It is important that we are united in opposition to cutting our programs. The Administration’s budget proposal calls for $265 billion in mandatory farm bill cuts and I would anticipate some members looking to that document as a blueprint when it comes time to debate the farm bill on the floor.

All of agriculture should stand together in opposition to this budget.

Last year, the President’s budget called for $231 billion in cuts to mandatory farm bill programs. You were not yet at USDA when the budget was released but I hope that we’ll be able to see your influence when the new budget is unveiled next week. I’m not sure anybody in the Administration really understands agriculture so we’re relying on you to be a voice of reason at the table.

We need to do something to address forest management concerns and I believe this bill seeks to do that. I’m supportive of moving the process along so we can negotiate with our Senate colleagues and find a workable solution to address these issues.

I’ve generally been impressed with how the Commission has gone about enacting these changes and look forward to seeing continued efforts to bring more transparency to the derivatives marketplace.

This is more of a political exercise than a serious debate but it could have a very real impact on the fate of the farm bill. There are ways for us to work together but this isn’t it. I believe there are areas of SNAP that can and should be reformed and where we can reach bipartisan consensus.

I believe the specialty crop area is in a very unique position. Consumer demand is increasing but natural resources remain fixed and the labor supply is shrinking. It seems to me that the key to being successful will be through the wise use of technology and with an optimum regulatory structure that allows innovation to flourish.

When we wrote Title Seven of Dodd Frank we anticipated that clearing could also become a central component of the swaps industry. Now, nearly 10 years after the financial crisis, that change is taking place. I think we can all agree that making our markets safer is a good thing.

Agriculture research is vital to the industry’s future. The research done by our land grant universities and other institutions invests in the next crop of agricultural scientists and producers while ensuring that our farmers can be competitive and continue to meet the growing, worldwide demands for their products.

Watershed programs are an incredibly important part of the conservation toolbox. Unfortunately, I don’t think a lot of folks are really aware of the programs themselves or the benefits they provide which is why today’s hearing is so useful.