SECRETARY KAWAMURA ANNOUNCES RELEASE OF CALIFORNIA’S FARM BILL LISTENING SESSIONS TESTIMONY AND SUBMISSIONS

SACRAMENTO – California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary A.G. Kawamura announces the release of California’s farm bill listening sessions testimony and public submissions.  The testimony and submissions will help to develop California’s recommendations for the 2007 farm bill.

“The testimony and submissions we have received demonstrate that the farm bill is not just about the health of our farms and ranches,” said Kawamura, “But it’s also about the health of our communities through nutrition, the environment, and improved infrastructure. The farm bill is a strategic investment in our future, and we look forward to bringing California’s recommendations to Congress.”

The California Department of Food and Agriculture, collaborating with five other state agencies, held  farm bill listening sessions last summer in four locations throughout the state, receiving suggestions from more than 200 organization and citizens.  These suggestions are the foundation for California’s farm bill recommendations that will be released in the coming months.

Covering such issues as energy, nutrition, conservation, rural development, specialty crops and research - the farm bill is omnibus multi-year legislation for major food and farm programs. Domestic assistance programs (food stamps) and farm credit are a few of the funding areas provided under this legislation. The current farm bill, the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, will expire in 2007, necessitating action by Congress.

California’s farm bill listening sessions testimony and submissions are available on the CDFA website at www.cdfa.ca.gov. Transcripts of California’s listening sessions are also posted on the site.