On Friday morning, Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture Mike Conaway addressed attendees of the 2017 Commodity Classic during its General Session, touching on several policy issues relevant to the ag sector that are being discussed in Washington, D.C. The Chairman believes that a well-rounded Farm Bill will work to protect farmers and those that depend on nutritional assistance. You can hear Chairman Conaway's remarks made during the Commodity Classic General Session by clicking on the LISTEN BAR below.
“I am going to work very hard to being production agriculture’s best friend and advocate, period” Conaway said. “I’m also going to assure that our committee is a spokesman across every issue that touches your quiet lives.”
The Chairman believes given the current economy, the reason for a Farm Bill will be easier to explain in 2018 than it was in 2014, referring to critics of the last Farm Bill that questioned the need of safety net programs. However, he adds that it will take the united support of farmers and their respective associations and representatives to get the next Farm Bill passed in an efficient and timely manner.
Much of the Chairman’s time at the podium was spent explaining his stance on the SNAP and the nutritional assistance programs included in the legislation. He said that whether the farm side and the nutrition side were done together or separately, they would both get done. According to the Chairman, the only people he has heard from that wish to separate these two title programs, are people that wish to completely dismantle the Farm Bill entirely. As leader of the committee, with a responsibility to taxpayers to use government time and resources effectively, the Chairman says his goal is to deliver a complete Farm Bill to the people on time.
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