Agriculture & Rural Development Committee
The oldest of the standing committees, the Agriculture and Rural Development Committee’s agenda focuses on issues critical to the future of farming and farm communities. As the "engine of the economy," agriculture constitutes a vital sector of the economies of most Southern states. A principal focus of the Committee's work in the past several years has been rural development and rural communities. Building on a tradition of concrete programming at SLC meetings, the SLC Rural Forums, held in 2003 in Point Clear, Alabama, and in 2004 in Little Rock, Arkansas, provided policymakers with unique opportunities to share innovations and experiences in crafting effective rural policies.
Recent Committee initiatives include updates on international trade and agriculture, consolidation in the farm sector, and conservation and farm land preservation. Other issues in which the Committee has long-standing interest include the imported red fire ant, the status of the rural South, and food safety and security. The Committee has focused on the changing face of agriculture across America and conditions in the rural South. The status and future of rural communities is emerging as a major focus for the Committee’s current year. Additionally, the Committee works annually with public and private agencies, local and federal officials, and the land grant university system to assure the continued vitality of the region’s farm and rural communities.
Chair's Report from the 2007 Annual Meeting
Publications from the Committee
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Chair:
Delegate Robert D. Orrock, Sr., Virginia |
Vice Chair:
Representative Terry England, Georgia |
SLC Contact: Jonathan Watts Hull
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