Agricultural News
USDA Secretary Perdue Engages House Ag Committee in Discussion on the Ag Economy and How USDA Can Help
Wed, 17 May 2017 17:50:39 CDT
House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway welcomed newly-confirmed U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Sec. Sonny Perdue to Capitol Hill to testify on the "State of the Rural Economy."
Chairman Conaway released a statement on Perdue's time with the House Ag Committee at the end of the hearing- "Against the backdrop of a four-year, 50-percent decline in net farm income, Sec. Perdue's comments today rightly recognized the concern of America's farmers and ranchers and the many challenges faced by rural America. I was pleased to hear the secretary express his dedication to effectively and efficiently optimizing USDA to better see America's farmers and ranchers through these tough times. By underscoring his commitment to work with newly-confirmed U.S. Trade Representative Lighthizer to enforce U.S. trade laws and hold our trading partners accountable to their commitments, Sec. Perdue can begin leveling the playing field for our nation's farmers and ranchers.
"It was also refreshing to hear Sec. Perdue acknowledge the importance of strong U.S. farm policy. With the farm bill upon us, it is going take all of us in the ag community working together to ensure we have an effective safety net for all farmers and ranchers, including our friends in the cotton industry who are in need of immediate assistance.
"These are challenging times in agriculture, but we can rest assured Sec. Perdue will be a fierce advocate for our nation's farmers and ranchers."
Secretary Perdue brought to Capitol Hill a prepared text of remarks, which you can read here, but chose not to use the script but used his initial five minutes to talk to the Committee about what his desires to make the USDA the best department in the federal government- and that his ideas on reorganization will help accomplish that. Perdue also talked about the farm economy's woes- and how the government has responded to date and how it needs to respond in the future. He bragged on the farm safety net as being generally good for farmers, the importance of crop insurance and also the importance of rural development assistance from USDA.
Click on the LISTEN BAR below to hear his opening remarks.
Click on the PLAY button in the video box to see the entire Hearing featuring the Committee Members interacting with USDA Secretary Perdue.
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