ASA President Wade Cowan testifies before the House Ag Committee on Sept. 30 about the  long standing partnership between U.S. farmers and the Food for Peace program and ASA’s continued commitment to providing a safe and abundant food supply. Photo courtesy of the House Ag Committee Flickr

American Soybean Association (ASA) President Wade Cowan, Brownfield, Texas, testified in front of the House Agriculture Committee this week on the important role U.S. agriculture plays in food aid, international development and assistance this week..

Cowan’s testimony highlighted the long standing partnership between U.S. farmers and the Food for Peace program and ASA’s continued commitment to providing a safe and abundant food supply.

“U.S. commodities have been the backbone of the Food for Peace program’s success in alleviating hunger in both emergency and development situations. USAID and USDA have established a strong framework to ensure that commodities procured from U.S. farmers and processed, easily-used foods are shipped overseas to meet the needs of hungry people,” he said. “This framework represents both the bounty of U.S. agriculture and the compassion of the American people. ASA strongly supports the use of U.S. commodities in emergency and development assistance, and opposes cuts in developmental food aid funding to offset shortfalls in emergency assistance.”

Cowan also spoke to the expansive work ASA has done on international agricultural development through the World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH). He reaffirmed ASA’s commitment to enhancing market development abroad through enhanced agricultural development. Food security remains a priority for ASA and WISHH and Cowan had the opportunity to discuss how the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and agricultural commodity groups can play a greater role in developing a whole of government food security strategy.