Agriculture is a way of life, and today – thanks to your help – that way of life will be easier to preserve for our children and grandchildren.

Kansas Common Sense

On Wednesday morning, I had an opportunity to question U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis about her Department’s proposal to ban youth under the age of 16 from participating in many common farm-related activities during a Labor/HHS Appropriations Subcommittee hearing.

I am very disappointed in the party-line vote in the Senate.

President Ronald Reagan said: “If you seek peace, if you seek prosperity … if you seek liberalization … Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”  Almost 23 years later, that same logic holds true, only the government is not the Soviet Union and the wall is not made of bricks and mortar.  Instead, the country is Cuba and the wall is U.S. laws and regulations that inhibit food and agricultural sales and prohibit American citizens from traveling to Cuba.

The Senate passed Majority Leader Harry Reid’s health care reform bill by a vote of 60-39 on Christmas Eve. I am opposed to this legislation and offended that the writing of this bill was driven by deal-making, personal handouts and political payoffs instead of reasonable public policy.

November 11th, we observe Veterans Day to honor those who have served our country in the military and protected our way of life. Kansans can be proud that our state has a long history of supporting our country’s veterans in gratitude for their service. These stories have and will continue to inspire people of our state, and nation, to do great things for those who sacrifice on our behalf. 

America is a far-ranging land that many different folks are proud to call home.  Americans have different values, ethnicities, religions, education levels, and jobs. 

Editors Note: A few excerpts from Rep. Jerry Moran's column

Agriculture Committee Hearing on Biofuel Regulations

On Thursday, the House Agriculture Committee continued its oversight hearings on a recent Environmental Protection Agency rule to place unfair greenhouse gas emission requirements on renewable fuels. EPA has proposed to include indirect greenhouse gas emissions from land use changes in foreign countries, like Brazil, when determining the domestic biofuel industry’s total greenhouse gas emissions.