Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, said Thursday that the committee will hold a field hearing Nov. 23 at the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service in Little Rock.

The hearing, "Revitalizing Rural America," will examine ways to strengthen and grow Arkansas's rural economy, according to a news release.

In addition to the 1 p.m. hearing, Lincoln also is organizing a statewide, Agriculture & Business Leadership Breakfast on Nov. 24 to examine the impact of U.S. Agriculture, Rural Development and Forestry policy on the state rural and small business economy.  That event is scheduled from 8 to 10 a.m. at the Association of Arkansas Counties office in Little Rock.

"When our nation faces difficult economic times, rural Americans are often the first to feel the impact and the last to recover," Lincoln said. "This field hearing and leadership breakfast will give me an opportunity to hear firsthand from Arkansans on how we can work together to encourage economic development in our rural communities. Both events will focus on the economic needs and strengths of various sectors of the Arkansas economy as I move forward in constructing the Senate Agriculture Committee's agenda."

The committee will hear testimony from three panels. The first panel will focus on the importance of production agriculture to the rural economy and will consider the impact recent flooding in Arkansas has had on this year's crop. A second panel will focus on improving rural infrastructure, and the final panel will focus on successful community and economic development initiatives.
 

By Arkansas Business Staff - 11/12/2009 1:56:19 PM