`i is the most isolated island chain and one of the most
ecologically diverse places in our world. Hawai`i is 2,282 miles from
the continental United States, 2,952 miles from Japan and 4,772 miles
from Washington, D.C. Plants and animals that found their way to
Hawai`i evolved to thrive in this isolated ecosystem. A 2014 survey
identified 9,975 endemic species in Hawai`i. These species include the
Hawaiian scarlet honeycreeper, the `I`iwi; the flowering evergreen, the
`ohi`a lehua; and the state bird of Hawai`i, the nene.
Hawai`i's unique circumstances also have given rise to one of our
nation's most diverse and productive agricultural communities. With
ecosystems ranging from desert to tropical and with a year-round
growing cycle, our crops have ranged throughout our history from the
highest quality sugar and pineapple and cattle to tropical specialty
crops like fruit and cut flowers in the highest demand worldwide.
Yet, it is exactly because these crops like our natural resources
have adapted to Hawai`i's uniqueness that they are the most susceptible
to devastation from external species against which they have no natural
defenses. I sought to crack down on a lax regime to prevent and curb
invasives with my introduction in 2005 of H.R. 3468, the Hawai`i
Invasive Species Prevention Act, modeled after New Zealand and other
isolated jurisdictions with then like now the most stringent invasive
species prevention regimes in the world.
Since then, the consequences to Hawai`i of insufficient invasive
species prevention have worsened materially. For example, 195 new
invasive species have been introduced to Hawai`i. These have only added
to Hawaii's unfortunately warranted description as the extinction
capital of the world. Although we will never know the true number of
species that have gone extinct in Hawai`i, in the last 200 years, 28
bird, 72 snail, 74 insect and 97 plant species have gone extinct, and
of the 1,274 listed endangered species of animals and plants, 502 are
from Hawaii. The state has nearly 40% of the nation's endangered
species. Additionally, another 15 are listed as threatened in Hawai`i.
This accelerating negative effect on our environment and loss of
biodiversity is of course a major concern from not just a natural
resources perspective but agricultural. In fact, invasive species have
drastically impacted agriculture in Hawai`i, threatening some of the
island's most valuable crops in the state's third-largest industry.
As just a few examples, the coffee berry borer, which was
discovered in Kona in 2010, now infects all of the coffee growing
islands in Hawai`i except Kaua`i. The coffee berry borer can cause
yield losses of between 30 and 35 percent and affects the quality of
the coffee beans, directly impacting the income of growers.
Hawai`i's third most valuable crop, the macadamia nut, is under
threat from the macadamia felted coccid. Macadamia Felted Coccid has
been found in all of Hawai`i Island's prime macadamia growing regions.
The felted coccid reduces macadamia tree output by draining nutrients
from the tree. Invasive species coupled with increased rain led to a 22
percent decline in the macadamia nut harvest this year compared to last
year. Increased research, eradication and quarantine dollars are needed
to mitigate these invasive pests and prevent other pests and diseases
like the coffee leaf rust from entering the state. I especially want to
thank this Committee for including the Macadamia Tree Health Initiative
in last year's farm bill and for your continued support for the Coffee
Plant Health Initiative and tropical and subtropical research. These
critical initiatives provide research and extension grants and research
support to crops that are vital to Hawai`i agriculture.
I will soon introduce an updated and strengthened version of my
Hawai`i Invasive Species Act. I would deeply appreciate this
Committee's careful consideration of my proposal given the unique
challenges we face in preventing and controlling invasives and the
severe negative consequences to Hawai`i from failing to do so.
In addition to invasive species, I want to urge the Committee to
continue its great work on specialty crops, sustainability programs,
conservation programs and rural housing. When I previously served on
the Agriculture Committee, most of Hawai`i unique crops were not
covered by crop insurance, but through efforts by me and my then and
later colleagues and the sustained support of this Committee, crop
insurance now covers more than 130 crops. USDA conservation programs
have been an essential component in helping local Hawai`i products
become more sustainable. USDA rural development programs have helped
address Hawai`i's housing crisis in our farming communities. These
programs have proven themselves in Hawai`i as they have elsewhere
throughout our country,
In closing, thank you for your leadership in helping our nation's
agricultural producers and for your consideration of Hawai`i's unique
invasive species and agricultural and rural development needs.
The Chairman. I thank the gentleman for his input, and we
appreciate that.
We now welcome the gentlelady from the District of Columbia
who is--I have a note--was one of my colleagues in our class of
1991. There are only a few of us left. Eleanor Holmes Norton.
STATEMENT OF HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON, A DELEGATE IN CONGRESS
FROM DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Ms. Norton. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. You and I may be the
only survivors from that class. I very much appreciate,
Chairman Peterson and Ranking Member Conaway, the opportunity
to testify this morning on H.R. 4885, the McIntire-Stennis Act.
I call it the McIntire-Stennis District of Columbia Equality
Act, which would amend the McIntire-Stennis Cooperative
Forestry Act to make the District, your Nation's Capitol,
eligible for funding. The District is treated as a state for
Federal programs with very, very few exceptions, most of them
simply oversights or failures to update. The exclusion of the
District from the Act appears to have been just that, an
oversight. As I shall explain presently, my bill would rectify
the exclusion of the District from the Act, ensuring equitable
treatment for the District and allowing the District to benefit
from the funding opportunities available under the Act,
competitively, of course.
The Act provides U.S. states and territories with formula
funds as well to support state-designated institutions'
cooperative forestry research programs. The Act defines state
to include Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Guam. The
District's notable, but faulty, absence from the definition
makes it ineligible for funds that would support research at
the District's state-supported university, the University of
the District of Columbia. UDC's College of Agriculture, Urban
Stability, and Environmental Science complements the District's
ongoing forestry efforts. UDC is the nation's only urban land-
grant university.
We appreciate that Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, and Guam
are included under the definition of state, even though unlike
District residents, their residents do not pay Federal income
taxes. It would be particularly troubling if the District,
whose residents pay the highest per capita Federal taxes in the
United States, which support farm and other programs, continue
to be excluded.
It has been argued that the District should be excluded
because of the lack of local timber production. However, the
Act says, and here I am quoting, ``in making such
apportionments, consideration shall be given to pertinent
factors including'' local timber production. Including is the
operative word there. Proximity to timber is, therefore, only
one in a non-exclusive list of factors that is part of the
larger analysis regarding apportionments. Excluding the
District from the definition of state merely because it is not
located in an area with a timber industry runs counter to the
clear intent of the Act. While timber production can be a
factor in determining the amount of state allocations, there is
no reason that the District should be excluded from the Act.
Moreover, UDC would particularly benefit from funding from
the Act. The goal of the Act goes well beyond providing money
to study timber production, and UDC's position as the nation's
only urban land-grant university would make it especially well-
qualified for funding under this Act. With increased
urbanization in the United States, it is more important than
ever that urban areas also deal with unique issues related to
urban forestry and maintaining native ecosystems, and UDC is
helping lead that charge.
For example, UDC has an Urban Gardening and Forestry
Outreach Program that provides District residents with
information on the benefits of the city's many trees--this is,
above all, a tree city--and the natural resources trees
provide. As UDC notes on its website describing this particular
program, ``District residents are educated about tree care,
forestry niche crops, and the invasive species that threaten
the ecosystem.'' Moreover, this program provides education
materials, does demonstrations and workshops, provides
technical assistance to interested parties, and conducts site
visits and consultations. As urban areas face increasing
environmental stress, it is more important than ever that our
universities study matters, such as how urban forests and trees
can help with flood mitigation and water absorption. UDC
already works with the District to help reintroduce native
species into Rock Creek Park, including trees that are part of
larger forestry restoration efforts. It is important to avoid
stereotypes about jurisdictions that could be deprived of
funding for which they would otherwise quality. It is
unconscionable for UDC to be unable to get funding under the
Act for its forestry programs simply because of its location in
the Nation's Capitol.
We believe, therefore, that the exclusion of the District
must have been the result of an oversight during the original
drafting of the Act; however, as you can imagine--and I don't
believe I was here at the time--this exclusion has serious
consequences for the District, rendering UDC ineligible for
these funds. Passage of my bill would allow students and
researchers in the Nation's Capitol to take part in this
important forestry program.
Again, Chairman Peterson, I appreciate your allowing me to
testify today, and I look forward to working with you to enact
this bill.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Norton follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Eleanor Holmes Norton, a Delegate in
Congress from District of Columbia
Chairman Peterson and Ranking Member Conaway, I am pleased to
testify on H.R. 4885, the McIntire-Stennis Act District of Columbia
Equality Act, which would amend the McIntire-Stennis Cooperative
Forestry Act (Act) to make the District of Columbia eligible for
funding. The District is treated as a state for Federal programs, with
very few exceptions, most of them simply oversights or failures to
update. The exclusion of the District from the Act appears to have been
an oversight, as I shall explain presently. My bill would rectify the
exclusion of the District from the Act, ensuring equitable treatment
for the District and allowing the District to benefit from the funding
opportunities available under the Act.
The Act provides U.S. states and territories with formula funds to
support state-designated institutions' cooperative forestry research
programs. The Act defines ``state'' to include Puerto Rico, the Virgin
Islands, and Guam. The District's notable, but faulty, absence from
this definition makes it ineligible for funds that would support
research at the District's state-supported university, the University
of the District of Columbia (UDC). UDC's College of Agriculture, Urban
Stability, and Environmental Science complements the District's ongoing
forestry efforts. UDC is the nation's only urban land-grant university.
We appreciate that Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Guam are
included under the definition of ``state,'' even though, unlike
District residents, their residents do not pay Federal income taxes. It
would be particularly troubling if the District, whose residents pay
the highest per capita Federal taxes, which support farm and other
Federal programs, continued to be excluded.
It has been argued that the District should be excluded because of
its lack of local timber production. However, the Act says, ``[i]n
making such apportionments, consideration shall be given to pertinent
factors including'' local timber production. Proximity to timber is,
therefore, only one in a non-exclusive list of factors that is part of
the larger analysis regarding the apportionments. Excluding the
District from the definition of ``state'' merely because it is not
located in an area with a timber industry runs counter to the intent of
the Act. While timber production can be a factor in determining the
amount of state allocations, there is no reason that the District
should be excluded from the Act.
Moreover, UDC would particularly benefit from funding from the Act.
The goal of the Act goes well beyond providing money to study timber
production, and UDC's position as the nation's only urban land-grant
university would make it especially well-qualified for funding under
this Act. With increased urbanization in the United States, it is more
important than ever that urban areas also deal with the unique issues
related to urban forestry and maintaining native ecosystems, and UDC is
helping lead the charge. For example, UDC has an Urban Gardening and
Forestry Outreach program that provides District residents with
information on the benefits of the city's many trees and the natural
resources trees provide. As UDC notes on its website describing this
particular program, ``[District] [r]esidents are educated about tree
care, forestry niche crops and the invasive species that threaten the
ecosystem.'' Moreover, this program provides education materials, does
demonstrations and workshops, provides technical assistance to
interested parties, and conducts site visits and consultations. As
urban areas face increasing environmental stress, it is more important
than ever that our universities study matters such as how urban forests
and trees can help with flood mitigation and water absorption. UDC
already works with the District to help reintroduce native species into
Rock Creek Park, including trees that are part of larger forest
restoration efforts. It is important to avoid stereotypes about
jurisdictions that could be deprived of funding for which they would
otherwise qualify. It is unconscionable that UDC cannot get funding
under the Act for its forestry programs simply because of its location
in the District.
We believe, therefore, that the exclusion of the District must have
been the result of an oversight during the original drafting of the
Act. However, as you can imagine, this exclusion has serious
consequences for the District, rendering UDC ineligible for these
funds. Passage of my bill would allow students and researchers in the
Nation's Capitol to take part in this important forestry program.
Again, I appreciate your allowing me to testify today, and I look
forward to working with you to enact this bill.
The Chairman. I thank the gentlelady, and we will take it
under advisement.
Ms. Norton. Thank you.
The Chairman. As I said earlier, we are recognizing people
as they enter the room, so next, Mr. Vela from Texas, then Mr.
Delgado would be next, Mr. Fitzpatrick, and then Mr. Van Drew.
So the gentleman from Texas, Mr. Vela.
STATEMENT OF HON. FILEMON VELA, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS
FROM TEXAS
Mr. Vela. Good morning, Chairman Peterson, Ranking Member
Conaway, and thank you for holding this hearing today.
I am here to speak on the importance of H.R. 4482, the
Protecting America's Food and Agriculture Act of 2019. This
bill will provide Customs and Border Protection the
authorization to hire agricultural specialists and technicians
to fill the deficit that their own resource application model
has determined is necessary to carry out inspections, as well
as authorization to add canine teams for these inspections.
Currently, according to CBP's resource allocation model,
there is a deficit of 695 agricultural specialists, and it will
authorize the hiring of up to 240 specialists a year until CBP
meets its workforce targets. On an average day, CBP processes
more than one million passengers and pedestrians; 358,000
incoming international air passengers; 81,000 truck, rail, and
seas containers; 90,000 shipments of goods approved for entry;
and $120 million in fees, duties, and tariffs at U.S. ports-of-
entry by land, sea, and air. On these days, they seize more
than 2,112 kilograms of drugs; 100 shipments; 4,370 prohibited
plant materials and/or animal products; and 319 agricultural
pests and diseases.
Agricultural specialists and technicians are the frontline
for preventing the entry of these illicit and invasive species.
These pests and diseases cause an estimated $120 billion in
economic damage to the United States, with more than \1/2\ of
that figure accounting for damages to the agricultural sector.
With the rising transmission of African Swine Fever across
Asia and Eastern Europe, the protection of our domestic swine
herds is imperative, and the expansion of our domestic
surveillance at ports of entry is critical to protecting our
hard-working pork producers. With estimated losses of over 300
million pigs in China due to African Swine Fever, increasing
detection and eradication of products contaminated with African
Swine Fever is imperative to prevent the devastation of our
domestic hog herds.
I urge my colleagues to support this legislation to protect
our domestic agricultural economy from the entrance of illegal
agricultural products. We need to be proactive instead of
reactive in defending our agricultural production and this bill
is a critical first step to protecting our nation's food and
agriculture.
Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Vela follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Filemon Vela, a Representative in Congress
from Texas
Good morning, Chairman Peterson and Ranking Member Conaway, and
thank you for holding this hearing today.
Today I stand to speak of the importance of my bill, HR 4482, the
Protecting America's Food and Agriculture Act of 2019. This bill will
provide CBP the authorization to hire Agricultural Specialists and
Technicians to fill the deficit that their own Resource Application
Model has determined is necessary to carry out inspections, as well as
authorization to add canine teams for these inspections. Currently,
according to CBP's Resource Allocation Model, there is a deficit of 695
Agricultural Specialists and this bill will authorize the hiring of up
to 240 specialists a year until CBP meets its workforce targets.
On an average day, CBP processes more than one million passengers
and pedestrians; 358,000 incoming international air passengers; 81,000
truck, rail, and seas containers; 90,000 shipments of goods approved
for entry; and $120 million in fees, duties, and tariffs at U.S. ports-
of-entr[y] by land, sea, and air. On these days, they seize more than
2,112 kilograms of drugs; 100 shipments; 4,370 prohibited plant
materials and/or animal products; and 319 agricultural pests and
diseases.
Agricultural Specialists and Technicians are the frontline for
preventing the entry of these illicit and invasive species. These pests
and diseases cause an estimated $120 billion in economic damage to the
U.S., with more than \1/2\ of that figure accounting for damages to the
agricultural sector.
With the rising transmission of African Swine Fever across Asia and
Eastern Europe, the protection of our domestic swine herds is
imperative, and the expansion of our domestic surveillance at ports of
entry is critical to protecting our hard-working pork producers. With
estimated losses of over 300 million pigs in China due to African Swine
Fever, increasing detection and eradication of products contaminated
with African Swine Fever is imperative to prevent the devastation of
our domestic hog herds.
I urge my colleagues to support this legislation to protect our
domestic agricultural economy from the entrance of illegal agricultural
products. We need to be proactive instead of reactive in defending our
agricultural production, and this bill is a critical first step to
protecting our nation's food and agriculture.
The Chairman. I thank the gentleman for his statement.
Now, Mr. Delgado, the gentleman from New York, you are
recognized for 5 minutes.
STATEMENT OF HON. ANTONIO DELGADO, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS
FROM NEW YORK
Mr. Delgado. Thank you, Chairman Peterson and Ranking
Member Conaway, for the opportunity to join you this morning.
I am pleased to be here on behalf of the nearly 5,000 small
farms and over 8,000 farm operators in my district, 96 percent
of which are family farms. We do not have big corporate farms
back home in upstate New York, which makes things challenging,
given how much of our Federal policy is geared towards
supporting the large-scale operations.
Indeed, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue has repeatedly
opined that the demise of the small family farm is inevitable.
I disagree. It is a choice. The choice is exactly why I sit
with you today. This past weekend, I joined the Schoharie
County Farm Bureau at Argus Acres farm where I met with several
dairy farmers operating across the county. They represent
generations of family farms. We cannot and will not choose to
leave these folks behind when crafting Federal policy.
Supporting our family farmers starts with pushing back against
group think supporting economies-of-scale rather than
economies-of-cooperation. Economies-of-cooperation ought to
guide our work to create inclusive policy that helps every
farmer get ahead. That means giving small family farmers the
tools to access increased market share, supporting the next
generation of farmers, equipping our farmers to respond to a
changing and challenging climate, and crafting legislation that
specifically combats monolithic agriculture policy that drowns
out the voices of family-owned farms.
A first step to addressing these headwinds facing small
farmers includes giving our farmers the increased flexibility
to reorganize their finances. To that end, I worked with
Chairman Peterson on legislation that will help farmers through
this challenging time for agriculture. The Family Farmer Relief
Act lifts the eligibility cap from $3 million to $10 million
for Chapter 12 bankruptcy filings, which allows small farmers
the flexibility to reorganize, restructure and repay their
debt. It passed the House and Senate earlier this year and was
signed by the President in August. This law is not a panacea,
but it certainly helps our farmers.
While it is important for our farmers to have increased
flexibility, I urge the Committee to better tailor our Federal
policy to support family-owned farms. This includes removing
barriers to success for the next generation of young farmers. I
have introduced the bipartisan Young Farmer Success Act, which
adds farmers and ranchers to the Public Service Loan
Forgiveness Program. This legislation, which is currently
moving as a part of the College Affordability Act, will be
voted on by the full House soon.
As we think about the future generations of farmers, we
must also consider the significant risks posed by climate
change. As farmers face unpredictable growing patterns, threats
to long-term soil health, and more severe, extreme weather
events, I urge the Committee to support tax credits and
incentives for climate-friendly practices, including carbon
sequestration.
Additionally, as a Committee, it is our duty to acknowledge
the significant headwinds facing dairy producers today,
including low prices and increased market consolidation, and
continue to fight for the interests of our small dairy farmers
and protect their ability to stay in business.
I am proud to support the bipartisan Whole Milk for Healthy
Kids Act of 2019, which allows schools in the School Lunch
Program to buy flavored and unflavored whole milk for students,
and the DAIRY PRIDE Act which combats mislabeling nondairy
products, are important incremental steps to bolster support
for our small dairy farms. I will continue to push to bring
more product from our local farmers into our public schools,
hospitals, and other more localized institutions. As we
consider future legislation to support our farmers and
specifically consider the plight of small farms, the policies
pursued by this Committee should not foster market
consolidation, but rather, serve as a check against it.
Our small farms are also feeling disproportionate impacts
from the President's scattershot trade policies. The United
States is now paying more to help our farmers deal with tariffs
than we did to bail out the auto industry during the great
recession, more than double.
The Administration's own attempts to combat these tariffs
continue to advantage big ag. For example, the Environmental
Working Group found that in the Administration's first round of
trade aid for farmers, more than \1/2\ of total payments went
to the top ten percent of farmers. In other words, the largest
and wealthiest farms in the country. Our policies must be
tailored to address urgent needs for small family-owned farms
during this down farm economy.
I will close this morning by once again highlighting my
experiences this weekend with dairy farmers in Schoharie
County. These are the folks we must look out for, those who
have maintained family farmland for generations. This time-
honored tradition is crucial to our upstate way of life and we
will not allow them to just go away.
I thank you all again for the opportunity to testify, and
look forward to continuing to working alongside the Committee
to support our small farmers.
I yield back.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Delgado follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Antonio Delgado, a Representative in
Congress from New York
Good morning. Let me start by thanking Chairman Peterson and
Ranking Member Conaway for the opportunity to join you all this
morning.
I'm pleased to be here on behalf of the nearly 5,000 small farms
and over 8,000 farm operators in my district, 96% of which are family
farms.
We do not have big corporate farms at home, which makes things
challenging given how much of our Federal policy is geared towards
supporting the large-scale operations. Indeed, Agriculture Secretary
Sonny Perdue has repeatedly opined that the demise of the small family
farm is inevitable. I disagree. It is a choice.
This choice is exactly why I sit before you all today. This past
weekend, I joined the Schoharie County Farm Bureau at Argus Acres farm
where I met with several dairy farmers operating across the county--
they represent generations of family farmers. We cannot and will not
``choose'' to leave these folks behind when crafting Federal policy.
Supporting our family farmers starts with pushing back against
group think supporting economies-of-scale rather than economies-of-
cooperation.
Economies-of-cooperation ought to guide our work to create
inclusive policy that helps every farmer get ahead: that means giving
small family farmers the tools to access increased market share,
supporting the next generation of farmers, and crafting legislation
that specifically combats monolithic agriculture policy that drowns out
the voices of family-owned farms.
A first step to addressing these headwinds facing small farmers
includes giving our farmers the increased flexibility to reorganize
their finances.
To that end, I worked with Chairman Peterson on legislation that
will help farmers through this challenging time for agriculture. The
Family Farmer Relief Act lifts the eligibility cap, from $3 million to
$10 million, for Chapter 12 bankruptcy filings which allows small
farmers the flexibility to reorganize, restructure and repay their
debt. It passed the House and Senate earlier this year and was signed
by the President in August. This law is not a panacea, but it certainly
helps our small farmers.
While it is important for our farmers to have increased
flexibility--I urge the Committee to better tailor our Federal policy
to support family owned farms. This includes removing barriers to
success for the next generation of young farmers. I've introduced the
bipartisan Young Farmer Success Act which adds farmers and ranchers to
the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. This legislation, which is
currently moving as a part of the College Affordability Act will be
voted on by the full House soon.
As we seek to address the challenges facing our farmers, we must
acknowledge the significant headwinds facing dairy producers: including
low prices and increased market consolidation. As a body, it is our job
to continue to fight for the interests of our small dairy farmers and
protecting their ability to stay in business.
The bipartisan Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2019, which
allows schools that participate in the School Lunch Program to buy
flavored and unflavored whole milk for students, is an important step
to continue to support our small dairy farmers. I will continue to push
to bring more product from our local farmers into our public schools.
In addition to these specific legislative proposals, combating the
consolidating markets and the tariffs must remain our north star on
this Committee. Right now, the Administration's own policies continue
to advantage big ag by basing subsidies on the number of employees and
volume of production. There's no way that small farmers can compete
with this metrics-based mind-set.
I will close this morning by once again highlighting my experiences
this weekend with dairy farmers in Schoharie County. These are the
folks we must look out for, those who pass down farmland from
generation to generation. These time-honored traditions are crucial to
our upstate way of life and we will not allow them to decline.
I thank you all again for the opportunity to testify before you and
look forward to working alongside you all to support our small farmers.
The Chairman. I thank the gentleman for his statement.
I now recognize the gentleman from Pennsylvania, Mr.
Fitzpatrick.
STATEMENT OF HON. BRIAN K. FITZPATRICK, A REPRESENTATIVE IN
CONGRESS FROM PENNSYLVANIA
Mr. Fitzpatrick. Good morning, Chairman Peterson and
Ranking Member Conaway. Thank you for your time this morning.
I am here today to urge the Committee to take up two very
important bills, pieces of legislation, regarding animal
protection. The first is H.R. 1002, the Welfare of our Friends,
or the WOOF! Act, introduced by myself and Congressmen Crist,
G.T. Thompson, and McGovern, which to date has garnered over
200 cosponsors. This bipartisan bill would amend the Animal
Welfare Act to prohibit the issuance or the renewal of a
license to dog breeders and exhibitors until they have
demonstrated compliance through facility inspection. This is
common-sense legislation that will help to stop puppy mills and
abusive dog breeders from continuing to get their licenses in a
direct family member's, spouse's, or cohabitant's name. And it
also ensures that those that have had licenses suspended or
revoked in the last 10 years do not procure one.
This legislation helps to bolster the actions that the
Department of Agriculture is currently taking with their rule
proposal which seeks to eliminate automatic license renewals.
It suggests that reapplication would be necessary every 3
years. And while I am supportive of the USDA's proposed rule, I
believe that the WOOF! Act goes one step further in protecting
dogs from abusive handlers by making licensing requirements
stricter.
Second, Mr. Chairman and Mr. Ranking Member, I would like
to bring to the Committee's attention H.R. 2442, the Puppy
Protection Act. This bill was introduced by myself and
Congressmen Crist, Reschenthaler, and McGovern. It currently
has 37 cosponsors. This bipartisan bill would amend the Animal
Welfare Act to ban harmful practices such as cage stacking and
wire flooring in pet areas. It requires the following: that
dogs over 12 weeks old have room to exercise; dogs be fed at
least twice a day and have access to clean and unfrozen water
at all times; all dogs receive annual veterinary examinations;
and it also includes many other common-sense measures meant to
ensure reasonable well-being of these animals. While some of
the provisions in the bill are in the USDA's proposed rule, the
Puppy Protection Act provides additional standards of care to
ensure that dogs in USDA licensed facilities are treated
humanely.
Mr. Chairman, Mr. Ranking Member, both of these bills have
the strong support of the Humane Society, the ASPCA and
numerous other animal advocacy groups. I hope that the
Committee will consider these two important pieces of
legislation that will help protect our friends in need of these
protections.
I thank the Committee for its time, and I urge the
Committee to take up these bills.
I yield back.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Fitzpatrick follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Brian K. Fitzpatrick, a Representative in
Congress from Pennsylvania
Good morning, Chairman Peterson and Ranking Member Conaway, I am
here today to urge the Committee to take up two important bills
relating to animals.
H.R. 1002, the Welfare of our Friends or WOOF! Act introduced by me
Congressmen Crist, G.T. Thompson, and McGovern has garnered 195
cosponsors.
This bipartisan bill would amend the Animal Welfare Act to prohibit
the issuance or renewal of a license to dog breeders and exhibitors
until they demonstrate compliance through facility inspection.
This common-sense bill will help to stop puppy mills and abusive
dog breeders from continuing to get licenses in a direct family
member's, spouse's, or cohabitant's name. It also ensures that those
that have had licenses suspended or revoked in the last 10 years do not
procure one.
This legislation helps to bolster the actions that the Department
of Agriculture is currently taking with their rule proposal which seeks
to eliminate automatic license renewals. It suggests that reapplication
would be necessary every 3 years. While I am supportive of the USDA's
proposed rule, I think that the WOOF! Act goes a step further in
protecting dogs from abusive handler, by making the licensing
requirements stricter.
I would also like to bring the Committee's attention to H.R. 2442,
The Puppy Protection Act. This bill was introduced by me, Congressmen
Crist, Reschenthaler, and McGovern.
This bipartisan bill would amend the Animal Welfare Act to ban
harmful practices such as cage-stacking and wire flooring in the pet
areas. It requires the following: that dogs over 12 weeks old have room
to exercise, all dogs be fed at least twice a day and have access to
clean unfrozen water at all times, all dogs receive annual veterinary
examinations, it also includes many other common-sense measures meant
to ensure reasonable well-being for canines.
While some of the provisions in the bill are in USDA's proposed
rule the Puppy Protection Act provides additional standards of care to
ensure that dogs in USDA licensed facilities are treated humanely.
Both of these bills have the strong support of the Humane Society,
ASPCA and numerous other animal advocacy groups.
I hope that the Committee will consider these two important bills
that will help protect our friends that need protecting the most.
Thank you.
The Chairman. I thank the gentleman for his statement.
I now recognize the gentleman from New Jersey, Mr. Van
Drew.
STATEMENT OF HON. JEFF VAN DREW, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS
FROM NEW JERSEY
Mr. Van Drew. Thank you, Chairman Peterson and Ranking
Member Conaway, for this opportunity to speak about agriculture
in my district, and southern New Jersey.
I represent New Jersey's second Congressional district
which encompasses over 40 percent of the state's land mass, and
is a leader in the state for most crops that have market value
and for agricultural products sold. Many times when we think of
New Jersey we forget it is ``The Garden State'' and even fewer
know that the nickname comes from a 19th century southern New
Jersey farmer named Abraham Browning. Mr. Browning coined the
term when describing New Jersey when \2/3\ of the state's
landmass was beautiful rolling farmland.
Today, New Jersey's second Congressional district, my home,
is responsible for 48 percent of the state's total agricultural
sales. As the state's economy has changed, New Jersey's
agricultural industry is still the state's third largest
industry and in south Jersey, the importance of the agriculture
economy cannot be overstated. That is usually quite a surprise
for people, to hear in the State of New Jersey that agriculture
is the third largest industry.
In order to continue to help and support our farmers and
their families, I would like to highlight three areas that I
believe are vital to the continued growth and success of our
agriculture economy.
Rural Development: Having over 40 percent of the land mass
of any state means you will have rural parts to your district
no matter what part of the state you come from. My district
encompasses eight counties and 92 towns, where the eastern
shore is beaches and aquaculture, and the western mainland is
farmland and agriculture. These hard-working communities need
our support for continued economic growth. For example, rural
towns such as the Borough of Woodbine and Downe Township have
been granted recipients of USDA Rural Development Grants for
Water and Waste Removal. For communities such as these, where
they are below sea-level and flooding can be a major problem,
these systems are vital. We need to continue to support our
farmers and rural communities and provide them with the tools
and technology that is commonly afforded to non-rural areas so
that they are on an equal footing.
Broadband: I am proud to support the ReConnect Program,
which helps support our rural communities to get access to
broadband internet access. It is of vital importance. Although
New Jersey is rarely thought of as a rural area, where I come
from, many of our rural communities have been lacking in
access. This has been an issue I have cared about over my
career, taking on the issue as a State Senator as well now as a
Congressman.
The importance of this program and similar programs to do
business, access opportunities in education, and receive
specialized health care in rural America today cannot be
understated. The broadband programs that Rural Development
administers continue to have strong interest from rural
communities who are looking to either obtain or improve access
to broadband.
Research: Research is vital for the continued growth of our
agriculture industry, whether it is to grow more efficient
crops, or it is in search of disease resistant crop strains.
One of the country's prominent research facilities is Rutgers
University, a land-grant institute that has been doing great
work for our farmers. It is my alma mater. A research effort
that has been extremely successful in New Jersey, which was to
study the impact of Fairy Ring Disease in cranberries, which
are of major, major importance in our state. Cranberries are
one of New Jersey's top crops and the state ranks third in the
entire country for sales of cranberries.
I would like to thank Chairman Peterson and Ranking Member
Conaway for this opportunity. These priorities in research,
rural development and access to broadband highlight the
importance of the work being done in the agriculture industry;
and help to ensure south Jersey stays The Garden State for
generations to come.
Thank you for the time.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Van Drew follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Jefferson Van Drew, a Representative in
Congress from New Jersey
I represent New Jersey's second Congressional district which
encompasses over 40 percent of the state's land mass and my district is
a leader in the state across most crops for market value of
agricultural products sold.
Many times when we think of New Jersey we forget it is ``The Garden
State'' and even fewer know that nickname comes from a 19th century
southern Jersey farmer named Abraham Browning.
Mr. Browning coined the term when describing New Jersey when \2/3\
of the state's landmass was rolling farmland.
Today, New Jersey's second Congressional district, my home, is
responsible for forty-eight percent of the state's total agricultural
sales.
As the state's economy has changed, New Jersey's agricultural
industry is still the state's third largest industry and in South
Jersey, the importance of the agriculture economy cannot be overstated.
In order to continue to help and support our farmers and their
families, I would like to highlight three areas that I believe are
vital for the continued growth and success of our agriculture economy.
Rural Development
Having over 40% of the land mass of any state means you will have
rural parts to your district no matter where you come from.
My district encompasses eight counties and 92 towns, where the
eastern shore is beaches and aquaculture, and the western mainland is
farmland and agriculture.
These hard working communities need our support for continued
economic growth and support.
For example, rural towns such as the Borough of Woodbine and Downe
Township have been the recipients of USDA Rural Development Grants for
Water and Waste Removal.
For communities such as these, where they are below sea-level and
flooding can be a major problem, these systems are vital.
We need to continue to support our farmers and rural communities
and provide them with the tools and technology that is commonly
afforded to non-rural areas.
Broadband
I am proud to support the ReConnect Program, which helps support
our rural communities get access to broadband internet access.
Although New Jersey is rarely thought of as rural, where I come
many of our rural communities have been lacking in access.
This has been an issue I have cared about over my career, taking on
the issue as a State Senator as well.
The importance of this program and similar programs to do business,
access opportunities in education, and receive specialized health care
in rural America today cannot be understated.
The broadband programs that Rural Development administers continue
to have strong interest from rural communities who are looking to
either obtain or improve access to broadband.
Research
Research is vital for the continued growth of our agriculture
industry, whether it is to grow more efficient crops or it is in search
of disease resistant crop strains.
One of the countries prominent research facilities is Rutgers
University, a land-grant institute that has been doing great work for
our farmers.
A research effort that has been extremely successful in New Jersey
was to study the impact of Fairy Ring Disease in cranberries.
Cranberries are one of New Jersey's top crops and the state ranks
third in the country for sales.
I would like to thank Chairman Peterson and Ranking Member Conaway
for this opportunity.
These priorities in research, rural development and access to
broadband highlight the importance of the work being done in the
agriculture industry; and help to ensure New Jersey stays The Garden
State for generations to come.
The Chairman. I thank the gentleman for his statement, and
it was very good timing, Ms. Torres Small.
I now recognize the gentlelady from New Mexico, Ms. Torres
Small, for 5 minutes.
STATEMENT OF HON. XOCHITL TORRES SMALL, A REPRESENTATIVE IN
CONGRESS FROM NEW MEXICO
Ms. Torres Small. Thank you, Mr. Chairman----
The Chairman. The microphone. There you go.
Ms. Torres Small. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for having me
today. I deeply appreciate the opportunity to speak about the
importance of agriculture in New Mexico's second Congressional
district.
Chairman Peterson, Ranking Member Conaway, and the entire
Committee, thank you for the opportunity to speak today on the
important agriculture issues facing my district in southern New
Mexico. We are famous for our green chilies and pecans, but we
are also the proud home of thriving dairy and ranching
industries. These crops and livestock are key to our economy
and our culture, and it is my honor to work every day for these
important programs. I am grateful for the work this Committee
has done to pass and oversee the implementation of the 2018
Farm Bill, and to continue fighting for funding for these
important programs.
There are three topics I would like to discuss today:
first, the need for a modern agricultural workforce; second,
the Livestock Indemnity Program, also known as LIP, and the
Dairy Indemnity Program, also known as DIP; and third, tariffs.
First, the modern agricultural workforce. I know it falls
out of this Committee's jurisdiction, so I will keep my
comments brief. But please know, any time I meet dairy farmers
and agricultural producers, one of the most frequent items I
hear is the need for a reliable, legal labor workforce.
Second, I would like to express the vital role that LIP and
DIP play in the lives of my constituents. For ranchers who face
predations from protected species, LIP pays a percentage of
animal's value as compensation for the loss. However, the
process to receive compensation is incredibly complicated and
onerous, and therefore ranchers are not paid for every loss.
This unfairly increases the burden on our ranchers. In the
coming months, I plan to introduce legislation to increase the
percentage of compensation for predations, studying ways to
improve the process for receiving compensation for predation. I
am excited to work with the Committee on this important
legislation.
Similarly, DIP compensates dairy producers if their milk is
contaminated by chemicals, pesticide, or radiation. This has
proved necessary for a farmer just outside my district, whose
milk continues to be contaminated by PFAS runoff from a nearby
Air Force base. Though the specific concern of PFAS
contamination in water used for agricultural purposes is new,
PFAS contamination in groundwater is an epidemic that has and
will continue to plague our country. I am grateful that this
Committee had the foresight to establish DIP to account for
situations like this, but it is clear we will need to do more.
In this year's Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense
Authorization Act, I fought for the inclusion of an amendment
authorizing the military to treat or provide fresh water for
agricultural producers who face PFAS contamination from
military sites. That amendment came together with the support
of your Committee, and I appreciate your willingness to work
together on this important issue. We are all but certain to see
PFAS continue to spread and to contaminate our agriculture, and
I look forward to working with the Committee to ensure that our
agricultural producers aren't left holding the bag.
Third, I know I speak for many members of the agricultural
sector when I say that we must urgently stabilize our trade
agreements. I have written to Ambassador Lighthizer requesting
lower tariffs on pecans sold to India, and I have regularly
worked to maintain efficient ports-of-entry to ensure that
products can easily flow between New Mexican producers and
Mexico, my state's largest trade producer.
Members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to
come before you today, and thank you for your daily dedication
to supporting our farmers and ranchers.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Torres Small follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Xochitl Torres Small, a Representative in
Congress from New Mexico
Chairman Peterson, Ranking Member Conaway, and the entire
Committee, thank you for the opportunity to speak today on the
important agriculture issues facing my district in southern New Mexico.
We're famous for our green and red chilies and pecans, but we're also
the proud home of thriving dairy and ranching industries. These crops
and livestock are key to our economy and our culture, and it's my honor
to work every day to protect this way of life.
There are three topics I'd like to discuss today: first, the need
for a modern agricultural workforce; second, the Livestock Indemnity
Program (also known as LIP) and the Dairy Indemnity Program (also known
as DIP); and third, tariffs.
First, the modern agricultural workforce. I know it falls out of
this Committee's jurisdiction, so I'll keep my comments brief. But
please know, that any time I meet with dairy farmers and agricultural
producers one of the most frequent issues I hear is the need for a
reliable, legal labor force.
Second, I'd like to express the vital role that LIP and DIP play in
the lives of my constituents. For ranchers who face predations from
protected species, LIP pays a percentage of animal's value as
compensation for the loss. However, the process to receive compensation
is incredibly complicated and onerous, and therefore ranchers are not
paid for every loss. This unfairly increases the burden on our
ranchers. In the coming months, I plan to introduce legislation to
increase the percentage of compensation for predations, studying ways
to improve the process for receiving compensation for predation. I am
excited to work with the Committee on this important legislation.
Similarly, DIP compensates dairy producers if their milk is
contaminated by chemicals, pesticide, or radiation. This has proved
necessary for a farmer just outside my district, whose milk continues
to be contaminated by PFAS runoff from Cannon Air Force Base. Though
the specific concern of PFAS contamination in water used for
agricultural purposes is new, PFAS contamination in groundwater is an
epidemic that has and will continue to plague our country. I'm grateful
that this Committee had the foresight to establish DIP to account for
situations like this, but it's clear that we'll need to do more. In
this year's FY 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, I fought for
the inclusion of an amendment authorizing the military to treat or
provide fresh water for those who face PFAS contamination from military
sites. We're all but certain to see PFAS continue to spread and
contaminate our agriculture, and I look forward to working with the
Committee to ensure that our agricultural producers aren't left holding
the bag.
Third, I know I speak for so many members of the agricultural
sector when I say that we must urgently stabilize our trade agreements.
I've written to Ambassador Lighthizer requesting lower tariffs on
pecans sold to India, and I've regularly worked to maintain efficient
ports of entry to ensure that products can easily flow between New
Mexican producers and Mexico, my states' largest trade partner.
Members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to come
before you today, and thank you for your daily dedication to supporting
our farmers and ranchers.
The Chairman. Thank you very much. I appreciate your
statement. We will take it under advisement.
I have been informed that Ms. Finkenauer and Mr. Westerman
are on their way. I don't know exactly what that means. Anybody
got an ETA on them? They are supposedly walking over. That has
been going on for a while, so they must walk slow or something.
Why don't we just take a brief recess for a little bit. If
they don't show up, we will have them submit their stuff in
writing. We will take a recess for a few minutes in case
somebody needs to go do something.
The Committee is in recess.
[Recess.]
The Chairman. The Committee will come back to order. We
have a couple Members here, and we are getting towards the end.
So, we are now happy to recognize the gentleman from
Arkansas, Mr. Westerman, for 5 minutes.
STATEMENT OF HON. BRUCE WESTERMAN, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS
FROM ARKANSAS
Mr. Westerman. Thank you, Chairman Peterson and Ranking
Member Conaway. I appreciate you giving us the opportunity to
come to your Committee and talk to you about issues that are
important to many of us who aren't privileged to serve on your
Committee. Today, I want to talk to you about something that is
very near and dear to me, and that is trees. I know this
Committee deals a lot with trees and forestry.
I will say that we are at a pivotal time in Congress, a
pivotal time in our country, as we face issues on air quality,
water quality, wildlife habitat, public recreation, energy, and
carbon. We are at a pivotal time, but I'll also say we are at a
point where we have a possibility for a very, very bright
future ahead. And thanks to a lot of the work that has been
done in this Committee, we are making some progress. If you
look at especially the last farm bill that was passed and some
previous legislation where we have been able to get things like
a fire funding fix, where we have been able to--and not only
this Committee helped establish the Good Neighbor Authority
where Federal land managers can be assisted by state and local
groups in managing their forests, but we have actually been
able to improve the Good Neighbor Authority through work that
was done on this Committee. We have several categorical
exclusions out there that accelerate management activities on
Federal lands, and we have things like the 20 year stewardship
contracting that was in the last farm bill that we are already
seeing good results from that as many manufacturers are bidding
on projects in areas like Fort Frye, where you have a lot of
small diameter timber that needs to be harvested to make those
forests more resilient.
We have a lot of good things happening, but there is
opportunity to do a lot more in the future.
I will say that I was out in California this past August
and I saw them harvesting trees off of Federal lands in
California, and they were doing it to make those forests more
fire resilient to protect sensitive watersheds, and really to
provide a better environment. I will stress again that we are
making progress, but we have a lot of work still to do.
One area that we need to focus on in Congress is the
wildland-urban interface. These are areas where it is just what
it sounds like, the wildlands interface with urban areas. We
see more and more homes being built in these areas, and we see
what happens when we get catastrophic wildfire in these areas,
a tremendous loss of lives, loss of homes and property. And
making some of these communities almost uninsurable because of
the risks that are associated with catastrophic wildfire. And
it is not something that is just limited to the western part of
our country. We saw the huge fire in Tennessee a few years ago,
and it can happen anywhere where you have wildlands and urban
areas interfacing.
I hope that we can work together to do more to make those
wildland-urban interfaces more resilient, and you know, to wrap
up about something that is desperately needed to make our
forests more healthy, and that is more markets for the products
that come out of the forests. And I am excited that some
legislation that I am working on that focuses on three areas:
number one is to plant more trees. We have a lot of places in
this country, marginal ag land, urban areas, wetlands where we
can plant more trees. We need to be able to grow more wood on
the forests that we have to make them more resilient and
healthy so that we are not losing all that carbon back into the
atmosphere during forest fires. And finally, we want to be able
to store more carbon by using those wood products.
This Monday before I came back up here, I was at an
announcement in my state where a new factory was being built to
make mass timbers to go into the new corporate headquarters for
Wal-Mart. They will build a 3\1/2\\2\ million corporate
headquarters to house 15,000 people, and they are going to
build that out of wood, wood that is grown domestically. And
the neat thing about wood, like the wood on this dais and these
tables in here, that is about 50 percent carbon that was taken
out of the atmosphere many years ago, and it is still being
stored in this wood today.
We have a bright future ahead, and I look forward to
working with the Committee on developing even better
legislation as we move forward.
I thank you for your time.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Westerman follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Bruce Westerman, a Representative in
Congress from Arkansas
Thank you, Chairman Peterson and Ranking Member Conaway, for
hosting this time to allow Members like myself who don't serve on this
Committee to testify.
I'm a forester, and I'm committed to using Federal resources to
steward our nation's forests in the best possible way. I believe we're
loving our trees to death--surrounding them with endless regulations
and bureaucratic loopholes that increase wildfire risk and prevent
forest managers from doing their job.
Last year's farm bill included some forest management reforms that
I'd introduced, and I sponsored the Resilient Federal Forests Reform
Act of 2019 to promote even more long-term changes.
Years of mismanagement have led to insect infestation, overstocked
stands and dead and decaying trees. Congress must allow the Forest
Service to use proven, scientific methods when managing our forests.
Some consider 2019 to be a relative light year for wildfires, but
that's because ``only'' 4.6 million acres burned compared to 8.5
million acres burned in 2018. As urban areas move closer and closer to
forested land, we can't let statistics like this become our new normal.
Arkansas has seen drought conditions and more environmental stress,
but at the same time, we haven't seen an increase in the number or
intensity of forest fires.
If changing climate was the only thing that increased wildfires,
surely we would see an increase in the number and intensity in my
state. However, because we actively manage our public and private
forests, the state has a thriving and expanding forest economy.
These successes have led me to work with Minority Leader McCarthy
on another piece of forestry legislation. This bill, which is still in
a draft stage, has the end goal of planting one trillion trees.
Of course, if we're planting new trees, we need to be harvesting
mature trees, so the legislation will also incentivize usage of more
forest products.
At the height of maturity, a tree captures and stores several
pounds of carbon each year. As it begins to decay, the tree will
release that carbon back into the atmosphere. If it's harvested at
maturity, however, the tree stores that carbon for the rest of its
life--even when it's made into this very dais.
It's a simple formula: if we want more trees, we should all be
using more products made from trees.
I'm looking forward to continuing to work with this Committee once
I introduce the legislation, and I welcome your questions.
The Chairman. I thank the gentleman for his statement. We
appreciate that.
We recognize now the gentlelady from Iowa, Ms. Finkenauer,
for 5 minutes.
STATEMENT OF HON. ABBY FINKENAUER, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS
FROM IOWA
Ms. Finkenauer. Thank you, Chairman Peterson and Ranking
Member Conaway. It means a lot to me to get this opportunity to
speak here today to the Agriculture Committee. I obviously do
not get the distinct privilege to sit on this Committee, but I
do sit on Small Business where I chair Rural Development,
Agriculture, Trade, and Entrepreneurship. And I come to you
today because I truly believe that my role as a Congresswoman
is to make sure that my constituents are heard here in D.C. It
has been my biggest priority, and right now, my constituents
desperately need to be heard wherever they can be, especially
when it comes to agriculture.
I am, quite frankly, scared about the future of my state
and my district. You see, I represent Iowa's first
Congressional district. It is 20 counties in the State of Iowa.
We have three bigger city centers, and the rest is rural. My
brother-in-law and my sister are corn and soybean farmers. My
neighbors that I grew up with in Sherrill, Iowa, are also corn
and soybean farmers. And I have seen them hurting in more ways
than one over the last 20 months because of the reckless
ongoing trade war we have seen from this Administration when it
comes to China, and also the attacks on renewable fuels. It has
been blow after blow, and I have brought Iowans to D.C. to have
their voices heard on these issues. We have had them at our
Subcommittee. We have had actually two farmers and also
somebody from Labor at our first Subcommittee that we had on
Rural Development, Ag, Trade, and Entrepreneurship. One of the
women who actually--she is a sixth-generation farmer. She sat
there and she told my Committee that day that she has three
sons, and she is telling them all right now not to go into
farming because she is worried about their future. I sat there
and I thought of my nephews who are now--well, about 3 and 6
months old, and thought about their future. And I knew at that
moment that my brother-in-law was sitting there with a bin full
of soybeans that were worth about $60,000 less than they were 5
years ago when they took over the farm after his parents
passed.
These stories aren't unique. I have had people come into my
office telling me that they are dipping into 401(k)'s, that
they are filing for bankruptcy. And by the way, now Iowa
actually holds more agriculture debt than the State of
California. It is not right. They have been ignored way too
long, and I thank the folks on this Committee who have uplifted
these issues to the Administration. But we must do more.
I am happy we have the USMCA now a deal reached. That
should add some certainty that the President won't be reckless
pulling us out of NAFTA, costing us even more markets. But it
is not enough. We don't have time today for a victory lap on
USMCA. We must have the President at the negotiating table
getting a deal with China, adding those markets for our soybean
farmers, and we must, we must have more answers on the attacks
that this President has done to renewable fuels. It is not
okay. It is wrong. And we need answers.
And so, I am grateful again for what you all have done, the
issues that you have brought up on this Committee. You have a
friend in me to continue to uplift these issues, but we cannot
take our foot off the pedal. The future of my state is quite
literally on the line, and every day that this trade war
continues, Brazil is deforesting as fast as they can, planting
more soybean fields, taking those markets away from my
district, markets that took decades to build.
We must, again, do more. I am grateful for what you all do
here, and again, we cannot take our foot of the pedal.
Thank you.
The Chairman. I thank the gentlelady for her statement. We
appreciate that, and we now are going to recognize the last
Member that I have on the list for me, who is also the Chairman
of the Rules Committee, the distinguished gentleman from
Massachusetts, Mr. McGovern, for 5 minutes.
STATEMENT OF HON. JAMES P. McGOVERN, A REPRESENTATIVE IN
CONGRESS FROM MASSACHUSETTS
Mr. McGovern. Thank you very much, Chairman Peterson,
Ranking Member Conaway, and Members of this Committee. I am
proud to be able to be a Member of this Committee, and I want
to thank you for holding today's hearing and for extending an
opportunity for all Members to be able to testify.
Today, I am here to speak about an issue that you all know
is one of my strongest passions, and that is ending hunger. As
much as I wish I was here to speak on the positive strides we
have made as a country in this area, lately it seems that
things are moving in the wrong direction. In the past 12 months
alone, this Administration has proposed not one, not two, but
three separate rules that will further disadvantage this
country's under-resourced and underprivileged.
I want to take a moment to highlight the final rule
announced by the Trump Administration last week that would
restrict a states' ability to waive the 3 month SNAP
participation time limit for able-bodied adults without
dependents, known as ABAWDs. Under current regulations, an
individual can only participate in SNAP for 3 months in a 36
month period, unless they work an average of least 20 hours per
week. States, however, have long been given limited flexibility
to waive this time limit in areas where there were not
sufficient jobs.
Last week, however, the Trump Administration finalized this
rule to further restrict state flexibility, with the effect of
literally hundreds of thousands of Americans being kicked off
of SNAP and thrown further into the depths of food insecurity.
According to USDA, the finalization of this change will help
able-bodied adults without dependents ``restore self-
sufficiency through the dignity of work.'' What is particularly
galling about this statement is that it further generalizes and
stigmatizes ABAWDs as people who simply don't work, and
further, it implies that USDA has enough data about ABAWDs to
even make that kind of a generalization, when in reality, they
do not.
On February 27, 2019, Secretary Sonny Perdue appeared
before this Committee. During the hearing, I asked him if there
was any specific research that FNS used to justify the rule
change. Sadly, instead of conducting the research needed to
understand this population, this Administration has resorted to
name calling and relying on false stereotypes. Now, if they had
done the research, they would know that ABAWDs are an extremely
complex group of people. They include veterans, young adults
who have aged out of the foster care system, ex-felons who were
products of mass incarceration, and workers who either aren't
given 20 hours of work per week or fall just below the
threshold.
USDA only has access to limited information on SNAP
participants, and that is part of the problem. Age, ethnicity,
and citizenship status doesn't tell the whole story. The
Administration continues to ignore or misstate that the
overwhelming majority of SNAP participants who can work
actually do work, but often in jobs that are either unstable or
pay so little that they still qualify for SNAP.
In addition to stigmatizing struggling individuals and
families, this rule goes against the intent of Congress by
imposing restrictions that were specifically rejected for
inclusion in the farm bill signed into law just last year.
Instead of allowing us to do the jobs we've been sent here to
do, the President has sidestepped our authority, yet again, to
push his own political agenda.
So, I am going to conclude my testimony with this.
President Trump and his Administration have said that the
proposed rule is about ``work-work-work.'' Well, I have never
heard of anyone testify that hunger makes it easier to find a
job or get back on their feet. No. We know what this is really
a partisan attempt to stigmatize low-income folks who are
trying to pull themselves out of poverty.
That is why I urge you and the Members of this Committee to
raise this issue to the forefront of our agenda, and to oppose
any attempts by this Administration to take food off the table
of the most vulnerable individuals and families. Food for the
hungry shouldn't have a time limit.
I would just say one other thing. In the House Rules
package that we approved at the beginning of this session, we
have a provision in there that authorizes our legal counsel in
the House to go to court, if necessary, to fight these changes
in SNAP, because Congress did not vote for these, and the farm
bill was very clear on what we support and what we don't
support.
Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Conaway, and others, I thank
you again for the opportunity to address the Committee on this
matter. I just think we need to make it clear that when it
comes to people who are struggling in poverty who are hungry or
food-insecure, that we are on their side and that we are not
going to buy into a false narrative. We have to stand up for
these people.
I thank you very much, and appreciate your willingness to
give me an opportunity to testify.
[The prepared statement of Mr. McGovern follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. James P. McGovern, a Representative in
Congress from Massachusetts
Chairman Peterson, Ranking Member Conaway, and my fellow Members of
the House Committee on Agriculture, I thank you for holding today's
hearing and for extending the opportunity to testify. Today, I'm here
to speak on an issue that you all know is one of my strongest
passions--the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
As much as I wish I was here to speak on the positive strides we've
made as a country in this area, lately it seems that things are
regressing rather than progressing. In the past 12 months alone, the
President and his Administration have proposed three rules that will
further disadvantage this country's under-resourced and
underprivileged.
The first of these rules was proposed on December 20, 2018, and
would restrict a states' ability to waive the 3 month SNAP
participation time limit for Able-Bodied Adults without Depend[e]nts
(known as ABAWDS).
Under current regulations, an individual can only participate in
SNAP for 3 months in a 36 month period, unless they average working at
least 20 hours per week. States, however, were given limited
flexibility to waive this time limit in areas where there were not
sufficient jobs. Last week, however, on December 4th, the Trump
Administration finalized this rule to further restrict state
flexibility--with the effect of over 750,000 Americans being kicked off
of SNAP and thrown further into the depths of food insecurity.
According to USDA, the finalization of this change will help ABAWDs
``restore self-sufficiency through the dignity of work.''
What's particularly upsetting about their statement is that it
further generalizes and stigmatizes ABAWDs as people who simply don't
work, and further, it implies that USDA has enough data about ABAWDs to
even make that kind of a generalization, when in reality, they don't.
On February 27, 2019, Secretary Sonny Perdue appeared before the
Agriculture Committee. During the hearing, I asked him if there was any
specific research that FNS used to justify the rule change--but what I
received in response was a lot of information condemning this
population, rather than information aimed at understanding the
situation.
What I don't think the Trump Administration understands about
ABAWDs is that they are an extremely complex group. According to
witnesses from the Nutrition Subcommittee's ABAWDs hearing in April,
this group includes veterans, young adults who have aged out of the
foster care system, ex-felons who were products of mass incarceration,
and workers who either aren't given 20 hours of work per week or fall
just below the threshold. USDA only has access to limited information
on SNAP participants--and that's part of the problem. Age, ethnicity,
and citizenship status doesn't tell the whole story.
What I think they're failing to recognize is that the overwhelming
majority of SNAP participants who can work do work, but often in jobs
that are either unstable or that pay so little that they still qualify
for SNAP. So, it's not that ABAWDs are jobless by choice--many are
jobless because they lack opportunity and they are trying to get on
their feet.
In addition to stigmatizing struggling families, the finalization
of this rule goes against the will of Congress by imposing restrictions
that were specifically rejected for inclusion in the farm bill signed
into law just last year. Instead of listening to us, and allowing us to
do the jobs we've been sent here to do, the President has sidestepped
our authority--yet again--to push his own political agenda
President Trump and his Administration have said that the proposed
rule is about ``work-work-work'' but we all know what this really is:
it's a call to rally up extremism and stigmatize low-income households.
This is a rule that is trying to ``solve'' problems that don't exist--
and it's putting our most vulnerable citizens at a further
disadvantage. We can't stand by and let things like this happen.
That is why I urge you and the Members of this Committee to raise
these issues to the forefront of our agenda, and to oppose any attempts
this Administration makes to overburden struggling people and families.
Food for the hungry shouldn't have a time limit.
Mr. Chairman and Ranking Member Conaway, thank you again, and for
the opportunity to address the Committee on this matter. I yield the
rest of my time.
The Chairman. I thank the gentleman, and the gentleman, as
he noted, is one of our senior Members on the Committee. We
appreciate his advice here today.
With that, before we adjourn, I am going to invite the
Ranking Member to make any closing remarks that he might have.
Mr. Conaway. I just appreciate all of the Members who
aren't on the Committee, as well as those on the Committee, but
those who aren't on the Committee for helping us share the
issues that face rural America, and the production of food and
rural development. They are ambassadors to get the messages out
about just how hard things are in rural America. I appreciate
that. I appreciate the Members on the Committee sharing with us
their information as well.
So with that, I yield back.
The Chairman. I thank the gentleman, and I also want to
thank all of the Members that took time to come before the
Committee today and share their concerns and insights and
suggestions. It is very much appreciated, and we will take that
to heart here under advisement on the Committee, and take it
into consideration as we move forward.
Under the Rules of the Committee, the record of today's
hearing will remain open for 10 calendar days to receive
additional testimony or materials relating to today's
proceedings.
This hearing of the Committee on Agriculture is therefore
adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 11:23 a.m., the Committee was adjourned.]
[Material submitted for inclusion in the record follows:]
Submitted Statement of Hon. Guy Reschenthaler, a Representative in
Congress from Pennsylvania
December 6, 2019
Hon. Collin C. Peterson, Hon. K. Michael Conaway,
Chairman, Ranking Minority Member,
House Committee on Agriculture, House Committee on Agriculture,
Washington, D.C.; Washington, D.C.
Dear Chairman Peterson, Ranking Member Conaway, and House
Agriculture Committee Members:
I am writing regarding my support for H.R. 2442, the Puppy
Protection Act, which I introduced with Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-I),
Charlie Crist (FL-13), and Jim McGovern (MA-2). I join my colleagues in
respectfully requesting the House Committee on Agriculture consider
this crucial legislation in a future hearing and subsequent mark-up.
I have long championed legislation that protects our nation's
animals from abuse and neglect. Prior to coming to Congress, I was a
leader on a number of animal welfare initiatives in the Pennsylvania
State Senate. I helped pass Libre's Law, which increased penalties for
animal abuse. I also authored a puppy mill ban, which would protect
consumers and animals by ending the sale of commercially bred puppies
at pet stores, since the vast majority of dogs sold at these stores
come from inhumane puppy mills. This legislation is currently pending
in the Pennsylvania General Assembly and other states have made efforts
to pass similar legislation.
Earlier this year, I was proud to join my colleagues to introduce
the Puppy Protection Act. This bipartisan legislation aims to improve
standards for federally licensed commercial dog breeders. H.R. 2442
will not impact family pets, livestock, or family breeders, but rather
updates standards for veterinary care, housing, breeding practices, and
the humane placement of retired breeding dogs. Too many of our dogs
currently suffer from inhumane conditions in commercial breeding
facilities, but I look forward to working with you and my colleagues
Representatives Fitzpatrick, Crist, and McGovern to provide protections
for these animals in the future.
Thank you for holding this Member day to discuss priorities
currently pending in the House Committee on Agriculture and for
considering my request.
Very respectfully,
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Hon. Guy Reschenthaler,
Member of Congress.