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House Ag Panel Holds Hearing on State of the Rural Economy
USAgNet - 05/19/2017

The House Agriculture Committee held a hearing on the 'State of the Rural Economy' this week with the USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue testifying. The hearing focused on a variety of issues ranging from crop insurance, the reorganization of the rural development office within the USDA, trade, and more. Secretary Purdue made comments before answering questions from members of the committee.

In his testimony, Secretary Purdue and several members of congress stated support for expanding trade and crop insurance.

"We are fortunate to live in a nation where we grow more than we consume and that's the essence of trade," Secretary Perdue stated. He highlighted the USDA reorganization which created the Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs which will be responsible for assisting on opening new and protecting current markets as well as working to support interagency efforts with the Secretary of Commerce and U.S. Trade Representative.

On crop insurance, Representative Roger Marshall of Kansas made note of the recent blizzards in Kansas and stated, 'disasters like the ones we have had in Kansas are prime examples of reasons to have a strong farm safety net.'

Other issues of importance addressed during the hearing included support for inland waterway infrastructure updates, broadband internet access in rural areas, and the necessity of the rural development in the nation.


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