Maine farmers, food security advocates and others are expected to testify Monday afternoon at a U.S. congressional field hearing in Freeport.
Their testimony will help the House Agriculture Committee write a new Farm Bill, which sets policy on everything from supplemental nutrition assistance and food prices, to land conservation, broadband and rural housing.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree of Maine's 1st District, who serves on the Agriculture Committee, said the hearing is a big opportunity for Maine farmers to have their voices heard on PFAS remediation, climate change and many other issues.
"They'll hear from our bigger commodities, like blueberries and potatoes [about] some of the trade issues that they have to face. They're going to hear from people who are dealing with food banks that don't have enough food to go around."
Pingree also expects that advocates will make the case for a restoration of expanded benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which helped more than 100,000 Mainers during the pandemic. The expanded benefits were discontinued earlier this year, and demand at Maine food banks has soared.
Pingree said she's excited about the opportunity for her fellow committee members to learn about Maine's agricultural diversity.
"They're used to seeing a lot of different kinds of agriculture, but we're truly unique in Maine," she said. "We have some beautiful, spectacular farms that are run by hardworking families, who run retail operations, CSAs, grow vegetables in the winter, which isn't common in other parts of the country."
Congress writes a new Farm Bill once every five years, though the 2023 bill is still months away from being enacted. After the hearings, House and Senate agriculture committees must each draft their own versions of the bill and negotiate a final package that can pass both chambers of Congress.
