Source:  US HOUSE AG COMMITTEE, 4/22/15

 Today, Rep. Rick Crawford (R-AR), Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee’s General Farm Commodities and Risk Management Subcommittee, held a public hearing to review the reauthorization of the U.S. Grain Standards Act.

The U.S. Grain Standards Act, which was first passed in 1916, authorizes the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration to establish official marketing standards for grains and oilseeds, and requires that exported grains and oilseeds be officially weighed and inspected. It also establishes rules for the voluntary inspection of domestic grain.

“Reauthorization of the U.S. Grain Standards Act will ensure an accurate, reliable, consistently available, and cost-effective grain inspection and weighing system,” Chairman Crawford said. “Our farmers and the companies that purchase their grain and oilseeds depend on these standards for grades and weights to remain competitive in the world market.”

Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway said, “I appreciate representatives from industry sharing their thoughts on how the current law could be improved. With 95 percent of the world’s consumers living outside of the United States, we must maintain and strengthen the marketing infrastructure that allows our grain exporters to remain competitive in the global marketplace. I look forward to moving legislation.”

Written testimony provided by the witnesses below.

Witness List:
Mr. David Winkles, President, South Carolina Farm Bureau Federation, Columbia, SC

Mr. J. David Cox, Sr., National President, American Federation of Government Employees, Washington, D.C.

Mr. Nick Friant, Chairman, NGFA Grain Grades and Weights Committee, and Co-Chair, NEAGA Grain Grades and Inspections Committee, on behalf of the National Grain and Feed Association and the North American Export Grain Association, Wayzata, MN