Senate ag committee in Little Rock Nov. 23
Nov 13, 2009 10:39 AM
The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry will hold a field hearing in Little Rock, Ark., Monday, Nov. 23, at 1 p.m.
The hearing — “Revitalizing Rural America” to examine ways to strengthen and grow Arkansas’s rural economy — will be hosted by the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service at the Great Hall of the William J. Clinton Presidential Library.
Arkansas Sen. Blanche Lincoln, chairman of the committee, is organizing a statewide Agriculture and Business Leadership Breakfast on Nov. 24 to examine the impact of U.S. agriculture, rural development and forestry policy on the state’s rural and small business economy. That event is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the Association of Arkansas Counties Board Room, 1415 Third Street in Little Rock.
“When our nation faces difficult economic times, rural Americans are often the first to feel the impact and the last to recover,” Lincoln said. “This field hearing and leadership breakfast will give me an opportunity to hear firsthand from Arkansans on how we can work together to encourage economic development in our rural communities. Both events will focus on the economic needs and strengths of various sectors of the Arkansas economy as I move forward in constructing the Senate Agriculture Committee’s agenda.”
The committee will hear testimony from three panels. The first panel will focus on the importance of production agriculture to the rural economy and will consider the impact recent flooding in Arkansas has had on this year’s crop. A second panel will focus on improving rural infrastructure. The final panel will focus on successful community and economic development initiatives.
