DELAURO , COURTNEY MEET WITH LOCAL FARMERS AND AGRICULTURE ADVOCACY GROUPS

Middletown, CT — At Middlesex Community College, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), a Member and former Chairwoman of the Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, and Congressman Joe Courtney (D-CT), Member of the House Agriculture Committee, today held a roundtable discussion and listening session with local Connecticut farmers and producers about the upcoming Farm Bill reauthorization and the 2013 budget. Also attending was Connecticut Commissioner of Agriculture Steve Reviczsky and Middlesex Community College president Anne Wasescha, as well as representatives from the Connecticut Farm Bureau, the National Farmers Union, nutrition and hunger groups, the University of Connecticut, and the Yale School of Forestry. "As we move forward on both the Farm bill and the budget," said Congresswoman DeLauro, "Joe and I will work to ensure our local farms and businesses are strong, that we are preserving open spaces, and the nutritional needs of all Americans are met. We will also both work to highlight our region's particular interests, such as dairy, horticulture, organic agriculture, research, nutrition, conservation, and specialty crops. It is important we get this right. This is still a very tough economy. Household incomes are down while the costs of living and doing business continue to soar – making it harder for families to put food on their tables and farmers to thrive." "As the first member from Connecticut to serve on the House Agriculture Committee in more than a hundred years, I look forward to working with Congresswoman DeLauro to ensure that the 2012 Farm Bill reflects the interests and concerns of Connecticut's farmers and consumers," said Congressman Courtney. "I am deeply concerned that, if left unchecked, House Republicans would do lasting damage to those who rely on Farm Bill programs, including nutrition, conservation and farm assistance. As the Farm Bill will affect our State and its economy for years to come, it is vital that Connecticut's voice be heard from the early stages as we craft this legislation." Congresswoman DeLauro drew particular attention to cuts to nutrition programs recently proposed by the House Republican Majority. "The House Majority has already voted to slash nutrition programs by more than $33 billion," she said. "That cut could have been spread across the bill to areas like direct payments, but instead they singled out only nutrition. This would place even heavier burdens on the most vulnerable Americans. I believe we should take a balanced approach to addressing our fiscal challenges, and I will be working to restore that balance in the months to come." Currently, both the Farm Bill and the 2012 budget expire at the end of September.