Chet Edwards For Congress

Standing Strong for Texas Farmers & Ranchers

Chet Edwards knows that farmers and ranchers are the backbone of our country and that American agriculture plays a vital role in feeding and clothing our nation:

• Chet opposes the Death Tax, which causes the breakup of family farms and ranches.




• Chet supports the 2008 Farm Bill that will maintain a meaningful safety net for America's producers.




• Chet is a national leader on trying to reduce fertilizer costs by opening up the continental shelf to natural gas drilling.

Congress Comes Through With New Farm Bill

Hillsboro Reporter | May 29, 2008

Edwards: "This bipartisan Farm Bill makes real reforms that will strengthen American agriculture to meet the 21st-century needs of the United States and provide a safe, low-cost food supply for American families."

A new farm bill that will carry the country through 2012 made it through Congress last week.

The conference report on The Food and Energy Security Act of 2007, commonly called the "Farm Bill," was passed by the House of Representatives and Senate on back-to-back days.

Republican Senators John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchison, along with Democratic Congressman Chet Edwards, were among the members of the Texas delegation supporting the bill.

Covered in the bill are programs relating to commodities, sugar, dairy, conservation, exports and trade assistance, food stamps and nutrition, agricultural credit, rural development, rural electrification, agricultural research, forestry, energy, specialty crops and livestock.

The House passed its version of the bill the end of July, and the Senate passed its bill in December.

Since the original legislation expired December 31, Congress was required to pass several extensions before the conference report was released and acted upon.

Edwards said that the bill makes a $289 billion investment in the American food and farm economy.

KWTX TV: Farm Bureau Asked Texas Delegation To Support Farm Bill Veto Override

KWTX TV | May 21, 2008

President Bush made good on his promise Wednesday and vetoed the $300 billion farm bill, calling it a tax increase on regular Americans at a time of high food prices.

Meanwhile, in a letter to the Texas congressional delegation, the Waco-based Texas Farm Bureau called on lawmakers to support efforts to override the veto.

The letter was sent just minutes after the veto Wednesday, the Farm Bureau said.

"Texas farmers and ranchers have been waiting patiently through numerous short-term extensions of the 2002 Act and now have 2008 crops planted and moving toward harvest," said Texas Farm Bureau President Kenneth Dierschke in the letter.

February 27, 2008
Edwards secures $392,000 for road in Grimes County

Keith News

About 60 residents of Keith, county officials and others from around Grimes County were on hand at the Keith Community Center on Thursday morning, Feb. 21 to hear our representative Chet Edwards officially announce that CR 172 will receive $392,000 to help move fencelines and pave this dirt road. We, the people who have endured the dust and mud of this road, certainly have reason to rejoice. As the saying goes, we can now see light at the end of the tunnel. Praise the Lord!

Texas A&M Ag News

Economic Impact of Texas Agriculture Hits Record $100 Billion

January 08, 2008
Writer(s): Blair Fannin

COLLEGE STATION – Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples touted the work ethic of Texas farmers and ranchers Tuesday discussing an economic milestone. For the first time in history, statewide agriculture production in 2007 contributed more than $100 billion to the Texas economy.

“All Texans should be proud of the dedicated men and women who live and breathe agriculture daily, providing food and fiber to feed and clothe their fellow Texans,” Staples said at the Texas A&M AgriLife Conference at Texas A&M University.