public service. along with these other television providers. giving you a front row seat to democracy. officials from the agricultural department testified on the farm bill which covers agriculture, nutrition, conservation, and forestry policy for the next five years. the witnesses also talked about trade, export markets, and food security. the hearing before the senate agriculture committee is a little more than two hours. good morning. the hearing of the forestry commission to order. senator brown just indicated sitting in senator pat leahy seat. he was carrying more about organics and daring this morning. so, we welcome you to the. speaking of welcoming new members, we are so pleased to have senator welch, senator fetterman as new members of the committee. we appreciate you. we are so glad you are joining us. particularly at this bowman we have so much important work to do on the farm bill. thank you. also, we welcome our witnesses. undersecretary taylor, undersecretary moffitt, and miss childs. thank you for being here today on this really really important topic. i know that ranking member both men and i share the fact that we know we have a big job ahead and we are working closely together to be able to pass the next farm bill with strong bipartisan support. i'm really confident that this committee is up to the task to be able to do that. last year our committee examined usda research, world element, and energy programs. now we begin the new congress with a review of the farm bills horticulture and trade titles. these titles represent the breath of american agriculture, supporting our specialty crop in organic farmers strengthening our local food systems, building new markets abroad for all of our commodities and products. deliver critical food aid across the globe. i'm proud that michigan is one of the most diverse agricultural states in the nation. apples, blueberries, cherries, we produce over 300 different crops. the message i hear from these farmers is clear. foreign policy cannot be a one size fits all model. in the context of today's hearing when we speak specifically about specialty crops are fruit and vegetable farmers face rising labor costs. increasing in court pressure and emerging pests and diseases. i'm committed to passing inform bill that will improve their ability to manage risk and market their products. attention to their issues is vital to keep our american grown fruits and vegetables on our tables. since the passage of the 2018 farm bill, we have seen continued growth in the organic sector which exceeded 63 billion dollars in sales last year. we need to continue to support our organic farmers, including those transitioning into the program. it is important that we make the local agricultural market program permanent from the 2018 farmville. we have seen a surge in demand for locally sourced food during the pandemic, underscoring the need for more investments in our local and regional food systems. globally, we are facing unprecedented levels of food insecurity, compounded by high food prices, supply chain challenges, and, of course, putin's war against ukraine. our farmers play a vital role in providing u.s. grown commodities to feed those in need. farmville development programs help to build resiliency on the ground. the farm bill also creates opportunities for american farmers to connect with consumers around the world by providing marketing assistance and credit access. agriculture experts have grown from 66 billion dollars in 1996 to a record 191 billion dollars. in 2022. that is more than 1 million american jobs on and off the farm. our witnesses today will highlight how those model program support the diversity of american agriculture. the success of our agricultural economy requires continues investments in markets and opportunities for farmers. whether they are selling to neighbors or exporting products globally. whether they are growing traditional commodities, specialty crops, or organics, the farm bill will help farmers put food on tables here, and around the world. we all have a stake in continuing to make sure that that happens. that is what this farm bill is all about. i would like to now turn to my friend and ranking member, senator boozman. >> thank you madam chair. let me start by welcoming the 21 returning member to our committee. i'm grateful that you have chosen to continue serving on the committee. it is a important moment for u.s. agriculture. i believe that together we will need to craft the world's safest, most abundant, and most affordable food supply while predicting the air, water, land, and wildlife in rural communities and we will care about. additionally, i would like to welcome our two new members, senators welch and fetterman. i had the pleasure of working with senator welch while we were in the house. i look forward to continuing our work here. again, he is a good friends. i think he's gonna be a great member. senator fetterman, is the 11th member from pennsylvania to serve on this committee since its founding in 1825. i look forward to his contributions and to work together in the future. chairman stabenow recently surprised us all with her announcement that the 119th congress would be her last in the senate. leaving this committee and serving as the third highest leader of the democratic leadership, senator stabenow have climbed her way up the ladder to serve not only the people of michigan, but the many americans who have benefited from the policies and programs she has championed. i have no doubt that over the next two years the chairwoman will continue to pursue her goals asked determined as ever. i know that determination will be key to passing the next form bill, which brings today's hearing. madam chairwoman, thank you for convening today's hearing, which builds on our work from last year. kicks off our most important task of the 119 congress. drafting in passing a farm bill. as we create the next farm bill, it is important to understand the environment that we find ourselves in december the year over year consumer price index the annual inflation in 2022 is 80%, the highest in more than four decades it is not yielding anytime soon. in the farm sector this was seen in record high farm expenses fertilizer, fuel, record high taxes and fees cost of minors. others the relatively high commodity prices, backing those higher prices whether surgeon agricultural exports. during this last fiscal year, u.s. agriculture exports increased by 14% to a record of nearly 200 billion dollars. headwinds on trains are beginning to develop to have a proactive trade agenda to support iran and rule economies. the farm bill includes several programs intended to assist in trade promotion activities including the market active program in the foreign market and the development program. i look forward to reviewing the development program and ensuring that the investment match of these programs needs it only works if they live up to the agreement that they signed if they don't they must be held accountable one of the first official act was to travel to mexico and to appropriately confront the government and proposing to ban the u.s. biotech corn. a significant departure of science-based trade policy. many countries around the world advance anti farmer and anti production policies, the u.s. must actually promote and defend science based technology to help protect american farmers, and ranchers, continue to feed, fuel, and clothes the world tific global food security willy improve if we embrace scientific advancements that allow for more productive and sustainable agricultural production. today more than one in ten people around the world around 828 million people, will be going to bed hungry. beyond that, nearly 350 million food insecurity, more than double the number in 2019. this man-made conflict, the economic shocks, i supply chain costs and resulting food price increases we have seen the food being taken from the hungry to give to the starving during my travels in africa yesterday -- many to seek refuge in kenya and other countries. however, the unrelenting drought in these region leaves all countries leading to significant food shortage and u.s. commodities to provide vital support to fighting the hunger problem. the u.s. has consistently been a leader in delivering food assistance around the world, beginning with efforts following world war ii. our emergency and nonemergency programs continue today. many are authorized within the farm bill. americans should take great pride in the food for peace, food for progress, and government programs. these programs not only save and transform lives in some of the world's most desperate situations, they have also created tremendous goodwill towards the u.s. in recipient countries. today's hearing will help flush out today's most consequential aspects of u.s. agriculture and food security. i think our guesses were joining us today. i look forward to hearing from them. again, thank you very much for being here. madam chair. thank >> you very much. i will now introduce our three witnesses and ask each of you to give us five minutes of opening testimony before questions. alexis taylor is the undersecretary for a trade and foreign agricultural affairs, prior to this role she was the director of the department of agriculture. she also has experience with united states department of agriculture and in congress having worked as an adviser to representative leonard boswell of iowa and senator max bacchus of montana. it is good to have you back. our next witness is -- serves as the -- regulatory programs. before joining u.s. da, she held multiple leadership positions with than the california department of food and agriculture. she spent ten years as the managing director of her family's organic walnut farm in california. thank you again for being here. and finally, sara charles is the assistant to the administrator of u.s. and the bureau for humanitarian assistance. the u.s. government lead for international disaster response. prior to her current position, she held roles at the international rescue committee and the national security council at the white house. thank you so much for being here as well. we will turn to undersecretary taylor. >> good morning, senator stabenow, ranking members of the committee. i'm pleased to be heard colleagues from usda and usaid, chairwoman stabenow, i'd like to particularly thank you for your leadership and dedication, not just of this committee, but to the entire agricultural sector over the years. while you are not leaving us quite yet, you will be missed. i appreciate the opportunity to discuss the trade, market development, international food assistance, and capacity building programs, authorized by the farm bill under the trade in foreign agricultural mission area. this mission area promotes u.s. agricultural exports, works to reduce barriers that impede trade, opens new markets for u.s. farm products and contributes to global food security. the tea faa missionary overseas foreign agricultural service and the u.s. kotex office. a fierce is usda's lead international agency, linking u.s. agriculture to the world to enhance export opportunities and global food security. faa supports food and agricultural sector with a network of economists, marketing experts, negotiators, and trade specialists, in d.c., and nearly 100 offices around the world, puckering over 180 countries. we are proud that our work, that our role and open and maintaining markets has resulted in a new record as has been highlighted here in agricultural exports of nearly 196 billion dollars last year, topping the previous year's record by 14%. and while those numbers are impressive, what is more impressive is the real world impact those experts have to our among rural communities. u.s. agriculture exports support more than 1 million jobs here at home, and contribute more than 154 billion in additional economic activity. over numerous farm bills, congress has authorized and refined and effective combination of agricultural market development programs and export credit guarantee programs. these programs are designed to develop markets to facilitate financing of overseas sales unresolved market access barriers. we partner with a diverse group of cooperators representing u.s. food and agricultural industries and manage a toolkit of trade promotion programs to help u.s. exporters develop and maintain markets. i recently prepared study for the u.s. grains counsel found that usda export market to development programs generated a high benefit cost ratio for u.s. agriculture, but also the overall economy. this study determined that u.s. agricultural export value increased by over $24 for every dollar invested in export market development. likewise, we are equally as proud of our international food assistance and capacity building programs, which provide assistance that has helped millions of people around the world. i've seen firsthand the impact of this work, to help developing countries improve their agricultural systems and build their trade capacity to receive our exports, or supply us with products the u.s. needs to meet consumer demand. before developing countries can become customers for u.s. agricultural products, they must first become politically, economically, and socially stable, our program support this work. usda sponsored fellowship in exchange programs invest in the future of developing countries by enabling international researchers, policy makers, and agricultural specialists to work alongside their u.s. counterparts, acquiring the novelist and skills to help build their country's agriculture sectors. by helping strengthen agricultural institutions and foster regulatory systems that support science-based trade policies, these programs also help to improve international market access for u.s. agricultural products. i am proud to lead usda's efforts to improve foreign market access for u.s. products, diversify into new markets and improve the competitive position of u.s. agriculture in the global marketplace, all working to uphold science based standards, equally is important, support food security of millions of people around the world. we look forward for the opportunity to refine our programs as congress works to reauthorize the farm bill. so, we can make u.s. foreign policy more efficient, effective, equitable, and sustainable, providing greater export opportunities to a vast range of markets for the benefit of our farmers, and food businesses. thank you again for having me, i look forward to any questions that you may have. >> thank you very much. under secretary moffitt? >> thank you chairwoman stabenow, ranking member boozman, and members of this committee for the opportunity to be with you today, and for the wide array of resources are provided usda as we partner with farmers, ranchers, and producers to strengthen american agriculture. in my travels as undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs, i have seen the impact of the farm bill, and the importance of the programs in the title. i've heard directly from farmers and ranchers on how they benefit from these programs and our work at usda. growing up in a small community with a family of farmers, i have seen the benefits of the farm bill firsthand. i know the ingenuity and the passion farmers and ranchers bring to the challenges and rewards of producing the food that feeds vessel. over the past three years, we've seen the challenges that farmers and ranchers face, particularly in accessing markets to capture their fair share of a food dollar. even with record farm income, many farmers, too many farmers, 89%, must work off farm to meet the needs of their families. we know that small and mid sized farmers are impacted the most and there are still far too many barriers for new and giving farmers. under the leadership of the biden harris administration and secretary -- and with the support of leaders on this committee, usda has been hard at work to address these challenges and strengthen our food, agricultural, and roll economies. strengthening and transforming local and regional food systems as one priority of our efforts. the local agricultural marketing programs and the 2018 farmville, our newly created local food procurement programs are putting world prosperity front and center, adding value to where food is produced, ensuring that capital stays in the communities, and ensuring and leading to long term economic growth and vibrant rural communities. these programs create a win for local farmers, local economies, and for people's health. from -- mark into troy, michigan, to the alabama farmers supplying their local food districts, i've seen up close the excitement that farmers, schools, food banks and communities have for these programs. i've also heard about the fact that our access for programs is also important. it's one of the reasons why we want the usda regional food business centers and why we have received over 1.8 billion dollars worth of applications for a 400 million dollar program. these centers will provide exactly needed assistance, coordination, and capacity building to help farmers, food businesses, and royal connellys thrive. enhancing the competitiveness of specialty crop producers is another vital part of our work. and thanks to the support and leadership of this committee, we're excited that this year, this specialty crop -- will have awarded one billion dollars in funding for projects across the country to support vital critical research for marketing, education, programs for producers, and to support our local economies. in addition, we are committed to growing organic markets where producers use climates mark production methods that can be ever-changing consumer demand for a variety of projects. we just kept a series of rulemaking to promote fair and more competitive markets for organic producers, including the recent strength in the organic -- rule, as required in the 2018 from bell. these roles, coupled with our organic transition initiative are directly addressing challenges facing organic farmers with new programs will provide technical assistance, former to former mentoring, paying for voluntary conservation practices, and building targeted organic markets. we're also supporting farmers as we save our crops from diseases and assuring our trade partners of our high quality agricultural products. . and while outside of the culture title, i'm also part of the work we doing to protect the animals from pests and diseases thanks to the resources provided in the 2018 from bill. some, it is fitting to be here today with undersecretary taylor, given the close working relationship between our technical experts that if us and the team at faes as we work together to ensure international standards and strong trade are built on -- there is more work ahead for sure, but one thing is clear, leveraging resources and support of better and more competitive markets for u.s. farmers, ranchers, and consumers is in the best interest of our nations economy, our nation's food system, and the environment. with the support of congress, i believe we can and must continue this effort. i look forward to working collaboratively with members of this committee and congress, as you work to drop the 2023 farm bill, and continue to champion american agriculture, i'd be happy to answer any questions you have. thank you. >> thank you so much. finally, miss charles, you're recognized for five minutes, ms. charles. >> chairwoman stabenow, ranking member boozman, and members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to discuss food assistance programs authorized by the fifth peace act. as a result of this committee's leadership and support, the united states is the world's largest donor humanitarian food assistance. at a time when these programs have never