Today, I joined my colleague Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX) to tape a segment about the Farm Bill for ABC’s 20/20 with John Stossel that will air in October.  As many of you know, I am a member of the House Committee on Agriculture and had the opportunity to be directly involved in creating this important piece of legislation. I strongly believe that the Farm Bill is essential to sustaining and growing the farming community in Upstate New York. By making historic investments in fruit and vegetable production, conservation, nutrition and renewable energy, the legislation creates a stronger safety net for America’s farmers and ranchers. This bill fairly and equitably represents the interests of all of our farmers and various agricultural industries across the country and was fashioned in a bipartisan manner.  Particularly, the dairy, specialty crops and conservation provisions will be extremely beneficial to New York farmers. In addition, the legislation makes great strides in reforming farm programs to reduce benefits going to the wealthiest of farmers and non-farmers alike, requires direct attribution of benefits, establishes a revenue-based counter cyclical program, and strengthens the integrity of the crop insurance program. To read my floor speech on the Farm Bill click here    

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