Issue Position: Agriculture
Issue Position
Issue Position: Agriculture
"As a farmer, I understand that agriculture is the mother's milk of American society. It supplies the food we eat and is responsible for 20% of North Carolina's income and workforce. We must continue to support the American farmer and protect our food supply."
- Congressman Bob Etheridge
Agriculture is an integral part of North Carolina's economy. Even as we continue to develop lucrative new industries in manufacturing, technology, education and research, agriculture is still the number one industry in our state. In May 2008, Congress approved the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act, a new five-year Farm Bill. As the Chairman of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management, Congressman Etheridge played an integral role in writing this legislation.
The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 benefits every citizen in this country in some capacity, from nutrition and school lunch initiatives, to conservation, renewable energy, and food security. This legislation represents one of the most significant steps in agriculture policy reform in recent memory and provides the following:
* The Act increases funding for nutrition initiatives by more than $10 billion, including increasing assistance to food banks by $1.25 billion.
* To meet our growing energy needs here at home, the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008will provide more than $1.1 billion for renewable energy. This money will fund additional research into bio-energy, incentives for cellulosic, non-food-based ethanol sources, and additional loan guarantee programs to encourage the increased production of energy crops used to make biodiesel.
* In working to improve the environment, the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008increases funding for conservation efforts by $6.6 billion, a dramatic increase, doubling funding for farmland protection programs to reduce sprawl, and increasing programs such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), designed to reduce agricultural runoff into our streams and lakes.
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