Subcommittee Examines Factors Impacting Cost of ProductionToday, Rep. Rodney Davis (IL-13), Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture, and Research, held a hearing to highlight the positive and negative factors impacting “The cost of production to America’s farmers and ranchers is impacted by many factors ranging from market price and land values to government policies and regulations. According to our witness from Illinois, Mr. Guebert, his input costs this year, excluding land, will be more than four times what they were in 1985. With this in mind and the recent collapse in net farm income, farmers and ranchers will need every tool available to them to minimize “Under these current conditions in farm country, farmers and ranchers need to have confidence in our government agencies and the Written testimony provided by the witnesses from today’s hearing is linked below. Click here for more information, including Subcommittee Chairman Rodney Davis' opening statement and the archived webcast. Witness List:The Honorable Charles Conner, President & CEO, National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, Washington, DC The Honorable Jeff M. Witte, Secretary/Director, New Mexico Department of Agriculture, Las Cruces, NM, on behalf of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture Ms. Maureen Torrey, Vice President, Torrey Farms, Inc. Elba, NY, on behalf of the United Fresh Produce Association Ms. Kate Woods, Vice President, Northwest Horticultural Council, Yakima, WA Mr. Richard Guebert, President, Illinois Farm Bureau, Bloomington, IL Mr. Dale Murden, President, Texas Citrus Mutual, Mission, TX Mr. Jay Vroom, President, CropLife America, Washington, DC |