News from the House Agriculture Committee

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## [***http://agriculture.house.gov***](http://agriculture.house.gov/) 

110^th^ Congress Accomplishments of the

House Committee on Agriculture

**An Ambitious Agenda for the House Agriculture Committee**

-   Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson brought an open,
    transparent approach to Committee business and maintained the strong
    bipartisan tradition of the Committee.

-   The House Agriculture Committee successfully drafted and passed a
    bipartisan, forward- looking Farm Bill that makes historic new
    investments in food, farm and conservation programs.

-   The process of writing the House version of the Farm Bill was done
    in public with input from all perspectives. Each of the Committee's
    six subcommittees held open, public hearings in Washington, DC and
    around the country and held markups on every title of the Farm Bill
    before the full Committee approved it with strong bipartisan
    support.

-   The Agriculture Committee held 14 full committee hearings and 11
    business meetings during the 110^th^ Congress. Various subcommittees
    held 37 hearings and 6 business meetings during the 110^th^
    Congress.

-   The Committee heard testimony from Administration officials on 56
    occasions, including 32 testimonies from U.S. Department of
    Agriculture representatives, 6 from the Commodities Futures Trading
    Commission, and 4 from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
    Additional testimony heard by the Committee was offered by
    university researchers, non-profit organizations, consumer groups,
    trade groups, and farmers and ranchers from across the United
    States.

**The Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008**

-   The Food, Conservation and Energy Act, also known as the 2008 Farm
    Bill, extends and modernizes the basic farm program safety net that
    protects farmers when crop prices are low. This safety net provides
    the security our farmers need to stay on the land, producing the
    safest, most abundant food supply in the world.

-   The Farm Bill invests more than **\$406 billion** over ten years in
    nutrition programs to help more than 38 million Americans afford
    healthy meals and to update the Food Stamp Program to reflect the
    economic reality working families face.

-   The Farm Bill provides more than **\$54 billion** over 10 years in
    conservation program spending to protect and enhance water, air, and
    soil quality; to prevent erosion; and to conserve natural resources.

-   The Farm Bill makes a substantial new investment of **\$1.3
    billion** over 10 years for programs to promote the production and
    consumption of fruits and vegetables. This is the first farm bill
    that directs substantial resources particularly to address the needs
    of fruit and vegetable producers.

-   The Farm Bill provides **\$1.1 billion** over 10 years for renewable
    energy programs, a historic investment in research, development and
    production of renewable energy, which will encourage the development
    of cellulosic biofuels and decrease our dependence on foreign oil.

-   The Farm Bill includes significant reforms, reducing the existing
    payment limit for farm programs by 80%, closing business structure
    loopholes to prevent people from receiving multiple payments, and
    increasing transparency by requiring farm program payments to be
    linked directly to the person receiving them.

-   The Farm Bill implements the long-delayed Country-of-Origin labeling
    program that provides consumers with important information about
    where the meat and produce they purchase was grown.

**Nutrition Programs**

-   The Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition and
    Forestry held two hearings on the importance of federal nutrition
    program efforts during the 110^th^ Congress; one hearing to review
    the impact of the federal Food Stamp Program on children's health
    and one to explore the short and long-term costs of hunger in
    America.

-   The Committee renamed the Food Stamp Program in the Farm Bill,
    changing the program's name to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
    Program (SNAP). The new program name is more suitable since the
    program no longer uses food stamp coupons and has transitioned to
    using Electronic Benefit Transfer technology for benefit
    distribution.

-   The Farm Bill improves benefit rules for the Supplemental Nutrition
    Assistance Program (formerly the Food Stamp Program) to more
    adequately cover food expenses better support families in need and
    to ensure that food stamp benefits will always keep up with
    inflation.

-   The Farm Bill also significantly expands funding for The Emergency
    Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) from \$140 million to \$250 million
    per year. TEFAP is a critically important program that provides food
    and other resources to help stock food banks.

-   The bill also included \$5 million per year for Community Food
    Projects grants for innovative community projects, including the
    Healthy Urban Food Enterprise Development Center Program, which will
    provide grants to programs that improve access to fresh foods in
    isolated urban and rural food deserts.

-   The bill also expands the USDA Snack Program nationwide, which helps
    schools provide healthy snacks and educate kids about the importance
    of healthy eating.

**Oversight of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Commodities
Futures Trading Commission**

-   During the 110^th^ Congress, the Agriculture Committee held 5
    oversight hearings to review concerns related to commodity and
    energy markets and credit derivative trading. These hearings were
    held both before and after the recent credit and financial crisis
    that highlighted the role of credit derivatives.

-   The Committee reauthorized the Commodities Futures Trading
    Commission and gave the CFTC greater authority over previously
    unregulated energy markets in the Farm Bill.

-   The Committee drafted and the House of Representatives passed H.R.
    6604, the Commodity Markets Transparency and Accountability Act of
    2008, which would increase transparency, oversight, and
    anti-manipulation authority over commodity futures and options
    markets.

-   In June 2008, the House passed H.R. 6377, which would require the
    Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to utilize all its
    authority, including emergency powers, to take steps to curb
    excessive speculation in the energy futures markets.

-   In addition to oversight hearings on commodity and energy markets,
    the Committee held three hearings on reauthorization of the
    Commodities Futures Trading Commission and the Commodities Exchange
    Act.

-   In May 2007, the Committee investigated the USDA's use and release
    of Social Security numbers of more than 38,000 USDA farm program
    participants.

**Renewable Energy**

-   The Committee has made the transition to the next generations of
    ethanol and biofuels a top priority, holding hearings on the
    renewable energy financing, the reliability of electricity in rural
    America, the transition to environmentally-beneficial cellulosic
    feedstocks, and ongoing research into the use of ethanol by-products
    in livestock feed.

-   The Farm Bill provides \$1.1 billion for renewable energy programs,
    particularly programs related to the development of cellulosic
    biofuels. It also reduces tax credit for corn-based ethanol and
    increases incentive for ethanol made from cellulosic sources.

-   The Committee passed H. Con. Res. 25 - also known as 25x'25 -
    expressing the sense of Congress that by the year 2025, America's
    agricultural and forest lands should provide at least 25 percent of
    the total energy consumed in the United States through renewable
    sources.

-   In 2007 and 2008, the Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy
    and Research held hearings on the implementation and producer
    eligibility for the Renewable Fuels Standard, financing for
    renewable energy projects and companies, and the reliability of
    electricity in rural America.

**Conserving our Natural Resources**

-   The Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy and Research held a
    hearing prior to drafting the conservation components of the Farm
    Bill to look at how USDA's Farm Bill conservation programs were
    implemented and utilized and to discuss proposed improvements to
    those programs.

-   The Farm Bill includes \$54 billion over 10 years for conservation
    programs to protect and enhance water, air, and soil quality and to
    conserve natural resources.

-   The bill also provides crucial funding to restore the Chesapeake
    Bay, preserve open space through the Farm and Ranchland Protection
    Program, and improve water quality and quantity in targeted regions
    through the Wetlands Reserve Program and other programs.

**Preserving the Farm Safety net**

-   The Farm Bill extends and modernizes the basic farm program safety
    net that protects farmers when crop prices are very low.

-   The Farm Bill sets the stage for future improvements to U.S. farm
    policy by establishing the Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE)
    program. The 2008 law allows producers to choose a market-oriented
    safety net program that adjusts with market prices and pays farmers
    only when they need it -- when they suffer a real loss in revenue.

-   The Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management
    held three hearings in 2007 on the Federal Crop Insurance Program to
    look at concerns with industry, some of which were addressed in the
    Farm Bill.

**Improving Disaster Response**

-   Despite opposition from President Bush, Congress provided disaster
    assistance needed by farmers and ranchers who experienced serious
    losses due to weather related disasters in 2005-2007.

-   In October 2007, the Committee held a hearing to review agriculture
    disaster conditions, including droughts, floods, fires and other
    conditions across the country and the impact on agriculture
    communities facing these conditions.

-   The Farm Bill includes permanent disaster assistance programs that
    farmers and ranchers can count on when weather-related disasters
    hurt their operations. The permanent programs ensure an immediate
    response and prevent the bureaucratic delay that has occurred in
    previous years.

**Organic Agriculture and Fruit and Vegetable Production**

-   At the beginning of the 110^th^ Congress, a new Subcommittee was
    created to specifically address the needs of fruit and vegetable
    growers and organic farmers. The Subcommittee on Horticulture and
    Organic Agriculture held hearings and included Farm Bill provisions
    on issues of importance to this vital segment of the agriculture
    industry.

-   The Subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture held the
    first Agriculture Committee hearing dedicated specifically to the
    needs, concerns and issues of importance to organic agriculture
    producers, processors and marketers. Organic agriculture is a \$14
    billion per year industry that is growing exponentially.

-   The Subcommittee held the first Congressional hearings to focus
    exclusively on the honey bee industry and their vital role as
    pollinators of the nation's food supply. The two hearings focused on
    Colony Collapse Disorder, an epidemic that is killing honey bees at
    a rapid rate nationwide and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's
    efforts to address the situation.

-   During two hearings in 2007 and 2008, the Subcommittee looked at
    food safety concerns and traceability in fresh produce. The
    Subcommittee also focused on the performance of the U.S. Department
    of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the
    U.S. Department of Homeland Security Customs and Border Protection
    to protect U.S. agriculture from foreign pests and diseases.

-   The Farm Bill provides new annual funding to defray the costs that
    producers and handlers incur when seeking organic certification and
    new annual funding for organic marketing data collection and
    publication.

-   The Farm Bill also includes new funding specifically targeting the
    needs of fruit, vegetable and organic farmers, including \$78
    million for organic research and \$230 million for the Specialty
    Crop Research Initiative.

**Meeting the Credit, Infrastructure and Resource Needs of Rural
Communities**

-   The Committee focused on the economic needs of rural America by
    holding hearings on access to health care and credit in rural
    America, the effectiveness of USDA Rural Development programs,
    improving access to broadband telecommunications services in
    underserved rural areas.

-   The Farm Bill includes programs and funding that make critical
    investments in the infrastructure, technology, water, emergency
    services, telecommunications and small business needs of rural
    communities nationwide. It provides \$120 million for critical water
    and wastewater projects in rural areas.

-   The Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy and Research held a
    hearing to review the availability of credit for farmers and
    ranchers in March 2007. The Farm Bill made several necessary
    improvements to credit programs to ensure that agriculture producers
    can obtain credit.

-   The Farm Bill also created a new Rural Entrepreneur and
    Microenterprise Assistance Program that will provide technical and
    financial assistance to micro-enterprises and small businesses and
    provided \$15 million to initiate the program.

**Food Safety and Animal Health**

-   The Subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture held a
    hearing to investigate the produce industry's response to recent
    foodborne illness outbreaks associated with fresh and fresh-cut
    produce.

-   In September 2008, the Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy and Poultry
    held a hearing to review advances in animal health, particularly the
    use of antimicrobials in the livestock industry.

-   In February 2008, the Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy and Poultry
    held a hearing to examine the U.S. Department of Agriculture's
    inaction on National Veterinary Medical Service Act -- a law to
    increase the availability of veterinary care to areas with limited
    or no access.

-   In May 2007, the Committee investigated the response of the
    Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
    to melamine-tainted imports from China that were used in pet food
    and animal feed.

-   In May 2007, the Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy and Poultry held
    the Committee's first hearing since 2000 that was dedicated to
    discussing various perspectives on animal welfare issues.

**Livestock and Dairy Industries**

-   The Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy and Poultry held a hearing on
    recent food safety recalls in the meat industry.

-   In February 2008, the Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy and Poultry
    held a hearing to review the Federal Milk Marketing Order rulemaking
    procedures in order to increase program efficiency and market
    responsiveness in the Farm Bill.

-   The Farm Bill updates the dairy price support program to support the
    price of cheddar cheese, butter, and nonfat dry milk by government
    purchase of such products.

-   The Farm Bill also reestablishes the Dairy Forward Pricing Program,
    which allows dairy farmers to voluntarily enter into forward
    contracts with milk handlers. Other commodity producers also use
    forward contracts to manage risk.

-   In March and April 2007, the Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy and
    Poultry held hearings on the market structure of the livestock
    industry and the impact of feed costs on the farmers and ranchers.

-   The 2008 Farm Bill provides basic legal protections for producers in
    livestock and poultry markets, including protections for producers
    who enter into contracts with livestock and poultry companies.

-   The Farm Bill streamlines meat and poultry inspection programs to
    allow state inspectors to clear products for interstate sale if they
    meet the meet Federal inspection requirements.

**International Trade**

-   The Committee held hearings to examine the role of food aid in
    assisting the world\'s hungry and poor and to highlight the role of
    U.S.-funded international agricultural development efforts in
    helping nations meet their food needs.

-   In the Farm Bill, the Committee authorized \$60 million for a
    program to conduct local and regional purchase of food aid and
    included an organized effort to ensure that such purchases do not
    adversely affect local populations and markets.  The Committee also
    modified the rules of the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust program to
    enhance its responsiveness to food crises and give it added
    flexibility.

-   The Farm Bill also helps feed hungry children in needy areas of the
    world and encourages school attendance by funding the McGovern-Dole
    International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program.

**Forestry**

-   The Farm Bill sets new national private forest conservation
    priorities, directs states to conduct assessments of current forest
    resources, and requires states to develop a long-term strategy for
    forest resource management.

-   The Committee held a hearing on H.R. 1011, the Virginia Ridge and
    Valley Act of 2007, which would require USDA to develop management
    plans and ecological restoration requirements for designated areas
    of the forests. The bill passed the House in October 2007.

**Increasing Opportunity for Minorities, Women and Beginning Farmers**

-   The 2008 Farm Bill increases funding for training, education,
    outreach and technical assistance initiatives for beginning farmers
    and ranchers, and improves transparency and accountability through
    annual reports by the USDA.

-   The Farm Bill provides \$75 million to better meet the needs of
    socially disadvantaged farmers or ranchers by enhancing coordination
    between the outreach, technical assistance, and educational efforts
    under USDA and broadening participation in the farm and conservation
    programs.

-   Through the Farm Bill, the Committee created an Office of Advocacy
    and Outreach in the Department of Agriculture, and established a
    Farmworker Coordinator to serve as a liaison to groups that
    represent low income migrant and seasonal farmworkers, ensure that
    farmworker needs are met during declared disasters and emergencies,
    and ensure that farmworkers have access to the services and support
    to become agricultural producers.