This Tuesday, June 1, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman, Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) announced that the Committee will begin hearings on the 2012 Farm Bill at the end of this month.
The first hearing will be held in Senate Agriculture Committee Room at 9:30am on June 30, 2010 on the topic of “Maintaining Our Domestic Food Supply through a Strong U.S. Farm Policy.” The dates and times of the three additional hearings on the topics below will be announced in the next few weeks.
- Revitalizing the Rural Economy through Robust Rural Development
- Promoting Conservation Practices that Preserve Our Natural Resources and Wildlife Habitat for Future Generations
- Ensuring Agriculture is Part of Our Nation’s Energy Future
While the Senate planned to begin work on the 2012 farm bill next year, the Committee moved up its plans in response to the early start by the House Agriculture Committee, led by Chairman Collin Peterson (D-MN). The House kicked off with a hearing in the Capitol in late April and held a series of eight field hearings on a variety of topics through the first half of May. Opening statements of all the field hearing witnesses, primarily farmers representing the major commodity and livestock associations, are posted on the committee’s website. Chairman Peterson has said he plans to begin writing a bill in early 2011, with hopes of having it on the House floor before the end of the calendar year, a year prior to the end of the current bill.