Today, Congressman Rick Crawford announced the Department of Labor is dropping a proposed rule that would have imposed child labor laws on farm families. The Labor Department made the announcement late yesterday after hearing from farm families across the country. “Families in Arkansas should make decisions about raising their children and providing for their families, not bureaucrats from the Labor Department in Washington. This is a huge victory for farm families in Arkansas and across the cou...
For many in Arkansas, farming is a family business. Generations join together to cultivate the land and earn an honest living. Many farms are passed from one generation to another and are a tremendous source of pride. Other families scrimp and save to purchase land and pass a legacy onto their children and grandchildren. Family farm operations in Arkansas and across rural America tell our nation’s story. The family farm represents the success that comes from hard work and never being willing to ...
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Rick Crawford introduced legislation that would prevent the Department of Agriculture from closing any Farm Service Agency offices until the completion of proper county workload assessments. Crawford is cosponsoring the legislation with Congressman Leonard Boswell, (D-IA). The bill, called the “Farm Service Accountability Act,” would prohibit the closure or relocation of offices with a high workload volume. In January, the USDA announced – as part of a consolidatio...
Agriculture is the number one industry in our First Congressional District. In the fertile Mississippi River Delta we grow cotton, rice, corn, soybeans, wheat and even peanuts. In stark contrast to the Delta stand the Ozark Foothills where we have poultry, cattle, dairy and timber producers. Annually, agriculture in Arkansas is a $16 billion economic juggernaut that employees over 260,000 Arkansans. This week I welcomed members of the House Agriculture Committee to Jonesboro for a Farm Bill Fiel...
Congressman Rick Crawford questions witnesses at a 2012 Farm Bill Field Hearing today at Arkansas State University JONESBORO – Today, Congressman Rick Crawford welcomed House Agriculture Chairman Frank Lucas to Arkansas State University for one of only four 2012 Farm Bill Field Hearings in the country. The hearing was Arkansas’s chance to have a seat at the table as new policy is being crafted and this marks the first time a Farm Bill Field Hearing has ever been held in Jonesboro. Crawford and ...
WASHINGTON – Congressman Rick Crawford will welcome the House Agriculture Committee to Jonesboro, AR for one of only four 2012 Farm Bill Field Hearings. The hearing will be on Friday, March 30th on the campus of Arkansas State University. “It is an honor to host Chairman Lucas and committee members for a field hearing in Jonesboro to give farmers in our region a chance to have their voice heard before a new Farm Bill is written,” said Crawford. “Our district is home to a great variety of agricul...
WASHINGTON – Congressman Rick Crawford, (R-AR) and Congressman Sanford Bishop, (D-GA) will hold a lunch on Wednesday, March 21st with leaders of the American chicken industry. The lunch will serve as the inaugural event of the bipartisan Congressional Chicken Caucus. The Chicken Caucus was established to educate members of Congress and their staffs on the concerns and benefits of the U.S. chicken industry. “Congressman Bishop and I look forward to hosting the Chicken Caucus Lunch on Wednesday. I...
WASHINGTON – Congressman Rick Crawford led members of the House Rice Caucus in calling on Iraq to ease import rules for American rice. Crawford co-founded the Rice Caucus in the United States House of Representatives and took the lead on sending a letter to Iraqi Minister of Trade Khair Alla Babaker asking him to ease import rules for American rice. “Arkansas’s First Congressional District in the leading rice producing district in the United States. Our producers supply a quality product that is...
WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Rick Crawford announced that the House Agriculture Committee will hold a field hearing on the 2012 Farm Bill in Jonesboro. The hearing will be on Friday, March 30th on the campus of Arkansas State University. “Agriculture is the number one industry in our First Congressional District. Hosting Chairman Lucas for a field hearing in Jonesboro will give farmers in our region a chance to have their voice heard before a new Farm Bill is written,” said Crawford. “Our dis...
This week I introduced a bill before the House of Representatives that would give farmers a free-market option to prepare for disasters without relying entirely on the federal government. My bill, the Farm Risk Abatement and Mitigation Election or FRAME Act, would establish tax-deferred farm savings accounts to give farmers a choice in responding to disasters. Farmers in our corner of Arkansas and across the country face risks and uncertainty each day. Crop failure, changing markets, insect dama...
