August 8, 2005
Two Iowa State University students have been invited to give opening remarks at a Farm Bill Forum with U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns at the Iowa State Fair on Thursday at 11:30 a.m. The forum is one of nine listening sessions being held nationwide.
Shamus Brown, a sophomore in animal science from Graettinger, and Alicia Clancy, a senior from Halbur with a double major in journalism and public service and administration in agriculture, will speak at the forum.
Brown is Iowa's FFA president. Clancy represents Iowa's 4-H club members. Both will have two minutes to address the question: How should farm policy address any unintended consequences and ensure that such consequences do not discourage new farmers and the next generation of farmers from entering production agriculture?
Brown will share his concerns about the agricultural stereotypes held by younger people and the need to increase awareness of careers available in agriculture. Clancy said she plans to talk about the need to increase funding for youth agricultural education programs, such as 4-H and FFA.
The public is invited to attend the forum and address the following questions:
- How should farm policy address any unintended consequences and ensure that such consequences do not discourage new farmers and the next generation of farmers from entering production agriculture?
- How should farm policy be designed to maximize U.S. competitiveness and our country's ability to effectively compete in global markets?
- How should farm policy be designed to effectively and fairly distribute assistance to producers?
- How can farm policy best achieve conservation and environmental goals?
- How can federal rural and farm programs provide effective assistance in rural areas?
- How should agricultural product development, marketing and research-related issues be addressed in the next farm bill?
Those unable to attend the forum are invited to submit comments on the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Bill Forum website at http://www.usda.gov/farmbill.