Raleigh, North Carolina – Today, the House Committee on Agriculture, led by Chairman Larry Combest (R-TX) convened the fourth in a series of ten field hearings designed to give American agricultural producers a direct voice in the formulation of federal farm policies.  Members present heard from 16 farmers representing North and South Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee each of whom grow a wide variety of crops including cotton, tobacco, peanuts, soybeans, and wheat.

Regarding the crisis currently facing them,  the witnesses cited the increased cost of regulations, unfair foreign trade practices, and low prices as some of the obstacles to the present and future prosperity of American farmers and ranchers.

“The producers we’ve heard from at these field hearings have consistently confirmed what we have known all along – that we have a lot of work to do to strengthen the farm safety net,” said Chairman Combest (R-TX).  “While every grower and every commodity has special circumstances, it’s clear that family farms across America are struggling just to stay afloat.”

“Our Committee hearings continue to reveal that there are large holes in the farm safety net,” said Committee Ranking Member Charlie Stenholm (D-TX).  “Producers in Raleigh impressed us with their particular needs, and the special problems facing tobacco farmers will be a challenge to address.”

Producers may request to testify at the field hearing in their region by mailing a letter about their agricultural qualifications to the Chief Clerk of the House Committee on Agriculture, 1301 Longworth Building, Washington, D.C. 20515.  Requests to testify must include the producer’s name, address and phone number.  The Official Record will also include farm policy plans if they are received by mail within 30 days after each regional hearing.  Ten copies of the statements for the record should be mailed to the Committee’s address in care of the Chief Clerk.

The House Agriculture Committee will convene the next producer field hearing in West Chester, Ohio on Saturday, April 1.  Hearings will then continue in Kutztown, Pennsylvania on Monday, April 3; Sacramento, California on Monday, May 1; Sioux Falls, South Dakota on Tuesday, May 2; Boise, Idaho on Friday, May 12; and Peoria, Illinois on Saturday, May 13.

All regional hearings are carried as they occur on the House Agriculture Committee’s web site agriculture.house.gov on the Internet.  Informal comments are accepted by email at farmpolicy@mail.house.gov but written testimony and requests to testify cannot be accepted by e-mail.

READ the Official Transcript of the Raleigh hearing

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