Video & Transcript Research : 'algorithmic feeds'
Page 37 of 200
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
House tax panel hears bill to expand tax incentives for producing sustainable aviation fuel 4/8/26
Minnesota House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- of their strong potential as a saf feed of their strong potential as a saf feed stock,<00:18:48.400
- <00:35:06.640>
These many as 10 different feed stocks. - These many as 10 different feed stocks.
- <00:37:09.839>
Um <00:37:10.160>and different feed stocks come in. - Um and different feed stocks come in.
Summary:
The committee took up House File 1669, adopting the DE2 amendment, which was described as the bill itself. The amended bill would expand Minnesota’s sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) tax credit by increasing annual allocations, extending the sunset date from 2030 to 2035, adding an extra credit for lower-carbon fuels, and adding environmental and other qualifying requirements. The chair noted the amendment aligned the bill with the governor’s proposal, and the amendment was approved on a voice vote.
Testimony was overwhelmingly supportive. Commissioner Tom Peterson of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture backed the bill as a way to preserve Minnesota’s leadership in SAF, attract private investment, and keep crop and timber feedstocks processed in-state. Farmers and agricultural groups, including Minnesota Farmers Union and Minnesota Farm Bureau, said SAF could create new domestic markets for crops such as corn, soybeans, winter camelina, and pennycress while improving farm income and supporting climate-smart practices. Forestry representatives argued that wood waste and forest residue could be turned into SAF, improving forest health and reducing wildfire risk.
Environmental and clean-energy groups also supported the bill, emphasizing the added guardrails. The Minnesota Environmental Partnership, Friends of the Mississippi River, and Fresh Energy said the amendments would better protect water quality, soil health, biodiversity, and climate outcomes by favoring lower-carbon SAF and limiting harmful land-use change. University of Minnesota Forever Green representatives said winter-hardy crops could scale over time, and they pointed to ongoing commercialization work and a 1 Million Acre Scaling Study. Labor and construction groups said the bill would support major infrastructure investment and create long-term jobs, with testimony citing the first Minnesota SAF facility already announced and the potential for multiple hubs statewide.
No vote on final passage was taken in the portion provided, but the committee heard extensive supportive testimony and questions focused on scalability, infrastructure, and how the credit would accelerate SAF development in Minnesota.
HI
Hawaii 2025 Regular Session
ECD Public Hearing - Wed Feb 12, 2025 @ 10:00 AM HST
Economic Development & Technology
Transcript Highlights:
- After the oil is squeezed, the seed actually becomes this flaky substance, and it's a great animal feed
- stock for this fuel U we source of feed stock for this fuel U we have<00:12:08.480>
been <00:12 - <00:12:35.560>
stocks <00:12:35.920>locally encouraging growing feed stocks locally - encouraging growing feed stocks locally have<00:12:36.720>
a <00:12:36.920>positive <00 - genetically modified organisms in feed genetically modified organisms in feed stocks<00:17:11.799
Summary:
The Committee on Economic Development and Technology heard testimony on HB 976, a measure related to incentives for renewable fuels, including renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel. Supporters said the bill would help close the cost gap between renewable and conventional fuels, strengthen Hawaii’s energy security, support climate goals, and encourage local economic development. Testifiers from Pono Pacific, PAR Hawaii, Hawaiian Electric, Hawaiian Airlines/Alaska Airlines, the Hawaii Department of Transportation, Pacific Biodiesel, Aloha Carbon, and others described ongoing or planned projects, local feedstock development, and potential benefits for agriculture, waste diversion, and emissions reductions.
Several testifiers also discussed proposed amendments. The Hawaii Renewable Fuels Coalition said it wanted to remove the import tax credit, eliminate the aggregate cap increase to avoid additional state funding, and revise local-production language to rely on a carbon-intensity threshold rather than location-based preferences. The Tax Foundation of Hawaii raised technical concerns about the bill’s administration, including prorating credits if the cap is exceeded and the feasibility of a 30-day filing window. Some supporters urged keeping solid waste, including construction and demolition debris, as eligible feedstock, while Energy Justice Network opposed that approach and also urged removing GMO-related language and waste-based feedstocks because of environmental and toxic emissions concerns.
Opposition testimony focused on the bill’s cost and feasibility. Energy Justice Network and Ted Metros argued the measure could become a large subsidy for a refinery and questioned whether Hawaii has enough land and water to produce meaningful quantities of biofuel locally. Metros also criticized the refundable credit structure and said the state should not bear the cost for what he described as a benefit largely tied to tourism and imported fuel. No vote was taken during the portion of the hearing provided; the chair later noted the committee had received 13 testimonies in support, 18 in opposition, and seven comments, and then invited further discussion on cost allocation and lowering caps to broaden participation.
HI
Hawaii 2025 Regular Session
ACT 310, SLH 2025 Nonprofit Grants Program Info Briefing - Thu Oct 30, 2025 @ 9:00 AM HST
Hawaii House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- We have uh Feeding Hawaii Thank you. We have uh Feeding Hawaii together. Aloha. Good morning.
- This investment feeding our communities.
- <02:27:51.359>
groups than 22 organizations and feeding groups than 22 organizations and feeding - Maya Parish, executive director of Feed Maya Parish, executive director of Feed Hawaii,<03:15:36.880
- Community feeding community. Local food feeding resilience.
Summary:
This joint informational briefing on Act 310 grants and aid focused on organizations describing how federal funding cuts, Medicaid/SNAP changes, and related policy shifts are affecting their services and budgets. Committee members explained there would be no Q&A, testimony would be limited to one minute, and in-person participants would be heard before Zoom callers. Members repeatedly asked testifiers to identify the amount of federal funding lost or at risk.
Testimony came from a wide range of nonprofits and community providers, including Aloha Care, Hawaii Bicycling League, Hawaii Literacy, Hawaii Youth Symphony, Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawaii, the Tsunami Museum, The Kohala Center, West Hawaii Community Health Center, West Hawaii Region Hospital Foundation, Sounding Joy Music Therapy, Big Brothers Big Sisters Hawaii, Dynamic Community Solutions, Feeding Hawaii Together, Girl Scouts of Hawaii, Hawaii Disability Rights Center, Hawaii Youth Services Network, Hawaiian Lending and Investments, Homana, Honolulu Theatre for the Youth, Kids Hurt Too Hawaii, and Kokua Kalihi Valley. Most described reduced or threatened federal support and requested state funding to maintain services such as health care access, food security, disaster preparedness, literacy and digital inclusion, youth mentoring, arts education, housing, and climate or agricultural resilience.
Several speakers emphasized direct impacts on vulnerable populations, including kūpuna, low-income families, immigrants, homeless youth, and people with disabilities. Requests ranged from relatively small planning or program grants to multi-million-dollar stabilization asks, with some organizations citing specific losses such as reduced Medicaid or USDA funding, canceled EPA or FEMA support, or expiring federal grants. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during the briefing.
HI
Hawaii 2025 Regular Session
ACT 310, SLH 2025 Nonprofit Grants Program Info Briefing - Thu Nov 20, 2025 @ 9:00 AM HST
Hawaii House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- Family Houi Hawaii — $200,000 Family Promise of Hawaii — $459,000 Five Mountains Hawaii — $560,250 Feed
- Hawaii — $227,000 Feeding Hawaii Together — $500,000 Friends of the Children's Justice Center of Aahu
- <00:16:50.720>
Hawaii <00:16:51.440>227,000 Feed Hawaii 227,000 Feed Hawaii 227,000 Feeding - <00:16:53.440>
Hawaii <00:16:53.839>Together <00:16:54.480>500,000 Feeding Hawaii - Together 500,000 Feeding Hawaii Together 500,000 Friends<00:16:56.399>
of <00:16:56.959>of
Summary:
The hearing was an informational briefing on Act 310, which set aside $50 million to support Hawaii nonprofits facing uncertainty, including organizations affected by federal funding disruptions. The chair and Senate co-chair thanked Aloha United Way for handling applications, as well as the governor, lieutenant governor, legislative leadership, and House and Senate members for helping craft the measure and review the needs statewide. They noted the process drew more than 200 applications totaling over $150 million, showing demand far exceeded available funds, and encouraged unsuccessful applicants to apply again through the regular grant-and-aid process in January.
The Senate co-chair explained that the committee prioritized organizations serving healthcare, human services, education, the arts, food distribution, and at-risk populations, especially amid concerns about SNAP, WIC, federal employees, and possible future disruptions. The co-chair then read a long list of recommended awardees and funding amounts, including major allocations to groups such as Boys and Girls Club of the Big Island, Child and Family Service, Goodwill Industries of Hawaii, Hawaii Food Bank, The Food Basket, West Hawaii Community Health Center, and several YWCA and YMCA organizations, among many others.
After the awards list was read, the chair asked for discussion or objections. Hearing none, the list of nonprofit awards was adopted, and the informational briefing was adjourned.
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Agriculture Committee Meeting - 2025-04-02
Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband, and Rural Development
Transcript Highlights:
- This bill allows commercial feed businesses to employ veterinarians.
- To open this up to commercial feed businesses, I'd like to introduce my testifier, Mr.
- With our two sons returning home after college to join the business, we transformed our feed store to
- I am the Director of the Minnesota Grain and Feed Association.
- The oats allow us an additional cash crop, along with the straw for feed and bedding.
HI
Hawaii 2025 Regular Session
House Chamber - Thu Feb 13, 2025, 12:00PM HST - Day 19
Hawaii House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- budget state budget goes towards feeding budget state budget goes towards feeding kids<00:22:35.440
- c><00:22:43.520>
raise ...to have kids, if they choose to raise their kids, let them pay to feed - Let them pay to feed their kids, not everybody else.
- kids I want when we talk about feeding kids I want everybody<00:25:31.200>
to <00:25:31.640>- a reduced price um lunch which is feed a reduced price um lunch which is what<00:25:37.039>
this< - a reduced price um lunch which is feed a reduced price um lunch which is what<00:25:37.039>
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
House agriculture committee hears testimony on sustainable aviation fuel 2/10/25
Transcript Highlights:
- stocks including corn um and feed stocks including corn um and because<00:23:56.520>
this <00: - eligibility so any agricultural feed eligibility so any agricultural feed stock<00:25:58.840>
- score uh but carbon reductions in feed score uh but carbon reductions in feed stock<00:26:06.720
- <00:37:43.640>
stocks penalize uh one of the feed stocks penalize uh one of the feed stocks - of uh is ensured for domestic feed of uh is ensured for domestic feed stocks<00:52:04.200>
uh
Summary:
The committee heard testimony on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and Minnesota’s efforts to build a SAF industry. Andrea Veble of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture said the Walz administration strongly supports SAF because it could benefit agriculture, forestry, clean energy, and rural economies. She highlighted the 2023 state SAF tax credit and sales tax exemption for facility construction, describing the credit as a nation-leading incentive designed to stack with federal IRA credits and attract producers and blenders to Minnesota.
Jeff Davidman of Delta Airlines said aviation is difficult to decarbonize and that SAF is the airline industry’s best available tool to reach net-zero goals by 2050. He explained that SAF is a certified drop-in fuel that can be blended with conventional jet fuel and used in existing aircraft and infrastructure, and he cited growing global demand and limited supply. He said Minnesota has many potential feedstocks, including used cooking oil, corn, soybeans, and camelina, and praised the state’s SAF tax credit and the Minnesota SAF Hub as important steps toward making Minnesota a leader in the sector.
Peter Fros of Greater MSP described the Minnesota SAF Hub as a public-private partnership aimed at building an industrial-scale SAF value chain in Minnesota. He said the state has key advantages, including airport demand, corporate partners, research institutions, and agricultural inputs, and estimated that three SAF biorefineries could create tens of thousands of jobs and significant emissions reductions. He also said the Hub is working on blending infrastructure, private demand commitments, a winter camelina expansion study, and efforts to secure additional refineries before 2030. Members raised questions about how sustainability is measured, and Fros said the Hub relies on the federal GREET model but wants a clearer, transparent, and standardized national method that also accounts for issues like water quality and biodiversity.
Amanda Bellik of the Minnesota Corn Growers Association said corn-based ethanol is a strong fit for SAF production through the alcohol-to-jet pathway because it is abundant, affordable, and supported by existing infrastructure. She said SAF development could create a new value-added market for corn without requiring new acres, but emphasized the need for significant capital investment, stable tax policy, and efficient permitting. She also said the group has worked with a consultant on third-party sustainability assessments of corn production practices to help fill data gaps and support the carbon-intensity requirements tied to SAF incentives.
MN
Minnesota 2025 1st Special Session
House Education Finance Committee hearing on HF779 2/25/25
VA
Virginia 2026 1st Special Session
Virginia Commission to End Hunger May 21st, 2026
Transcript Highlights:
- And I believe that Marley did some previous work with Feeding America before she joined us at DLS.
- into a middle school that feeds into a high school, making sure that there's continuity there.
- and summer feeding programs with less burdensome paperwork.
- I know there was lots of legislation that could feed into that food mapping initiative.
- I know there was lots of legislation that could feed into that food mapping initiative.
Summary:
The Virginia Commission to End Hunger met on May 21, 2026 and began by electing new leadership: Senator Roem was nominated and elected chair, and Delegate Marcia Price was elected vice chair. The commission then adopted a required virtual meeting policy and a public participation policy. The chair also read a new directive creating a work group, to be chaired by the commission chair, to evaluate school nutrition department and school meal funding models, review alternatives used in other states, and report recommendations by November 1, 2026 to legislative leaders and the commission.
The commission heard from Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Katie Frazier, who discussed the administration’s food access priorities, the loss of federal funding for the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program and Local Food for Schools and Child Care program, and support for programs such as the Virginia Agriculture Food Access Program and Virginia Fresh Match. Members asked about the Virginia Food Box Program, the Farm to School Task Force, universal free school breakfast, and school meal debt. Frazier said the administration sees school nutrition and local food procurement as important, but did not commit to specific budget positions.
Chandler Brooks of the Division of Legislative Services reviewed 2026 legislation affecting hunger and school meals. Bills that passed included school meal debt reporting, changes to commission membership, food insecurity data collection, and Farm to School Task Force appointments. Bills that did not advance included universal free school breakfast, a statewide food security coordination act, a food insecurity survey work group, Medicaid nutrition services, school meal debt repayment, and changes to the Hunger-Free Campus grant program. Members discussed the meaning of bills being “laid on the table,” the fiscal impact of food policy proposals, SNAP fraud, rural health transformation funding for food-as-medicine programs, and the need for updates on implementation of prior laws.
Emily Moore of the American Heart Association presented on healthy school meals for all, warning that federal changes, including HR1-related losses in SNAP and Medicaid participation, are reducing direct certification for free school meals and threatening CEP participation and school nutrition budgets. She urged the commission to convene a work group on sustainable school meal funding. The commission also discussed travel meetings, future work plan priorities, and possible follow-up presentations from the Department of Social Services on SNAP participation and error-rate reduction. The meeting ended with public comment from No Kid Hungry Virginia supporting a DSS briefing, followed by adjournment.
MN
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
House Health Finance and Policy Committee 4/7/25
Health Finance and Policy
Transcript Highlights:
- have become a hub where kids are being targeted by predators, drug dealers, and big tech dangerous algorithms
- have become a hub where kids are being targeted by predators, drug dealers, and big tech dangerous algorithms
Keywords:
health care transparency, ownership disclosure, control reporting, health care consolidation, private equity, management services organization, MSO, provider organization, health insurer, pharmacy benefit manager, hospital system, affiliate reporting, financial disclosure, public reporting, market concentration, horizontal consolidation, vertical consolidation, health care ownership, corporate practice, health care regulation
VT
Transcript Highlights:
- So we had $80,000 for Meals on Wheels and $360,000 for Vermonters Feeding Vermonters.
- We had $500,000 for Vermonters Feeding Vermonters in the 26 budget.
- wheels and $400,000 for verters feeding wheels and $400,000 for verters feeding verters.<00:10:23.200
- We ended Vermonters Feeding Vermonters.
- <00:10:46.000>
So Feeding Verters in the 26 budget. So Feeding Verters in the 26 budget.
KY
Kentucky 2025 Regular Session
Disaster Prevention and Resiliency Task Force (8-20-25)
Transcript Highlights:
- eastern Kentucky about feed eastern Kentucky about feed having<00:02:00.880>
clearing <00: - If that feed mill goes down, then the closest other feed mill is actually out of state in Tennessee.
- If that feed mill goes down, then the closest other feed mill is actually out of state in Tennessee.
- Um so Kentucky goes to feed poultry.
- can better work with that and and feed can better work with that and and feed drops<00:55:15.040
Summary:
The committee met to adopt the minutes of the second meeting by voice vote, then heard an update focused on disaster preparedness, resiliency, response, and coordination among state agencies and partners. The chair emphasized avoiding duplication of resources and highlighted the importance of agriculture-related response issues, including animal evacuation, feed distribution, and the role of extension services during disasters. The Department for Public Health was invited to explain its role in emergency planning and response.
Public Health described its Emergency Preparedness and Response Branch as the lead coordinating agency for Emergency Support Function 8, covering health and medical services under Kentucky’s emergency operations framework. Testimony outlined its broad responsibilities, including support for hospitals, morgues, local health departments, behavioral health, crisis counseling, suspicious package testing, disease outbreaks, and coordination with emergency management, EMS, transportation, and nonprofit and private partners. Officials also described the agency’s risk-assessment process, training and exercise programs, and deployed assets such as PPE caches, deployable communications, a federal medical station, a mobile treatment center, and alternate care support used in events like the eastern Kentucky floods and COVID-19.
The agency also discussed funding through federal cooperative agreements for public health emergency preparedness and hospital preparedness, noting that these programs have evolved since 9/11 and have been shaped by major disasters and emerging threats. Officials said Kentucky’s funding has declined over time and that current awards are partially funded for the first time in the program’s history. They expressed support for efficiency if federal programs are consolidated, but cautioned that combining programs could risk further funding losses.
NH
New Hampshire 2025 Regular Session
House Education Funding (05/01/2025)
Transcript Highlights:
- would do at that point is we would feed would do at that point is we would feed the<00:25:47.840
- And so we just need to feed the children. It’s very simple.
- <00:32:06.960>
It's just need to feed the children. It's just need to feed the children. - about feeding kids in this committee.<00:37:08.960>
So, committee. - But as far comes to feeding hungry kids.
Summary:
The Education Funding Committee met in executive session on a bill concerning school meal access and reimbursement. The bill would address local school districts’ responsibility to provide meals during school hours, reimburse schools for meals served at no cost, and make an appropriation. The committee first moved to retain the bill, with supporters saying it was complex, had uncertain fiscal impacts, and should be considered alongside other related meals bills. Opponents argued the committee already had enough information, that the bill served a small number of students at relatively low cost, and that delaying action would harm children who need food to learn.
The committee also heard from Tim Roar, a Keene school business administrator and co-designer of the bill, who explained that the proposal was intended to be an opt-in program for districts, with rulemaking to set participation requirements. He said the bill was meant to target aid to students between 175% and 200% of poverty, reduce bad meal debt, and avoid spending taxpayer money on families who could afford to pay. He estimated the state cost at about $250,000 in year one, with local taxpayer costs around $8,500 for Keene, and said some districts already have systems for online applications while others do not.
Committee members questioned him about meal debt, online application software costs, and how districts handle students who reach debt limits. Roar said districts still feed students who are hungry, but use other resources and family outreach when meal debt is capped, and he argued that parents should be responsible for providing lunch when they can afford it. Other members pushed back, saying they had seen students go hungry and that teachers sometimes pay for lunches themselves. One member noted the bill would increase eligibility, make it easier to apply, strengthen personal responsibility, and was not a mandate. The discussion ended without a recorded final vote in the excerpt, though the retain motion remained the central action under debate.
MN
Minnesota 2025 1st Special Session
House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Policy Committee 12/17/25
Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Policy
Transcript Highlights:
- ,<00:09:40.320>
of medication, of bathing, of feeding, of medication, of bathing, of feeding - Feeding Our Future defendant are Feeding Our Future defendant are currently<01:42:06.320>
enrolled - cross-cheed every member of the feeding cross-cheed every member of the feeding our<01:42:42.000
- <01:49:16.639>
our any business with ties to feeding our any business with ties to feeding - <01:49:25.520>
Our front companies used in Feeding Our front companies used in Feeding Our
MN
Transcript Highlights:
- Feeding my kids is a whole big job, and that does fall on me and my former spouse.
- <01:43:57.159>
our winwin right where we are feeding our winwin right where we are feeding - But if we are not feeding our children and feeding their bodies and their minds and their brains and
- But if we are not feeding our children and feeding their bodies and their minds and their brains and
- <01:46:22.080>
our <01:46:22.360>children But if we are not feeding our children and feeding
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
House Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee 3/4/26
Agriculture Finance and Policy
Transcript Highlights:
- In Ireland, they feed them grass like we used to here.
- destroying rural communities to feed destroying rural communities to feed China?
- farmer feeding the world. farmer feeding the world.
- But again, we need all kinds of agriculture to feed the world.
- But again, we need all kinds of agriculture to feed the world.
Bills:
HF3718
Keywords:
veterinary medicine, veterinary technology, animal care, licensing, client consent, continuing education, emergency services, teletriage, 1183, house
Summary:
The Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee met with quorum present, approved the March 2 minutes, and then heard a presentation on economic consolidation in agriculture from Austin Ferk, who said he was not taking additional public testimony. Ferk argued that consolidation in meat, dairy, and grain markets has squeezed farmers on both input and output prices, raised consumer prices, and reduced product quality. He used charts and examples to claim that concentrated markets lead to price gouging, that farmers now receive a historically low share of each food dollar, and that industrial production has contributed to environmental problems, especially in Iowa.
Ferk focused on several large agribusiness firms, especially JBS and Cargill. He described JBS as a dominant meatpacker with a history of bribery allegations and market power across beef, pork, poultry, and leather, and said its ownership of brands can obscure who is actually selling the product. He also criticized Cargill as an opaque, privately held company with enormous influence over grain and food markets, and said the farm bill and crop insurance system have been shaped to favor overproduction of corn and soy rather than diversified farming. He argued that these policies, along with ethanol demand and export-oriented livestock production, have harmed rural communities, increased manure and nitrate pollution, and contributed to health problems.
In the latter part of the presentation, Ferk discussed antitrust and policy responses, including concentration studies, a proposed packer ban that would prevent meatpackers from owning the animals they slaughter, and restrictions on slotting fees and other pay-to-play practices in grocery retail. He also referenced the failed Kroger-Albertsons merger as an example of consolidation harming local communities. No committee vote or formal action was taken on the presentation beyond approving the minutes.
AR
Arkansas 2026 1st Special Session
AGRICULTURE- HOUSE SMALL BUSINESS & ECONOMIC DEV. SUBCOM. Jun 2nd, 2026
Transcript Highlights:
- So last year in 2024, we had grown to about eight cows, milking eight cows, and we were feeding about
- And eight cows, and we were feeding about 75 families.
- How do you feed your cattle and make sure that they how do you how do you feed your cattle and make sure
- So we're talking about enough food to feed a community, farm to table.
- loop for feeding people in a given area.
Summary:
The committee first approved the minutes from its October 27 meeting and then heard testimony from Clinton Ballard of Milk and Honey Hill Farm about the impact of Act 698 on raw dairy producers. Ballard said the law allowed his farm to expand from one cow to 12, serve about 150 families, increase sales by roughly $50,000, and sell about $10,000 in raw cheese and other products through retail outlets. He argued the law improved farm income, food security, and local supply, and he asked for an optional state inspection/certification path for raw milk producers so they could access USDA grants and other opportunities available to licensed dairies. Committee members asked about herd management, safety practices, bee production, market channels, and whether such certification should remain voluntary; Ballard said he follows Grade A-style sanitation, chills milk quickly, removes sick cows from production, and supports optional training or inspection but not mandatory regulation.
Members also raised food safety concerns, especially for children and pregnant women, and Ballard responded that raw milk producers rely on cleanliness, rapid cooling, consumer feedback, and truth in labeling. He said the health department currently inspects commercial dairies but not raw milk producers who do not sell through a cooperative, and he believed state inspection would help producers distinguish themselves and qualify for funding without changing interstate rules. Several members discussed the balance between consumer choice, safety, and possible “mission creep” if the state created a certification system.
The committee then heard a lengthy presentation from Terence Bolden of TLB Enterprises on hydroponic and container farming as a response to food insecurity and food deserts. Bolden described a three-year workforce and career-technical program built around retrofitted shipping containers, drones, robotics, agribusiness, and AI, with partnerships involving schools, universities, Farm Bureau, UAPB, the Little Rock School District, and other entities. He said the model could create year-round local food production, support school cafeterias and community markets, and generate jobs and economic impact, estimating at least four jobs per container and potentially significant regional economic benefits. Members asked about costs, target communities, energy needs, crop types, and implementation timelines; Bolden said the first containers for school sites could be in place by late summer or early fall, with pilot projects already underway in Arkansas and Orlando. The meeting adjourned after no further business.
AR
Arkansas 2026 Regular Session
AGRICULTURE- HOUSE SMALL BUSINESS & ECONOMIC DEV. SUBCOM. Jun 2nd, 2026
Transcript Highlights:
- So last year in 2024, we had grown to about eight cows, milking eight cows, and we were feeding about
- And eight cows, and we were feeding about 75 families.
- the passage of the raw milk bill, 698, this past spring, we've grown to milking 12 cows, and we're feeding
- So we're talking about enough food to feed a community and farm to table.
- loop for feeding people in a given area.
Summary:
The committee approved the minutes from its October 27 meeting and then heard testimony on the economic and regulatory effects of Arkansas’s raw milk law, Act 698. Clinton Ballard of Milk and Honey Hill Farm said the law helped his family farm expand from 8 to 12 cows and from serving about 75 families to about 150, increasing sales by roughly $50,000 and allowing about $10,000 in raw cheese sales through retail outlets. He argued the law supports small-farm income, food security, and local processing, but said state health agencies still do not inspect raw milk producers unless they sell to a commercial buyer, which he said limits access to USDA grants and other opportunities. He and members discussed safety practices, including rapid chilling, sick-animal removal, sanitation, customer education, and whether any optional state certification or inspection program should be created without adding burdensome regulation.
Members asked about herd management, bee production, market channels, and whether raw milk producers should receive training or certification. Ballard said his farm uses Jerseys, removes sick cows from production, sells on-farm and through retail locations, and relies on best-practice guidance from groups such as the Weston A. Price Foundation and the Raw Milk Institute. Several members expressed support for consumer choice but also raised concerns about food safety, especially for children and pregnant women, and about possible “mission creep” if the state creates a voluntary inspection or training system. The discussion ended without any vote or formal action on the raw milk issue.
The committee then heard a lengthy presentation from Terrence Bolden of TLB Enterprises on hydroponic and container-based farming as a response to food insecurity, food deserts, and workforce needs. Bolden described a three-year career and technical education model using retrofitted shipping containers to grow food year-round with low water and energy use, paired with training in drones, robotics, agribusiness, and entrepreneurship. He said pilot projects are underway or planned with UAPB, the Little Rock School District, and other partners, and projected that five regional hubs could create significant economic impact and multiple jobs per container. Members asked about costs, target communities, school partnerships, food desert locations, and whether the model could include aquaponics or protein production; Bolden said the program is intended as a public-private partnership and that the committee could tour a container site once it is operational. The meeting adjourned after the presentation and questions.
CA
California 2025-2026 Regular Session
Assembly Appropriations Committee Apr 30th, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- Jim Brim, representing Farmer's Warehouse Company, a feed manufacturer, strongly opposes 928.
- I represent Lopez Feeds, Moss Business, and I oppose AB 928. Salvador Lopez, I oppose 928.
- Hi, my name is Pedro Lopez, from Merchette County, owner of Lopez Feed. I strongly oppose 928.
- I'm representing Royal Feed from Fresno, California, and I oppose AB 928. Good morning.
- I'm a Royal Feed owner, and I oppose AB 928. Buenos días. Jose Botello, me opongo a 928.
Summary:
The Assembly Appropriations Committee met on April 30, 2025, for a regular order hearing on a large slate of bills. After opening remarks and quorum, the committee approved a consent calendar in two motions: one for bills eligible for the Assembly floor consent calendar and another for unanimous bills not eligible for floor consent. The committee also deemed the suspense calendar approved without further discussion.
Several housing and shelter-related bills were presented. AB 1061 by Quirk-Silva would allow SB 9 duplex and lot-split provisions to apply in historic districts, with limits to protect individually listed historic sites and maintain street-facing appearances; California YIMBY supported the measure. AB 750 by Quirk-Silva would strengthen oversight of homeless shelters by requiring posted resident-rights information, standardized reporting, and penalties for noncompliance, including possible withholding of state funding. AB 712 by another member would increase penalties for public agencies that violate state housing law and bar indemnification demands against applicants when agencies break those laws; it was described as part of a fast-track housing package.
The committee then took public comment, dominated by extensive opposition to AB 928. Dozens of individuals, many identifying with poultry, feed, gamefowl, agricultural, or related organizations, testified against the bill, saying it would harm their livelihoods, culture, religious practices, or constitutional rights and could kill birds. A few speakers also testified on other bills, including support for AB 1337 and AB 804 and opposition to AB 1337. After public comment concluded, the meeting adjourned.