"American agriculture is the most reliable in the world."
"We want to have policies in place that work for everybody--specialty crops, and for all of our farmers."
"The specialty crop industry is very diverse and includes fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, and horticulture and nursery crops."
"It is important to hear from both USDA and stakeholders to learn what is working and what is not."
"I really see biotechnology as a major factor in what happens in agriculture as we try to produce the food and fiber for our ever-increasingly hungry world."
"One program that has proven to be effective is the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program."
"We do believe that if we are going to meet the challenges that we have in front of us with the criteria that we have laid out in terms of helping producers, that technology and research are going to b..."
"We do not and must not make that same mistake that we made with water, no running water until a while, no plumbing."
"Where are they going to get fuel? The culture of our country here is the convenience store."
"What kind of legislation do we put in place to deal with it?"
"I echo my colleagues in hoping this hearing reveals more immediate solutions to these problems."