Transcript Highlights:

• Okay, the Alabama Cotton Commission.
• Every ten years, there's a referendum that only the cotton producers get to vote on about their check-off
• The farmers and cotton growers will have a chance to...
• Farmers and cotton growers have a chance to load it up or down. Mr.
• I would say if you're on cotton, you know I... Hi, Rick.

Bills: HB352

Keywords: HB352, cotton, cotton bale assessment, cotton levy, cotton producers, agriculture, forestry, Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry Committee, per bale fee, commodity assessment, producer referendum, cotton sales tax, Alabama Code 2-8-199, cotton commission, agricultural funding, 1136, house, all

Bills: HB352, HB366, SB272, SB296

Keywords: HB352, cotton, cotton bale assessment, cotton levy, cotton producers, agriculture, forestry, Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry Committee, per bale fee, commodity assessment, producer referendum, cotton sales tax, Alabama Code 2-8-199, cotton commission, agricultural funding, HB366, Lakyn Canine Act, police dog, K9, K-9

Transcript Highlights:

• This is a change in the check-off price that cotton producers can assign for the check-off program.
• different check-off programs, mostly... ...different check-off programs, mostly research and education on cotton
• and cotton production in Alabama.

Bills: SB207, SB72

Keywords: cotton, agriculture, levy, assessment, referendum, Alabama law, medical cannabis, cannabis license, integrated facility license, Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission, AMCC, medical marijuana, dispensary, cultivation, processing, license appeal, administrative hearing, judicial review, consultant selection, license denial

Transcript Highlights:

• If it takes both parents to produce an offspring, both parents have to have this to pass it on to the
• What number would it take to create enough diversity to be able to have two parents produce an offspring
• My contention is that deer that are more resistant can tolerate low levels of exposure without it producing
• buy bread doughs in other states to Put in a high fence facility, they want them so that they can produce
• I pick the genetics for my herd that will be healthy, that will produce good tender meat, that will have

Bills: HB3270, HB3145, HB3056

Keywords: farmed cervidae, chronic wasting disease, genetic resistance, wildlife management, agriculture, wildlife tagging, hunting regulations, Cervidae family, feral swine, exotic wildlife, conservation, commercial hunting, raw milk, unpasteurized, farm sales, Oklahoma Milk and Milk Products Act, local producers, advertising, 914, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Senator Sparks, my understanding is producer fee also funded. That's correct.
• What that does to us eventually is... ...is primarily a cotton and corn farm.
• the world's cotton production comes from our area.
• So there has been a lot of foreclosures in cotton.
• What that equates to for the producer is it takes a lot longer for the processing of the cotton, the

Bills: HB43, HB519, HB 1275, HB1592, HB2842, HB3088, HB3479, HB4163, SB823, HB609

Keywords: agriculture, finance, young farmers, financial assistance, pest control, honey production, beekeeping, food safety, local regulation, bovine producers, dairy farms, permits, bovine tuberculosis, public health, wildlife management, disease prevention, alert system, Texas A&M, white-tailed deer, public safety

Summary: The Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs met with only four members initially present, so quorum was not established until later in the hearing. The committee heard several agriculture-, wildlife-, and food-labeling-related bills, including HB 3479 on expanding the Rio Grande vegetative management program beyond carrizo cane to other noxious vegetation, SB 823 on shrimp origin labeling and restrictions on misrepresenting imported shrimp as Texas or Gulf shrimp, HB 3088 on giving Texas Parks and Wildlife more flexibility to procure resale goods for park gift shops, HB 1275 on permits for non-bovine dairy farms in certain TB-affected areas, HB 519 on honey production and packaging rules, HB 609 on cleaning oyster cages in-bay with bay water only, HB 1592 on a voluntary AgriLife pest and disease alert system, HB 2842 on targeted urban deer depredation permits, and HB 4163 on limiting city requirements that agricultural operators maintain roadside rights-of-way. Testimony generally came from industry groups, agency resource witnesses, and affected producers, with most witnesses supporting the bills and several bills drawing questions about enforcement, labeling responsibility, and the scope of local authority. The most extensive discussion centered on SB 823, where Vice Chair Hancock and others questioned why wholesalers would be covered if they cannot relabel products. The bill author and restaurant association witness said the measure was intended to improve transparency and allow enforcement against intentional mislabeling, while preserving a good-faith defense and clarifying that the bill does not create a private cause of action. HB 519 also drew supportive testimony from beekeepers and a family farm, who argued that current rules treat honey extraction and bottling too much like food manufacturing and burden small operations. HB 609 was presented as a way to save time and resources for cultivated oyster mariculture by allowing cage cleaning in the bay without soaps or chemicals, and HB 1592 was described as a voluntary opt-in alert system for pests and diseases coordinated through AgriLife and other state agencies. HB 43 generated the most detailed policy debate. The bill would restructure and expand the Texas Agricultural Finance Authority, update grant and loan programs, and create a pest and disease control depredation program. The committee substitute reduced some funding caps, changed references from predators to depredating animals, and made the financial provisions contingent on appropriations. Supporters from Texas Farm Bureau, cotton growers, grain and feed interests, and young farmers described severe drought, inflation, land loss, rising input costs, and shrinking infrastructure as major threats to agriculture, while one witness urged preserving priority for young farmers. After testimony, the committee adopted the committee substitute and reported HB 43 favorably. The committee also voted HB 519, HB 609, HB 1275, HB 1592, HB 3088, HB 3479, HB 2842, and HB 4163 favorably, with several recommended for the local and uncontested calendar. SB 823 was reported from committee on a 6-2 vote after adoption of the committee substitute. The meeting ended with notice that the committee would tentatively reconvene Friday morning and then recessed subject to the chair's call.

Transcript Highlights:

• So I guess my follow-up question to that is, have you talked to any of those producers, and have they
• that much, knowing that most small producers aren't going to have that many.
• see numbers that relate to even if we were talking to those such farmers that were now bringing or producers
• I was one of those producers.
• So, for other producers that were within that co-op who have their products contaminated, I mean who

Bills: SB2173, SB2028, SB2117, SB2127, SB2134

Keywords: landowner, energy negotiation, agricultural preservation, orphaned wells, renewable energy, raw milk, unpasteurized milk, milk products, dairy, pasteurization, food safety, consumer warning label, health warning, farm sales, direct-to-consumer sales, ungraded milk, goat milk, raw milk cheese, Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, agricultural regulation

Transcript Highlights:

• Producer fees also fund that, that's correct.
• One that threatens the very survival of thousands of producers.
• Producers have been squeezed from both sides.
• all the world's cotton production comes from our area.
• What that equates to for the producer is that it takes a lot longer for the cotton to be processed.

Bills: HB43, HB519, HB1275, HB1592, HB2842, HB3088, HB3479, HB4163, SB823, HB609

Keywords: agriculture, finance, young farmers, financial assistance, pest control, honey production, beekeeping, food safety, local regulation, bovine producers, dairy farms, permits, bovine tuberculosis, public health, wildlife management, disease prevention, alert system, Texas A&M, white-tailed deer, public safety

Transcript Highlights:

• , farmers uh to apply notice of producers, farmers uh to apply notice of uh<00:14:40.079> the<
• So I think yes, having active producers as opposed to just representatives, um, like myself with soft
• So I think yes having active<00:29:45.440> producers<00:29:45.919> as<00:29:46.159>
• , producers, producers, Vermont<01:04:59.280> over<01:04:59.440> the<01:04:59.680> course
• The chair's recommendation producers.

Bills: SB2309, SB2317, SB2318, SB2319, SB2321, SB2323, SB2332, SB2405, SB2485

Keywords: agricultural loans, financial support, Hawaii agriculture, food security, revolving fund, agriculture, insurance, small producers, state support, biosecurity, farm coverage, public-private partnerships, agricultural policy, agricultural statistics, data collection, Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity, economic analysis, market development, grant funding, climate resiliency

Summary: The committee heard testimony on several agriculture-related measures, beginning with SB 2309, which would require the agricultural loan division to sell portions of its loan portfolio and use the proceeds to expand the agriculture loan revolving fund. The Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity and the Hawaii Farm Bureau supported the bill, along with several other organizations and individuals. A committee question focused on the risk of not finding a qualified buyer for the loan portfolio; DAB said a mandatory sale of the full amount could force a less favorable rate, while flexibility to sell different amounts could produce a more equitable return. The measure drew eight supporters and no opposition. The committee then took up SB 2317, which directs DAB to study insurance coverage for small producers and report back to the Legislature. DAB and multiple farm groups supported the bill. In response to a question about cost, DAB estimated about $250,000 would be needed, with the study likely covering crop, health, and liability insurance. The next measure, SB 2318, would establish an agriculture statistics program in statute. DAB said it strongly supported the bill and could ramp up quickly if positions were provided; the committee discussed whether a first report could be completed by year’s end if the bill became law midyear, and DAB said yes. SB 2319, which would fund and make permanent a full-time grant writer position at DAB, also drew strong support from DAB, the Hawaii Farm Bureau, Ulupono Initiative, the Hawaii Cattlemen’s Council, the local food coalition, and others, with testifiers emphasizing the position’s return on investment and success in bringing in federal funds. The committee also heard SB 2321, establishing a two-year pilot program to respond to the twoline spittlebug. DAB, ranching groups, and many others supported the bill, citing the pest’s spread and the need to act before it becomes unmanageable. A DAB pest control manager said he would need to research past response details and provide them later. Members emphasized the importance of early intervention. For SB 2323, which creates a farmland transition commission to study barriers to farmland access and recommend solutions, DAB offered comments and support for the intent, while farm groups generally supported the concept but raised concerns about the proposed age range and whether a separate commission was necessary. DAB said the Board of Agriculture likely would not have the capacity to perform the commission’s duties and estimated there would be costs to establish it, though no figure was available at the hearing. Finally, the committee heard SB 2332, which reestablishes the agriculture and food security special fund, creates a carbon emissions tax and dividend fund, gradually raises carbon-related tax rates, and provides a refundable carbon cashback credit. DAB supported the measure and deferred to Taxation on details; the Department of Taxation said it would stand on its comments, and the Attorney General’s office offered comments and recommendations. Carbon Cashback Hawaii and the County of Hawaii Department of Research and Development supported the bill, arguing it would reduce emissions, protect lower-income households, and be relatively simple to administer.

Transcript Highlights:

• Just the producer. I mean, if to be, no, we're not.
• So I'm good with protecting the producer, but does a producer, is there going to be some kind of signage
• How is the consumer going to know that the producer is not liable so we can protect our producers?
• in where and how they produce their local food.
• in where and how they produce their local food.

Bills: HB3056, HB3391, HB3657, HB3617, HB4055, HB3720, HB3902

Keywords: raw milk, unpasteurized, farm sales, Oklahoma Milk and Milk Products Act, local producers, advertising, animal welfare, commercial pet breeders, licensing, animal cruelty, labor, employment definitions, agricultural services, Oklahoma Workforce Commission, confidentiality, data access, right to repair, agriculture, OEM, repair providers

Transcript Highlights:

• Right now in Oklahoma, we produce 86 million gallons of milk yearly.
• Now if you took our 86 million gallons that we're producing right now.
• What about the low end producer, the mom and pop producers? Is there a low end?
• So if someone produces $86 their fee for the year would be $100.
• Another company could be sued by a private producer.

Bills: SB1346, SB1509, SB1928, SB2028, SB2071, SB2110, SB2117, SB2127, SB2134, SB722, SB3

Keywords: water infrastructure, wastewater, investment program, loans, local government, SB1509, groundwater, water wells, well spacing, water rights, Oklahoma Water Resources Board, OWRB, basin, subbasin, maximum annual yield, aquifer management, water allocation, water permits, temporary permits, irrigation

Transcript Highlights:

• Basically, we're trying to set up a revolving fund to help get Local producers to be at their foods to
• These are very targeted assets that we currently have that are not producing that could be of benefit

Bills: SB248, SB985, SB1307, SB1319, SB1405, SB1530, SB1919

Keywords: tourism, revolving fund, Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department, real property, fund management, Oklahoma Local Food for Schools, school meals, local food procurement, farm to school, school districts, Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, local producers, meat processors, reimbursement program, agriculture, nutrition, farmers, ranchers, local sourcing

Transcript Highlights:

• of producing food. of producing food.
• producers? producers?
• is something that livestock producers is something that livestock producers aim<00:56:54.160>
• ,<02:08:51.199> producer,<02:08:52.079> reverse<02:08:52.480> vending producer,
• producer, reverse vending producer, producer, reverse vending machine,<02:08:53.199> and<02:08

Bills: HB1602, HB2246, HB1707, HB2216, HB2594, HB2595, HB2155, HB2113, HB2207, HB1832, HB2015, HB2152, HB2548

Keywords: agriculture, grant specialist, financial support, farmers, Hawaii, federal grants, grant administration, revolving fund, department of agriculture and biosecurity, grant compliance, transportation, reimbursement, food security, local production, sustainability, agricultural loans, financing, Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity, Hawaii agriculture, loan portfolio

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:21:48.760> as of many products that are produced as of many products that are produced
• <00:23:21.799> a creates more problems for producing a creates more problems for producing
• <00:26:26.640> healthy and make it Thrive and produce healthy and make it Thrive and produce
• Us as producers, we put up our fence to keep our animal confined, just like a hog producer, cattle producer
• other hog producer cattle producer any other hog producer cattle producer any other animal<01

Bills: HF1621, HF1701, HF1796, HF1676, HF40, HF1428, HF1540

Keywords: HF1621, CelluComp, Minnesota Department of Agriculture, appropriation, grant, commercialization, fiber-based barrier packaging, packaging materials, PFAS, perfluoroalkyl substances, polyfluoroalkyl substances, plastic reduction, sustainable packaging, environmental health, materials innovation, bio-based packaging, food packaging, agriculture finance, one-time grant, state subsidy

Transcript Highlights:

• I know we need to be able to keep our producers producing, and it's a concern that I have as well.
• Since Texas produces a significant portion of the cotton in the United States, the drought over the last
• Texas produced 3.3 million bales of cotton, and in 2023, production dropped to 2.8 million.
• For the record, my name is Steve Olson, and I'm a cotton and grain producer in the... ...Plainview, Texas
• , not producing enough milk.

Bills: HB 43, HB 3364, HB 3469, HB 3479, HB 43, HB 3364, HB 3469, HB 3479

Keywords: agriculture, finance, young farmers, financial assistance, pest control, veterinarian, veterinary medicine, veterinary telemedicine, telehealth, telemedicine, veterinarian-client-patient relationship, VCPR, animal health, livestock, pets, remote care, electronic means, telephone consultation, controlled substances, prescription drugs

Summary: The second bill, House Bill 3469, was introduced to address pest control regulations concerning nuisance birds. Representative Campos explained how the bill proposes non-lethal methods to deter these birds, such as the use of laser lights and sounds, which avoids conflict with both state and federal regulations. The committee heard impassioned testimonies from members of the public who shared firsthand experiences regarding the adverse effects of these birds on property and public health. The meeting concluded with both bills being left pending, reflecting a desire for further deliberation among the committee members.

Transcript Highlights:

• They can't even produce at cost.
• Uh, Plains Cotton Growers is a certified producer of, uh, organization covering 42 counties in the High
• Plains, and they're producers.
• And the younger producers who lack the equity and assets of older producers may not be able to renew
• a good crop, which will lead to producers missing out on profitable market prices if their cotton isn't

Transcript Highlights:

• When I moved to Missouri, we acquired a farm, and we started producing cotton.
• We don't produce cotton anymore because it's too expensive.
• When we were producing cotton in the Bootheel, and I want to echo the stories from my friend, the gentlelady
• Cotton gins were around where cotton was grown, because when you had to transport cotton from the fields
• The process of producing cotton and transporting cotton has changed.

Summary: The House first established a quorum after a brief call of the board and then moved through messages from the Senate and committee reports. The chamber received a Senate refusal to concur on House Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 994 and later voted to send the bill to conference. Members also reconsidered earlier actions on Senate Bill 1019, then adopted a substitute amendment that narrowed the bill to a smaller set of provisions, including a health-related addition on Lyme disease and alpha-gal, before third reading and passage by a vote of 105-32. The House then took up House Bill 1740, known as Melanie’s Law, a drunk-driving prevention measure. Supporters described the bill as a long-negotiated effort to strengthen penalties and ignition interlock requirements while preserving affordability protections for low-income drivers. Family members of Melanie Wonkham were recognized, and several members spoke in favor of the bill as a response to impaired-driving fatalities. The Senate substitute was adopted 143-2, and the bill was finally passed 144-2. Members also passed Senate Bill 1033, which combined Department of Natural Resources funding language with agriculture-related changes, including exemptions for certain farm trucks and cotton gin permitting and air-dispersion modeling requirements. Supporters said it would help keep state environmental programs solvent and better align Missouri rules with neighboring states, while some members raised concerns about future budget pressure and environmental impacts. The Senate substitute passed 134-9. The House then passed Senate Bill 916, which limits when contractors can be required to indemnify the state before or after work on public projects, with supporters saying it protects contractors from premature lawsuits while preserving liability for negligence; it passed 133-1. Finally, the House adopted and finally passed Senate Concurrent Resolution 21, which promotes Missouri participation in America 250 celebrations in 2026, and then adopted a conference committee report and finally passed Senate Bill 975 after brief debate. The chamber also announced upcoming committee meetings and then recessed, with plans to return later for additional Senate bills and conference reports.

Transcript Highlights:

• They can't even produce at cost.
• Roughly 1.2 million pigs are produced. They're produced on an annual basis in the state.
• Plains Cotton Growers is a certified producer of. organization covering 42 counties in the High Plains
• and their producers. promote and protect the interests of these producers through legislative advocacy
• the younger producers who lack the equity and assets of older producers may not be able to renew their

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• When I moved to Missouri, we acquired a farm, and we started producing cotton.
• We don't produce cotton anymore because it's too expensive.
• When we were producing cotton in the Bootheel, and I want to echo the stories from my friend, the gentlelady
• Cotton gins were around where cotton was grown, because when you had to transport cotton from the fields
• The process of producing cotton and transporting cotton has changed.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Bills: SB378, SB985, SB1246, HB3720, SB1500, SB1984, HB4118, SB1644, SB1546, SB483

Keywords: bail bondsman, bondsman license, multicounty agent bondsman, surety bondsman, Insurance Commissioner, bail bond regulation, bond deposit, forfeiture, deposit ratio, writing capacity, license transfer, power of attorney, surety bond, bail industry, Oklahoma insurance law, financial solvency, administrative action, Oklahoma Local Food for Schools, school meals, local food procurement

Transcript Highlights:

• And as we all know, our local produce and our local farmers—this is one of the best ways to get that.
• And as we all know, our local produce and our local farmers—this is one of the best ways to get that.
• It helps ensure that produce reaches the communities who need it the most.
• who need produce reaches the communities who need it<00:27:35.520> the<00:27:35.679> most.
• <00:54:05.359> Appropriates producers in the state. Appropriates producers in the state.

Bills: HB1952, HB1951, HB1929, HB2497, HB2208, HB2572, HB1737, HB1953, HB2551, HB2549

Keywords: HB1952, Hawaii agriculture, University of Hawaii, CTAHR, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience, Kauai, agricultural research station, extension station, capital improvements, general obligation bonds, GO bonds, appropriation, ADA compliance, Americans with Disabilities Act, certified kitchen, greenhouse, laboratory, field research, cesspool decommissioning, invasive species