house ag chair michael conaway won a commitment from republican leaders to address the cuts in a later omnibus spending bill.. but it still passed in the legislation.. no amendments were allowed in this vote.. in iowa senator chuck grassley's news conference call yesterday.. a three billion dollar hit could disenfranchise farmers with crop insurance.. it cuts nearly a third of funds.... he says it's better to have farmers buy into crop insurance to manage risk.. which pays out 40 to 45 percent.. rather than subsidizing 100 percent if a natural disaster is declared. "92 percent of the farmers have crop insurance. before we had crop insurance, every farmer, would have to, if there's a natural disaster, get a disaster resolution declared by the president of the united states. and then, is there money available? if there's not money available, then you always had to depend on was congress going to appropriate money the original bill language did not specify the cuts.. but sets a targeted reduction of insurer reimbursement rates.. from the average 14 percent.. to nine percent.. the grain ma

the hearing was chaired by congressman michael conaway of texas. >> well, good morning. let's go ahead and get started. mr. keller, would you open us with a prayer, please. >> dear heavenly father, we just ask that you bless this committee. we ask that you bless this government. we ask that you bless all those who lead this great nation. dear lord, we just ask that everything we do honor and please you in jesus' name i pray, amen. >> thank you. this committee of agriculture regarding the developments of the 2015 dietary guidelines for americans will come to order and i want to thank our witnesses for being here this morning. it is no small feat to get two of the secretaries of two of the most important agencies in government to come sit at the same table at the same time so i thank you, secretary vilsack and burwell, for making it ham, we appreciate it. we're going to discuss the development of the 2015 dietary guidelines for americans. it's not our intent to legislate specific guidelines, however, we ask that the guidelines be developed in a transparent manner. it's a r

house ag chair michael conaway won a commitment from republican leaders to address the cuts in a later omnibus spending bill.. but it still passed in the legislation.. no amendments were allowed in this vote.. in iowa senator chuck grassley's weekly news conference.. he says the deal could disenfranchise farmers with crop insurance.. it cuts nearly a third of funds.. "and this $3 billion dollar hit on crop insurance would probably get farmers back into the mode of: 'why buy crop insurance?' and then, they're going to know the government's going to come in like they do on other natural disasters and pay 100 percent. so, i think we've got something good with 92 percent of the farmers are participating in it. and don't screw it up." the original bill language reduction of insurer reimbursement rates.. from the average 14 percent.. to nine percent.. ---- the grain markets have slowed down.. and that could be.. because of end of the month trading.. "we've really just been in kind of a choppy sideways pattern for weeks, here now, which on the good side of that is, we've gone through that per

house ag chair michael conaway won a commitment from republican leaders to address the cuts in a later omnibus spending bill.. but it still passed in the legislation.. no amendments were allowed in this vote.. in iowa senator chuck grassley's weekly news conference.. he says the deal could disenfranchise farmers with crop insurance.. it cuts nearly a third of funds.. "and this $3 billion dollar hit on crop insurance would probably get farmers back into the mode of: 'why buy crop insurance?' and then, they're going to know the government's going to come in like they do on other natural disasters and pay 100 percent. so, i think we've got something good with 92 percent of the farmers are participating in it. and don't screw it up." the original bill language did not specify the cuts.. but sets a targeted reduction of insurer reimbursement rates.. from the average 14 percent.. to nine percent.. ---- the grain markets have slowed down.. and that could be.. because of end of the month trading.. "we've really just been in kind of a choppy sideways pattern for weeks, here now, which on the go

house ag chair michael conaway won a commitment from republican leaders to the cuts in a later omnibus spending bill, but it still passed in the legislation. no amendments were allowed in this vote. in iowa senator chuck grassley's weekly news conference call he says the deal could disenfranchise farmers with crop insurance. it cuts nearly a third of funds. he says, "and this $3 billion dollar hit on crop insurance would probably get farmers back into the mode of: 'why buy crop insurance?' and then, they're going to know the government's going to come in like they do on other natural disasters and pay 100 percent. so, i think we've got something good with 92 percent of the farmers are participating in it and don't screw it up." grassley adds it's better to have farmers buy into crop manage risk, which pays out 40 to 45 percent, rather than subsidizing 100 percent if a natural disaster is declared. "before we had crop insurance, every farmer, would have to, if there's a natural disaster, get a disaster resolution declared by the president of the united states." he says, "and then, is th