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United States Senate Committee on Agriculture Nutrition & Forestry

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  • 113th Congress (2013-2014)

    Historic Farm Bill Conservation Pact Adopted by Senate Agriculture Committee with Overwhelming Support

    The Senate Agriculture Committee approved an historic conservation pact this week, requiring conservation compliance for crop insurance to protect both the farmers and the natural resources that our nation’s farmers and ranchers will rely on for generations to come. Conservation and agriculture industry organizations worked together to create the landmark pact. The agreement, adopted as part of the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2013, which passed the Committee with strong bipart...

  • Senate Agriculture Committee Approves Farm Bill with Broad Bipartisan Support

    WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry today voted overwhelmingly to approve the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2013, a bipartisan Farm Bill authored by Committee Chairwoman Senator Debbie Stabenow and Ranking Member Senator Thad Cochran.  The bill includes major reform in food and agricultural policy by ending direct payments and transitioning to responsible risk management tools that support farmers only when they have been impac...

  • The Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2013

    The Senate’s bipartisan 2013 Farm Bill represents the most significant reform of American agriculture policy in decades.  With the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act, the era of direct payments is over. Instead of subsidies that pay out every year even in good times, the bill creates risk management tools that support farmers when they are negatively impacted by weather disaster or market events beyond their control. By ending unnecessary subsidies, streamlining and consolidating...

  • Chairwoman Stabenow, Ranking Member Cochran Seek Public Input for CFTC Reauthorization

    Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Chairwoman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, and Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee, today called on stakeholders and the public to make recommendations and provide input on the reauthorization of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Stabenow and Cochran announced during a CFTC oversight hearing last week that they will begin work on reauthorization, with the process being open, bipartisan and conse...

  • Chairwoman Stabenow Announces Plans for CFTC Reauthorization, Encourages Finalizing Dodd-Frank Rules

    Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Chairwoman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, today announced that she and Ranking Member Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS) will begin the process of reauthorizing the Commodity Futures Trading Commission later this year. She also encouraged CFTC officials to finalize rules and finish implementing the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. Stabenow said both efforts would help create transparency and ensure markets are ...

  • Chairwoman Stabenow Commends USDA for Efforts to Streamline Rural Programs, Prioritize Economic Development

    Senator Debbie Stabenow, Chairwoman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, today commended the U.S. Department of Agriculture for prioritizing rural communities through its release of a report on streamlining rural programs and making them easier for rural communities to use. The effort consolidates 11 different definitions of “rural” into one, to better target resources for programs that promote rural economic development. “I commend Secretary Vi...

  • Chairwoman Stabenow, Ranking Member Cochran Urge USTR to Quickly Address Russia’s Unscientific Import Ban on US Beef, Poultry, Turkey

    Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Chairwoman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, and Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee, today urged U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk to quickly address Russia’s new import ban on U.S. beef, poultry and turkey – which would cost the U.S. economy $600 million annually – as the ban is unfounded, not based on sound science and violates World Trade Organization rules. The trade violation stem...

  • Statement from Chairwoman Stabenow Regarding Sequestration and Elimination of Direct Payment Subsidies

    Senator Debbie Stabenow, Chairwoman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, issued the following statement today regarding the announcement by Senate Democratic leadership that agriculture’s direct payment subsidies will be eliminated as part of a larger sequestration package intended to avoid across-the-board spending cuts. The elimination of direct payment subsidies saves $27.5 billion and constitutes the entire non-defense discretionary cuts in the bill. &l...

  • Chairwoman Stabenow, Ranking Member Cochran Announce Final Subcommittee Assignments for Senate Agriculture Committee

    Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Chairwoman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, and Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS), the Committee’s Ranking Member, today announced assignments for the Committee’s five subcommittees for the 113th Congress.A full list of the subcommittees and member assignments follows here: Subcommittee on Commodities, Markets, Trade and Risk Management Democracts Donnelly (Chair) Baucus Heitkamp ...

  • Chairwoman Stabenow: Weather Disasters’ Crippling Effects on Agriculture Underscores Crucial Need to Pass Disaster Relief and New Five-Year Farm Bill

    Senator Debbie Stabenow, Chairwoman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture Nutrition and Forestry, today said that last year’s historic drought, which parched the nation and affected more square miles since the end of the Dust Bowl era in 1939, has taken a devastating toll on American agriculture, underscoring the need to pass critical disaster assistance provisions and a new five-year farm bill. In addition to a historic drought that devastated corn and soybean yields in the Midwest ...

  • Chairwoman Stabenow Statement on MF Global Settlement, Recovery of 93 Percent of Missing Money for Customers with U.S. Accounts

    Senator Debbie Stabenow, Chairwoman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, today issued the following statement on the settlement deal approved by a bankruptcy court judge that paves the way for customers of the now-collapsed MF Global to recover much of the $1.6 billion that disappeared. The approved deal will recover about 93 percent of the lost customer money for those with U.S. accounts. “I am pleased that a settlement has been approved and that customers...

  • Statement from Chairwoman Stabenow on Agreement to Further Open Japan’s Market to U.S. Beef

    Senator Debbie Stabenow, Chairwoman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, issued the following statement today regarding the announcement that the United States and Japan have agreed on new terms and conditions which will pave the way for expanded exports of U.S. beef and beef products to Japan. Chairwoman Stabenow urged U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in August of 2011 to work closely together in addressing barriers imposed...

  • Baucus, Stabenow, Blunt Act to Protect Ranchers, Farmers Hit by Drought, Fire, Freeze

    Senators Max Baucus (D-Mont.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Roy Blunt (R-M.O) introduced legislation this week to extend agriculture disaster assistance programs that expired at the end of the 2011 Fiscal Year and were not part of the nine month Farm Bill extension. The bill would backfill the programs for 2012 and extend them through 2013 while Congress works to pass a long-term Farm Bill. Without an extension many ranchers and farmers will be left with no support to recover from severe fires ...

  • Statement from Chairwoman Stabenow on the Resignation of CFTC Commissioner Jill Sommers

    Senator Debbie Stabenow, Chairwoman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, released the below statement today regarding the resignation of Jill Sommers, Commissioner for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. “I’d like to thank Commissioner Sommers for her outstanding service during this critical time as we continue implementing the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and work to harmonize rules internationally. Her hard work and contribut...

  • Chairwoman Stabenow Applauds Majority Leader Reid for Making Farm Bill a Top Priority

    Senator Debbie Stabenow, Chairwoman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, today applauded Majority Leader Harry Reid for his commitment to making a new Farm Bill priority legislation for the 113th Congress. Reid introduced the Senate-passed version of the Farm Bill today as one of several privileged, top priority bills, underscoring his support for and commitment to enacting a new five-year farm bill. “I applaud Sen. Reid’s leadership and commitment to...

  • 112th Congress (2011-2012)

    Chairwoman Stabenow Statement on Expected Doubling in Consumer Milk Prices, Following House’s Failure to Pass Farm Bill

    U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, Chairwoman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, today released the following statement concerning the expected doubling in consumer milk prices come January 1, as a result of the House’s failure to pass a new farm bill. While the Senate passed a strong, bipartisan farm bill with overwhelming support that saves taxpayers $23 billion, House Republican leadership has refused to bring the farm bill to the floor for consideration. As...

  • Chairwoman Stabenow Statement on Continuing Farm Bill Process in the Lame Duck Session

    Sen. Debbie Stabenow, Chairwoman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, today released the below statement on continuing and finalizing the farm bill process in the lame duck session. "Americans could not be more clear that now that the election is over, they want us to work together to create jobs and reduce the deficit. If Congress can work together to pass the Farm Bill, it will create the trust and momentum we need to overcome gridlock and solve the challenges ...

  • Chairwoman Stabenow Statement on House Majority Leader Cantor's Commitment to Holding a Vote on Farm Bill in Lame Duck Session

    U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, Chairwoman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, issued the below statement today following reports (see below) that House Majority Leader Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) committed to holding a vote on the 2012 Farm Bill following the Nov. 6 general election. Cantor's remarks came during a campaign stop in Boise, Idaho where Cantor was helping Rep. Paul Labrador (R-Idaho) raise money. The Senate passed its version of the Farm Bill in June wit...

  • Chairwoman Stabenow Statement on Expiration of the Farm Bill, House Leadership Refusal to Act on Bipartisan Reforms

    Senator Debbie Stabenow, Chairwoman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, today issued the following statement regarding the expiration of the 2008 Farm Bill and House Republican leadership’s refusal to bring up the 2012 Farm Bill for consideration – which passed both the full Senate and the House Agriculture Committee with strong, bipartisan support. The 2008 Farm Bill will expire on Sept. 30 and agriculture policy will begin to revert to “perman...

  • Chairwoman Stabenow Applauds Administration Drought Relief Efforts, Urges House to Pass Farm Bill

    U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, Chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, today applauded President Obama for convening the White House Rural Council and responding as forcefully as possible to this year’s record-setting drought. At Chairwoman Stabenow’s urging, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued disaster declarations last month that make emergency loans available to help farmers, ranchers and agricultural businesses who are recovering fro...