Rep. Kagen Earns Seat on Agriculture Committee

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 9, 2007

Rep. Kagen Earns Seat on Agriculture Committee

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) Congressman Steve Kagen (D-Appleton) will represent the interests of the farmers and families of Northeast Wisconsin on the Agriculture Committee in the 110th Congress.

“I am honored to serve our district on the Agriculture Committee. Agriculture is an irreplaceable part of our district, our state and our lives. More than an economic resource, our farms embody who we are and how we live. Hard work, thrift, conservation of our land and water resources – these are values our families have taught us and which we must never forget,” said Kagen.

“An important way to increase the income of our family farmers is to reduce their impossible expenses for health care and energy. Access to affordable health care and emphasis on renewable sources of energy must become the focus of this committee and the 110th Congress,” Kagen said.

“I will fight for our family farms and American agriculture knowing that a healthy agriculture sector is essential to our well-being as a nation and a free people.”

Wisconsin agriculture generates $51 billion in economic activity annually. Wisconsin dairy farmers produce more than 13% of the nation’s milk supply.

A major responsibility of the Agriculture Committee in the 110th Congress is reauthorization of federal farm programs in the Farm Bill. The bill authorizes commodity support, agricultural trade, marketing, food assistance and rural development policies over several years. The current farm bill was written in 2002, and many of the provisions in that bill will expire this September.

The House Agriculture Committee has jurisdiction over a wide range of agriculture and rural development issues. These areas include renewable energy, disaster assistance, nutrition, crop insurance, conservation, international trade, futures market regulation, animal and plant health, agricultural research, bioterrorism, forestry, and more.

The committee is chaired by Rep. Collin Peterson of Minnesota.