Updated FARM BILL Legislative News
California Industry Testimony
- CDFA Farm Bill Home
- Acknowledgments
- Contributor Websites
- Farm Bill Briefs
- Transcripts:
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- Submitted Documents:
- Conservation
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- Plant & Animal Health
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CURRENT FARM BILL NEWS
- USDA: Direct & Counter-Cyclical Payment Signup Underway in New Farm Bill
- Governor's Letter to Senator Harkin and Senator Chambliss (PDF)
- Secretary Kawamura Op-Ed on the Farm Bill (PDF)
- California Farm Bill Priorities (PDF)
- Farm Bill Briefs (One-Page Summaries of Individual Topics)
- Governor Schwarzenegger's Letter to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (PDF)
- Governor Schwarzenegger's Letter to the California Congressional Delegation (PDF)
- Letter from Four Governors to the House and Senate Committees on Agriculture (PDF)
- Congressional Research Service: House-Passed 2007 Farm Bill at a Glance (PDF)
FARM BILL 2008
"With the reauthorization of the Farm Bill surfacing in 2007, we need
to decide how much we are willing to invest on food security
as a nation. Security in the sense that locally grown food will
be available in our communities; that our agricultural resources
will be protected from invasive pests and diseases; and security that
innovative research will continue to make our agricultural industry more
competitive in the global economy."
--
Secretary A.G. Kawamura (Testimony to the House Committee on
Agriculture)
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has been designated by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger as the lead state agency in coordinating a statewide outreach plan for the 2008 Farm Bill. As the largest agricultural producer and exporter in the nation, with direct farm sales valued at $32 billion in 2006, the farm bill has a direct impact on the food system and agricultural communities of our state.
Covering such issues as energy, nutrition, conservation, and rural development -- the farm bill is an omnibus multi-year authorizing law for major food and farm programs. Food stamps and farm credit are a couple of the funding areas provided under this legislation. With the 2002 Farm Bill approaching its expiration, a frenzy of activity is currently taking place in Washington D.C. as law makers assemble an updated Farm Bill.
With the goal of providing a consensus for California's perspective on the 2008 Farm Bill, CDFA brought together viewpoints of many groups affected by the legislation -- various government agencies from health to energy, private industry and nonprofit organizations. This information has, and continues to be, sent to the appropriate Congressional members in hopes of securing a California-friendly 2008 Farm Bill.
Thank you to all those whom submitted comments and/or position papers regarding a California perspective on the 2008 Farm Bill -- your input was greatly appreciated. Further comments may be submitted to: California Department of Food and Agriculture, 1220 'N' Street, Suite 408, Sacramento, CA, 95814.