Frank Lucas

I want to give producers the tools to help you do what you do best and that is produce the safest, most abundant, most affordable food supply in the world.

I expect we will hear a different perspective than we got in the Northeast and the Midwest.

I am a big advocate for alternative fuels and have been for a long, long time.

I am also aware that the death tax is creating difficulties for farming operations.

My producers in Oklahoma are concerned and worried about regulations coming down from the Environmental Protection Agency.

I am also committed to providing a strong crop insurance program.

I can tell you from experience that what works here in Illinois will not work as well for my constituents in Oklahoma.

The broad range of agricultural production makes our country strong, and it also creates challenges when you are trying to write a single farm bill.

These field hearings are a continuation of what my friend and Ranking Member Collin Peterson started in the spring of 2010.

Let me tell you--in some ways, Illinois and my home state of Oklahoma could not be more different.

As I said before, we don't have an easy road ahead of us, but I'm confident that by working together we can craft a farm bill that continues to support the success story that American agriculture is.

Today we'll hear from a selection of producers. Unfortunately, we just don't have time to hear from everybody who would like to share their perspective.

While I do not expect unanimity among dairy industry participants, we never get unanimity among farmers in general, I do encourage all industry participants, producers and processors alike, to find some level of consensus regarding the…

For dairy producers, the ongoing discussion of dairy reform is of particular importance.

While specialty crops do not participate in traditional commodity programs, there are other Federal programs that play an important role in helping American fruit, vegetable and nursery crop growers to stay competitive.

I want to hear how these Federal policies are affecting producers in the Northeast, but the main concern of our hearing will be how the farm bill affects specialty crops and dairy producers.

Field hearings are one of the most important parts of the farm bill process.

Farmers and ranchers across the country continue to face hardships because of their missing funds, and have lost confidence in the futures system.

First and foremost on the CFTC's agenda for the coming year must be its investigation into the collapse of MF Global and its missing customer funds.

Making policy without regard to the economic consequences is a luxury we cannot afford even in the strongest of economies.

This hearing of the Committee on Agriculture to review the Commodity Futures Trading Commission 2012 agenda will come to order.

Our constituents need more than empty reassurances.

This Committee will continue to monitor the investigation into MF Global's actions and will work to ensure that customers receive fair treatment throughout this entire process.

It is critical that this Committee shed light on the circumstances surrounding the bankruptcy, to insert additional facts and information into the public domain.

Dozens of my constituents have been left not only without their property but also without answers about why and how this happened.