Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack testifies in the first Committee hearing for the 2012 Farm Bill Reauthorization
In testimony before the House Agriculture Committee on April 21, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack made the case for a stronger rural America in the 2012 Farm Bill reauthorization. The House Agriculture heard from Secretary Vilsack in the first of a series of planned Farm Bill reauthorization hearings.
In his testimony, Secretary Vilsack stated, "Regardless of the positive impacts of the Farm Bill, many Americans continue to question the efficacy of dedicating current levels of federal resources and support through Farm Bill legislation. I believe that there is an important story that must be told regarding the importance of rural America, which serves as a basic building block for the rest of the economy. Despite the hardships, rural America is strong....the actions that rural Americans take and their stewardship of the land directly impact water quality. As a result, rural Americans have a critical role in protecting the safety and security of our drinking water and the quality of our nation's rivers, lakes, and streams."
Acknowledging, however, that there are challenges to providing economic opportunities for rural residents, the Secretary called for support of the new USDA Regional Innovation Initiative.
"I believe one model for the kinds of new creative approaches we can take in the next Farm Bill is found in USDA's new Regional Innovation Initiative. This new and innovative regional and collaborative approach will center on 5 separate pillars promoted by the Administration and arising from USDA's programs that assist rural America. Major emphasis will be placed on the following five key areas:
- Broadband,
- Renewable Energy and Bio-fuels,
- Regional Food Systems and Supply Chains,
- Forest Restoration and Private Land Conservation,
- Ecosystem Market Incentives.
"USDA will work with federal and private partners to develop metrics to measure and demonstrate the success of the approach. Based upon the sustained economic difficulties that rural America has faced, USDA will begin by measuring job development and preservation, along with growth of income. It is vitally important that rural America not only become a desired place for young people to secure long-term, quality employment. But even more importantly, rural America must become an attractive place for young people to establish homes and raise families. As such, the measures of success will be expanded to also track and report on population changes in rural places. In order to be truly successful in this endeavor, rural America must be at the heart of a thriving 21st Century American economy. "
After the hearing, Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (D-MN) told reporters "I think it will be very difficult to pass a status-quo farm bill in 2012...I think it's inadequate." He went on to say that there will not be enough money to increase crop subsidy rates as high as some backers want. "'I'm trying to get people to look ahead here," said Peterson.
