STATEMENT OF SENATOR TOM HARKIN (D-IA)

HEARING ON THE NOMINATION OF ANN M. VENEMAN

COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE, NUTRITION AND FORESTRY

"The Secretary of Agriculture has one of the toughest and too often

under-appreciated jobs in our government. In any number of ways, the programs

and activities of the Department of Agriculture touch upon, improve and protect the lives of Americans in all stations and walks of life. Particularly in a great agricultural state like my state of Iowa, it is tremendously important who serves as Secretary and how well she carries out her responsibilities.

"So I was encouraged by the nomination of Ann Veneman to serve as Secretary of Agriculture. We on this Committee have known her and worked with her over a number of years. All indications are that Ms. Veneman is intelligent, capable and conscientious. She has solid experience and credentials in administering food and agriculture programs both here in Washington, rising to Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, and in her home state of California, where she served as Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

"I firmly believe we can work together and that we must work together across party lines to do the work that needs to be done for farm families, rural communities and consumers. We have a strong record on this Committee of

bipartisan cooperation, for which I want to thank especially Senator Lugar, who will soon again be our Chairman. I look forward to working with Ms. Veneman in that same spirit in her new position as Secretary of Agriculture.

"As I mentioned, the Department of Agriculture has far-reaching

responsibilities -- all the way from the farm to the table -- and it is

important that the Secretary of Agriculture is capable of dealing with the whole range of those issues. That runs from farm programs, to food safety, to

conservation, to nutrition assistance. I hope today's hearing will be the start of a productive dialogue and working relationship on the many critical issues falling under USDA's jurisdiction.

"Starting with farm policy, it is essential that we rework the Freedom to

Farm bill, and we ought to make every effort to do that this year. We should

keep what is working -- mainly planting flexibility and conservation -- and

improve what is not working. Mainly, that involves improving the farm income

features of the bill -- so that our nation's farm families do not have to depend on the uncertain prospect of emergency assistance packages year after year.

"The next farm bill should include a much stronger emphasis on conservation. I have proposed a new, wholly voluntary, program to provide financial incentives for maintaining and installing conservation practices. It is a proposal that will both improve farm income and bring about far greater dividends to farmers and our nation as a whole in the form of improved

conservation of our natural resources for future generations.

"Building markets and demand for food and agricultural products is another

critical need. We have a number of pressing issues in the area of agricultural trade, and I expect that Ms. Veneman's experience will be valuable in working to expand export markets. We also have to do much more on the domestic side through creating and developing new uses and markets for farm commodities, along with far greater use of ethanol, biodiesel and biomass fuels. Biotechnology offers a lot of promise in this regard, although we have some very knotty issues that will have to be resolved if agricultural biotechnology is really to succeed.

"We also can and must do more to help rural communities share in the

prosperity that the rest of the country is enjoying. That includes jobs and

economic growth and a higher quality of life in rural communities. USDA has a

critically important role in supporting rural utilities - electricity,

telecommunications, sewer and water services; assisting rural cooperatives and

businesses; improving community facilities; and channeling investment capital to rural areas. Our strategy for rural revitalization must include promoting the success of farmer-owned cooperatives and businesses that process and market farm

commodities.

"An overriding concern is the future of the independent family farm producer in American agriculture. We have seen a dramatic change in the structure and the landscape of farming and agricultural businesses as a result of rapid and sweeping consolidation, vertical integration and economic concentration. A key responsibility of the next Secretary of Agriculture will be to enforce the laws in USDA's jurisdiction aggressively, to work with the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission to enforce the antitrust laws fully, and to work with Congress on needed new legislation.

"From the consumer perspective, USDA has no role more important than

protecting the safety of our nation's food supply. We Americans are blessed

with an abundant supply of safe and wholesome food, but there is more that can

be done and that should be done to improve the safety of our food. Doing so is not only in the interest of consumers; it is also important to agricultural

producers whose markets depend on building and maintaining consumer confidence

in the safety of their food.

"As a nation, we cannot fail to meet our responsibilities to combat hunger

and malnutrition here and abroad. We Americans enjoy a level of wealth and

abundance unprecedented in human history. We simply cannot tolerate or condone hunger and malnutrition in our own country. And we can do more to help people in developing countries, especially children. I strongly support the initiative proposed by former Senators McGovern and Dole, and begun by President Clinton, to provide international food assistance that improves both nutrition and education.

"Again, I welcome Ms. Veneman to the Committee and look forward to today's

hearing and to working with her in the coming months and years."

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