During a Senate Agriculture Committee hearing prior to the Congressional recess, Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) questioned Dudley Hoskins, nominee to be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, about the commodity procurement program.
Category
đ
NewsTranscript
00:30We've got a high-level conference back here.
00:53We've got a member that's trying to get over here,
00:56so we're going to give them a minute
00:59and if they come in a minute or so,
01:03we're in good shape.
01:04If not, then we'll go ahead and adjourn,
01:07but let's give them a chance.
01:11We're going to not adjourn officially
01:13for another minute or two,
01:15but you can yawn, take a break,
01:18do whatever you want to do for a second.
01:29It's hard with the votes.
01:33We have a, as many of you know,
01:35we have a new, kind of a,
01:37we did not enforce the get over and vote on time rule.
01:44It was very, very lax,
01:45so they've really tightened it up,
01:46and now if you're not over there
01:48within a certain period of time,
01:49they actually call the vote,
01:51and you just miss out.
01:52So, some things we can do and not do,
02:00but primarily we're here to vote.
02:03So, you guys got any other questions or comments?
02:09Thanks, sir.
02:39Senator Schiff.
02:50Thank you, Chairman.
03:03The success of California's agriculture industry
03:06is at least partially thanks to
03:10the very specialized knowledge
03:12and work of USDA experts.
03:14It's principally the success
03:16of the hardworking people
03:18in the agriculture industry
03:20who are some of the hardest working people
03:23I've ever met.
03:25But as two examples of the role
03:27that USDA experts play,
03:30and there are many more,
03:31APHIS protects California growers
03:33against citrus greening disease
03:35and ARS conducts research
03:37on the efficacy and efficiency
03:39of irrigated agriculture
03:40in vine and tree orchards.
03:43Mr. Hoskins and Dr. Hutchins,
03:45based on your experience at USDA,
03:47can you both briefly speak
03:48to the importance of APHIS,
03:50AMS, ARS,
03:52NIFA, and ERS staff
03:55at the department
03:55in securing the safety, innovation,
03:58and overall success
03:59of California's specialty crop industry?
04:04So thank you for that question, Senator.
04:07I guess I'll go first,
04:09just alphabetically,
04:10not in substance.
04:13But I would just say,
04:15when I think about that question,
04:16first from just an APHIS programmatic side,
04:19the mandate and authorities,
04:21this committee, this Congress,
04:23this chamber,
04:24has given the agency
04:25to help work
04:27in support and collaboration
04:28with your growers,
04:30your ag community
04:31in California,
04:32the California Department
04:34of Food and Ag,
04:35which plays an essential role
04:36as a partner
04:37in identifying,
04:39mitigating,
04:39and preventing
04:40both the plant-pest side
04:42of the equation
04:43and animal disease
04:45surveillance
04:47and response activities.
04:49So when I look
04:50at that portfolio,
04:51no matter where APHIS is
04:55or what issue
04:56we're talking about,
04:57the state partnership
04:58is absolutely essential.
05:00And CDFA
05:01has been instrumental
05:02and indispensable
05:03in that equation
05:04for as long
05:05as I've had
05:06the privilege
05:07to work in this space.
05:10To your question
05:11on staffing,
05:13as someone
05:13who's not
05:14at the department currently
05:15and doesn't have
05:16the benefit
05:16of internal briefings
05:18or assessments
05:19of bodies
05:20or resources
05:21or capacity,
05:22all I can say
05:23is I've heard
05:24Secretary Rollins
05:25state publicly
05:26her support
05:27and mandate
05:28that APHIS
05:29will ensure
05:30an adequate workforce
05:31to meet their mandate.
05:36Senator,
05:36thank you for the question.
05:38I've had the pleasure
05:39of traveling
05:39your state extensively.
05:40I've seen
05:41the great agriculture
05:41there from the rice fields
05:42near Sacramento
05:43to the almond plantations
05:45to the Salinas Valley
05:47to the cotton.
05:48And it's a wondrous place
05:50from an agricultural standpoint.
05:52It's a candy land
05:53for sure.
05:54So,
05:54and without a doubt,
05:56the federal agencies
05:57and USDA research
05:59as well as
06:00the University of California
06:01and the local agencies
06:02have had a tremendous impact
06:03on the success
06:04of agriculture
06:05in your state,
06:06particularly with
06:08the areas
06:09where developing methods
06:11and technologies
06:12for drought tolerance
06:14and so forth.
06:15so what I can speak to
06:18is the fact
06:19that those types
06:20of activities
06:21have been critically important
06:23to California
06:24and they will continue to be.
06:25And Mr. Hoskins,
06:27can you comment
06:27on the work
06:29that can be done
06:31to reduce barriers
06:31to participation
06:32in the commodity
06:33procurement programs
06:34for small,
06:35medium,
06:36newer beginning farmers
06:37and how we can create
06:38more opportunities
06:39for more farmers
06:41to provide healthy food?
06:42Thank you
06:45for that question,
06:46Senator.
06:48When I think about
06:49the commodity
06:50procurement program,
06:51the section 32 authority
06:53at AMS
06:54and their mandate
06:55to facilitate
06:56surplus removal
06:57and how their assessment
06:59is done
07:00to execute
07:01on that mandate,
07:03I also think about
07:04just some of the complexities
07:06that the agency
07:07is required
07:08to comply with
07:10under larger
07:11than just USDA
07:13authorities
07:13or compliance.
07:14It's the Federal
07:15Procurement Act
07:16and the cascade
07:18of regulations
07:19and steps
07:21vendors
07:22or participants
07:23have to go through
07:23to access that program.
07:26So I don't pretend
07:27to understand
07:28that matrix,
07:29but what I could
07:30commit to
07:31is if I were confirmed,
07:33I would want to work
07:33with you,
07:34your office,
07:35your staff,
07:35this committee,
07:37the Senate
07:37to better understand
07:38how or if
07:39or when
07:40the agency
07:41can reduce
07:42some of those impediments
07:43to participation
07:44for producers
07:45of all size.