Jerry Moran

I am sorry the circumstances are so difficult for our pork producers.

I think what you are telling me is, the market is at work here and it is doing its function.

I want to compliment Seaboard Foods as a Kansas company.

Mr. Chairman, thank you very much for allowing me to join you, and I would ask unanimous consent that I be allowed to join the panel today.

I wanted to give you the opportunity to expand upon your thoughts about why we should not do that.

I would remind you that, statutorily, language in the farm bill indicates that quantity has priority over quality.

I would hope there would be some coordination. I have significant faith in the Department of Agriculture in regard to these programs and would like for you to weigh in on behalf of this issue.

We are still waiting on implementation.

It doesn't sound like we are there yet.

I think there are things we can do to be more relevant to our own stakeholders and to a broader cut of the American public.

It seems to me that we are once again creating a significant competitive disadvantage, increasing costs for production of agriculture in the United States in a sector of our economy that continues to compete with foreign producers.

I feel very comfortable in at least commending him for his leadership on this topic of antibiotics.

This legislation is beneficial in improving patient care for our Nation's veterans.

I want to be certain that PAs are appropriately utilized by the VA to serve our veterans.

I want to thank Congressman Hare for his leadership on reintroducing this bill.

To my knowledge, no agricultural witness was asked to testify or testified during any of those hearings.

Our frustration here is, while you continue to express the belief that we will work our way through this magic legislative process...

this legislation could be one of the most detrimental policy changes we will consider this Congress.

I assume that you would all concur with the reality that agriculture will be dramatically affected by a piece of legislation.

It would make us less competitive.

This is a huge tax increase. It is a tax increase so large that it could pay for the commodity title of the 2008 Farm Bill 24 times over.

midwestern states would bear the brunt of the economic blow.

My question is, what are the amounts of money that farmers are going to pay additionally under this legislation that we need to then worry about how they find income?

I do believe that this is one of the pieces of legislation that may be the most detrimental, damaging things that we could do to agriculture, to farmers and ranchers, to small businesses across the country.

I am interested in knowing whether USDA has completed, even in preliminary form, any assessment of the additional costs to farmers for fertilizer, for natural gas, for diesel fuel.