Peterson before the recess

Not much news in the Peterson teleconference today, but a few tidbits:

House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson said that he and his staff will met with Sen. Tom Harkin later today to discuss the farm bill process. Peterson said he hopes that the conference farm bill can be completed by October.

In other news, Peterson noted South Korea shut down U.S. beef exports, and he said current trade friction with South Korea will preclude any work on the South Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement.

Later in the teleconference, Peterson also advocated a fee for imports on food and other products to ensure their safety. He noted that USDA inspects meat packing plants in other countries before they are approved, and suggested that FDA should do the same.

Peterson also suggested that Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns was out of touch with the farm community relative to the issue of the tax on offshore corporations that provided the offset for farm bill funding.

FYI: Believe it or not, Peterson's rock and roll/country band is playing in Washington tonight. He talks about it toward the end of this audio file.