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JEFFERSON COUNTY-Congressman Allen Boyd (D-North Florida), a member of the Agriculture Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee, today hosted an Agriculture Summit to discuss the drafting of the 2007 Farm Bill and the needs of farmers in North Florida. Congressman Boyd was joined by the Chairman of the U.S. House Agriculture Committee and chief architect of the 2007 Farm Bill, Collin Peterson (D-MN). Congressman Boyd and Chairman Peterson heard from farm families and farm groups on ways to improve our nation's farm policy and ensure that Florida's farmers have the tools and resources they need.
"This year, passing the Farm Bill must be and will be a top priority for Congress," said Congressman Boyd. "Today's Agriculture Summit allowed me to discuss Florida's agriculture priorities with representatives from Florida's major crops and specialty crops. I will take back to Washington what I heard here today so that farmers in Florida will have a voice in our nation's agriculture policy."
"I appreciate this opportunity to hear from farmers and ranchers in North Florida about how the 2002 Farm Bill is working for them and what they would like to see in the Farm Bill that we will write in Congress this year," said Chairman Peterson. "I look forward to working with Congressman Boyd and Members of Congress from agricultural areas nationwide to pass a bill that meets the needs of all our agriculture producers and consumers."
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson, Florida Farm Bureau President John Hoblick, and University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) Vice President Dr. Joe Joyce also participated in the meeting.
Congressman Boyd believes that a core mission of the farm bill should continue to be promoting profitability and income potential in agriculture and a degree of stability in our nation's food and agriculture system. The 2007 Farm Bill also needs to look to the future and support farm-based renewable energy as a way to move our country closer toward energy independence.
"The rewrite of the farm bill presents huge promise and potential for the agriculture industry," Boyd stated. "In this bill, we have the opportunity to develop more effective disaster assistance, better access to agricultural credit, and more programs to encourage agricultural research, development, and conservation. As a fifth generation farmer and one of a handful of active farmers in Congress, I look forward to working with Chairman Peterson and my other colleagues in Congress to write a farm bill that allows our farmers to continue to provide us with the highest quality, safest, and most affordable food supply."
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