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Strain Meets with Vice-President and Top Federal Ag Officials  Farm Bill Priori

Strain Meets with Vice-President and Top Federal Ag Officials
Farm Bill Priorities Set Baton Rouge, La. (February 7, 2018) – Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) Commissioner Mike Strain, D.V.M., and his counterparts across the country are calling on Congress to pass a Farm Bill by September with a unified voice. At a recent meeting in Washington D.C., Strain had unprecedented access to federal cabinet members including USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, Special Assistant to the President Ray Starling, Department of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and Commissioner of Food and Drug Administration Scott Gottlieb. A discussion with Vice-President Mike Pence on “cooperative federalism” was also a focus in which national, state and local governments pledge to work together. “When discussions start soon on the Farm Bill, rural broadband expansion, investments in infrastructure and improvements to conservation programs for producers are top priorities,” said Strain. “Making agriculture a priority is a way to bring prosperity to rural America,” he added. Strain said streamlining regulatory processes and embracing science and technology are also priorities in the new Farm Bill. The current Farm Bill expires September 30, 2018. For more on Strain’s recent trip to Washington D.C., you can find a video of him talking about what was accomplished on the LDAF and Commissioner Mike Strain’s Facebook pages. Source: ww.ldaf.state.la.us