Hearing on Ag Funding Freeze Wednesday

Friday, April 11, 2008







The Illinois House Agriculture and Conservation and the Senate Appropriates Committees will hear about the breadth of the state freeze on $40 million in agriculture funding during a joint committee hearing on Wednesday, April 16.



The committee plans to take testimony from representatives of several impacted agricultural groups starting at 8 a.m. in the Capitol, room 114.



Those represented are to include Extension Partners, Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs), the Illinois Council on Food and Agricultural Research (C-FAR), the Fertilizer Research and Education Council (FREC), AgrAbility Unlimited, and the Grape and Wine Resources Council.



“There will not be an open public comment session at this hearing. The time has been structured to allow scheduled speakers time to speak,” said Kevin Semlow, Illinois Farm Bureau director of state legislation.



“The hearing also will allow committee members to ask the administration questions regarding these funding issues,” Semlow noted.