Rep. Kelly hosts forum in Warwick for Hudson Valley farmers

WARWICK- U.S. Rep. Sue Kelly hosted an open forum July 24 at Warwick Town Hall for farmers and growers in the Hudson Valley. Kelly brought a special guest from Washington D.C. for the event: House Agriculture Committee Chairman Robert Goodlatte. Together, Kelly and Goodlatte updated attendees on agricultural legislation and issues pending in Congress, and answered questions and sought input from local farmers about various farming concerns. Warwick Town Supervisor Michael Sweeton introduced Kelly and Goodlatte. "I organized this forum to update you on agriculture legislation in Congress, to hear directly from you about the issues affecting your farms, and to give you this opportunity to interact with Chairman Goodlatte, who is one of our country's best advocates for farmers and the chief decision-maker on agricultural issues in the House of Representatives," Kelly told attendees. Goodlatte talked about various trade agreements with countries throughout the world and how they are affecting the U.S. agricultural industry. "Trade is very important because our farmers produce far more food in this country than we can consume," Goodlatte said. He also updated farmers about various pieces of legislation pending on the House Agriculture Committee. Among the topics discussed during the question-and-answer portion of the forum were marketing and business plans, specialty crops, COOL, labor and workers' issues, and competition problems in the dairy industr