Priority issues to be discussed at each forum will include animal and plant health, conservation, international and domestic marketing, research, and risk management. There will also be an opportunity for public comment on any other issue impacted by the Farm Bill. Ventura County Fairgrounds 10 W. Harbor Blvd. E. Gum Ave. Public comments are encouraged.
Comments are limited to three minutes per person, with sign-up the day of the forum.
On the whole, the trade policies of the Bush administration are not expected to be dramatically different from those of the Clinton administration. One possible difference between the trade policies of the Bush and Clinton administrations could be that labor and environmental aspects of trade agreements will receive less attention under Bush. Nevertheless, with an evenly divided Congress where international trade issues will continue to be contentious, Bush will almost certainly have to compromise with those in Congress who oppose free trade policies. The new Congress will begin the process of a major review of federal agricultural policy with hearings in the House and Senate Agriculture Committees in 2001. Congressional Democrats and some Republicans are expected to push for new federal spending and major policy changes to the 1996 Farm Bill, which phases out USDA price supports for bulk commodities over a seven-year period.