Fw: Press Release: House Agriculture Committee Holds Farm Bill FieldHearing in Fayetteville, North Carolina

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Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2010 11:39:16
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Subject: Press Release: House Agriculture Committee Holds Farm Bill Field
Hearing in Fayetteville, North Carolina

News from the House Agriculture Committee

http://agriculture.house.gov

IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, June 28, 2010

Media Contact:
Liz Friedlander (202) 225-1564
Liz.Friedlander@mail.house.gov
April Slayton (202) 225-6872
April.Slayton@mail.house.gov

House Agriculture Committee Holds Farm Bill Field Hearing in Fayetteville, North Carolina

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. - Today, the House Agriculture Committee held a field hearing in Fayetteville, North Carolina to review U.S.
agriculture policy, as the Committee begins the process of writing the 2012 Farm Bill. The Agriculture Committee's Chairman of the
Subcommittee on Rural Development, Biotechnology, Specialty Crops, and Foreign Agriculture, Congressman Mike McIntyre (D-N.C.)
chaired the hearing.

This is the ninth in a series of field hearings scheduled across the country to consider new ideas regarding federal food and farm
policy. Four Members of Congress attended today's hearing and heard testimony from eight witnesses on a variety of farm policy
issues.

"North Carolina plays an important role in our nation's agriculture system, and today's hearing was an opportunity for North
Carolina farmers and community leaders to discuss the challenges and opportunities we face," Subcommittee Chairman McIntyre said.
"From commodities to rural development to infrastructure to broadband, we heard a lot of great ideas and suggestions to keep North
Carolina moving forward. As the House Agriculture Committee begins work on the next Farm Bill, these comments will be invaluable as
we work to strengthen our food and fiber production."

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, North Carolina is the nation's top producer of tobacco, yielding almost half of the
nation's total tobacco crop. North Carolina also ranks second in the nation among states growing poultry and eggs; hogs and pigs;
and cut Christmas trees and short rotation woody crops. More than 120,000 acres of land in North Carolina are enrolled in USDA
conservation programs.

Approximately 115 members of the community attended the hearing, including local agriculture producers and leaders. Many more
watched the hearing online via a live video feed on the House Agriculture Committee's website. House Agriculture Committee Members
attending the hearing included: Subcommittee Chairman McIntyre; Congressman Larry Kissell of North Carolina; and Congressman Glenn
Thompson of Pennsylvania. Congressman Bob Etheridge of North Carolina, who serves on the House Budget Committee and the House Ways
and Means Committee, also attended the hearing.

"This hearing and others across the nation allow for the sharing of information and best practices from various regions,"
Congressman Glenn Thompson (R-Penn.) said. "Most farms are small businesses and remain the backbone of the strength of the economy
in rural America. Moving toward 2012, the Committee must do everything in its power to alleviate burdens on these family businesses
and create an environment that will foster positive economic growth."

"I am proud to serve as a member of the Agriculture Committee and so pleased to see this hearing taking place in North Carolina.
With North Carolina's agriculture industry responsible for more than $70 billion in economic activity, it is vital that our
agricultural community have input into the upcoming Farm Bill," Congressman Larry Kissell (D-N.C.) said. "North Carolina is one of
the top producing states in tobacco, cotton, soybeans, poultry and hogs, and while we continue to be leaders in these traditional
commodities, our state has quickly become the nation's third most diverse in agriculture."

Written testimony provided by the witnesses is available on the Committee website: http://agriculture.house.gov/hearings/index.html.
A full transcript of the hearing will be posted on the Committee website at a later date. To receive updated schedule and news
information from the House Agriculture, please visit the House Committee on Agriculture website to sign up for email updates:
http://agriculture.house.gov/Eupdates/updates.html.

Witness List

Panel I
. Mr. Ronald Allen, row crop, timber, pork, poultry, and beef producer, Fayetteville, North Carolina
. Mr. Steven Burke, biofuels representative, Oxford, North Carolina
. Mr. Frank Lee, corn, cotton, wheat, soybean, and beef cattle producer, Raleigh, North Carolina
. Mr. Allen McLaurin, cotton producer, Laurinburg, North Carolina

Panel II
. Mr. Patrick Woodie, on behalf of Mr. Billy Ray Hall, rural economic development representative, Raleigh, North Carolina
. Mr. Randall Jones, electric cooperative representative, Red Springs, North Carolina
. Mr. Tommy Porter, pork, beef, and poultry producer, Concord, North Carolina
. Mr. Dan Ward, peanut producer, Clarkton, North Carolina

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The U.S. House Committee on Agriculture web site http://agriculture.house.gov has additional information on this and other subjects.

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