Jim Costa: “I think you have to be an optimist if you are a farmer, a rancher, or a dairyman or -woman.”

I think we all pray that we can come together on a farm bill before the end of the year.

But let's be frank about it. Russia today is a syndicate, I think, that's masquerading as a nuclear--a nuclear syndicate masquerading as a country with a mob boss called Putin.

Right now, though, the CAP program is overextended and underfunded.

The challenges of coming together with local, state, and Federal policy to ensure that agriculture remains what it is, which is a national security issue.