Chairman's Welcome Chairman Goodlatte

Hello, I’m Congressman Bob Goodlatte, Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee.

I represent the beautiful Sixth District of Virginia which covers the great Shenandoah Valley. Virginia has a rich agricultural history. By the end of the 18th century the Shenandoah Valley had become the leading wheat producer in the country, ultimately becoming the “bread basket” of the Confederacy during the Civil War. Cyrus McCormick made the first successful demonstration of his famed grain reaper in 1831 and the earliest recognized chapter of the National Future Farmers of America (FFA) was in Augusta County, Virginia in 1927.

Virginia has been in the agriculture business for almost 400 years. The diverse nature, and vital economic component of Virginia agriculture is representative of American agriculture as a whole. One third of my district is national forest land. We produce an array of commodities including livestock, fruit and vegetables among them corn, grain sorghum, barley, oats, wheat, dairy, minor oil seeds, peanuts, cotton and tobacco.

The work of the Agriculture Committee affects the lives of every American. The last two sessions of Congress have seen the Committee hold hearings on a wide number of issues ranging from bioterrorism and homeland security to food stamps and welfare reform, from conservation and nutrition to forest management, trade and rural development.

Perhaps the most important work of the Agriculture Committee consists of maintaining policies which assure a safe, abundant and affordable food supply which is indeed the marvel of the world.

I trust you will find our web site useful. It incorporates an extensive amount of information including the schedule of upcoming hearings, current and past press releases, pending legislation, Committee history and much more.

Should you desire to listen in to any of our full Committee or Subcommittee hearings, we have a live audio feed available on the web site.

In addition, if you wish to be made aware of the Committee schedule, or to receive periodic email updates as to what is happening legislatively, please sign up at the appropriate link on the bottom left hand side of the home page.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower once remarked, “Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil, and you’re a thousand miles from the corn field.”

Legislators in Washington cannot craft effective farm policy if they are not in touch with the day to day challenges of rural America. The Committee welcomes your input and considers it a privilege to represent the views and interests of American agriculture.

Sincerely,

Bob Goodlatte