MonticelloLive

Growing up and spending time working on my grandfather’s South Arkansas farm allowed me the opportunity to see firsthand the impact that America’s farm families have on our lives. The experiences and lessons I learned during that time are still with me today as I work for Arkansas’s farmers and ranchers in Congress. That is why I sent a letter to the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Minority Leader urging them to pass the new Farm Bill to benefit our farm families.

I am a strong advocate for Arkansas Agriculture and I worked hard to help craft and pass the 2002 Farm Bill which has proven to be both effective and efficient farm policy for Arkansas’s farm families. Passing a new Farm Bill by the April 18th deadline when the current extension expires will be critical to ensuring that our nation has a safe and secure source of food and fiber.

This week, I was proud that the leadership of the U.S. House heard my call and instructed House conferees to begin negotiations with the Senate in order to move towards final passage of a Farm Bill that will benefit rural America and our entire nation.

In addition to these negotiations, I also introduced a bill this week to increase oversight and inspections of seafood imports which would provide a fair market for Arkansas catfish farmers and improve our public safety. This important measure will improve our public health and provide much-needed oversight of our nation’s seafood import by banning shipments of seafood that fall short of meeting federal requirements.

My legislation would require extensive inspections from two U.S. Agencies to guarantee imported seafood is safe for consumers to eat - the U.S. Department of Commerce would inspect foreign facilities that handle seafood imported to the U.S., and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services would inspect the seafood that enters our ports. My consumer legislation will provide strict standards to the seafood industry to ensure that seafood imports, and the facilities where it is produced, meet our nation’s high health standards.

Since Congress first produced a Farm Bill in 1949, our farmers have had a federal agricultural policy that enabled Americans to purchase safe and affordable food and fiber products. I will continue to advocate for Arkansas’s farmers so that we can give our farm families the assurance that their government stands behind them and is willing to make the necessary investment in their future.