FEDERALhearing transcript

House Agriculture Committee Hearing: The Importance of Trade to U.S. Agriculture

Original title: THE IMPORTANCE OF TRADE TO U.S. AGRICULTURE

January 1, 2015

agriculture international trade exports farm income commodities

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The Frame

What this does

The hearing highlights the economic reliance of U.S. farmers and ranchers on international markets, where exports account for nearly one-third of total U.S. farm income.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

U.S. Farmers and Ranchers

Their income and production levels are directly tied to international trade policies and export demand.

Agricultural Trade Associations

These organizations represent the interests of producers in policy discussions regarding international trade agreements.

What changed

Last recorded activity January 1, 2015.

What's next

Next step not available in the current record.

Summary

The House Committee on Agriculture held a hearing on March 18, 2015, to examine the role of international trade in the U.S. agricultural sector. Industry leaders testified on how export markets impact farm income and the production of key .

Key Facts

Exports account for approximately one-third of total U.S. farm income.
For specific commodities including cotton, tree nuts, rice, and wheat, over 50% of total U.S. production is exported.
The hearing took place on March 18, 2015, in Room 1300 of the Longworth House Office Building.
The committee received testimony from representatives of the American Farm Bureau Federation, National Pork Producers Council, National Milk Producers Federation, and United Fresh Produce Association.
A comment was submitted on behalf of David Sanchez, Vice President of the Northern New Mexico Stockmen's Association.
A letter was submitted by Philip Ellis, President of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the purpose of this hearing?

The hearing was held to discuss the importance of international trade to the U.S. agricultural industry and how exports affect farmers and ranchers.

Which agricultural groups provided testimony?

Representatives from the American Farm Bureau Federation, National Pork Producers Council, National Milk Producers Federation, and United Fresh Produce Association testified.

Why It Matters

The hearing highlights the economic reliance of U.S. farmers and ranchers on international markets, where exports account for nearly one-third of total U.S. farm income.

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift90% confidence

High Export Dependency

The hearing highlights that for several major U.S. crops, over half of all production is destined for international markets, indicating a high structural dependency on trade.

House Committee on Agriculture

Connected Entities

organizationHouse Committee on Agriculture“Congressional committee conducting the hearing”Map →

personPeter J. Kappelman“Chairman of the International Trade Committee, National Milk Producers Federatio”Map →

personBob Stallman“President of the American Farm Bureau Federation”Map →

personK. Michael Conaway“Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture”Map →

personHoward T. Hill“President of the National Pork Producers Council”Map →

personRobert L. Guenther“Senior Vice President for Public Policy, United Fresh Produce Association”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.govinfo.gov

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance65
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy10
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment5
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz10
Current news / social attention level

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