Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) issued the following statement after voting in favor of the 2018 Farm Bill: “I voted yes on the 2018 Farm Bill to provide stability and continuity for our important agricultural industry. Although I remain concerned about some of the bill’s provisions and its omissions, many farmers in the Ninth District depend on programs that this farm bill renews. “I think the final version of the farm bill is a missed opportunity. It leaves out important reforms, including ...
Read more
Honoring Our Veterans Each November 11, our country honors Veterans Day. It is a way we can show our gratitude for those brave men and women who put on the uniform to protect us and the freedoms we cherish. This year’s observance holds a special significance, for it is the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. At the eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918, the combatants stopped fighting. World War I is less remembered by Americans than other conflicts, and its la...
Read more
Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) today issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development announced a total of $84,720.00 in grant funds for the construction of a farmers' market building in Hillsville, Virginia: “These funds will go a long way toward supporting our local family farmers. The agriculture industry is an integral part of Southwest Virginia’s economy and heritage and farmers’ markets provide valuable economic opportunity and access to ...
Read more
Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) today issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development announced a total of $27,000.00 in grant funds for the improvement of a farmers' market facility in Dungannon, Virginia: “These funds will go a long way toward supporting our local family farmers. The agriculture industry is an integral part of Southwest Virginia’s economy and heritage and farmers’ markets provide valuable economic opportunity and access to lo...
Read more
Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) today issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development announced a total of $232,280.00 in grant funds for the construction of an open-air farmers' market facility in Chilhowie, Virginia: “These funds will go a long way toward supporting our local family farmers. The agriculture industry is an integral part of Southwest Virginia’s economy and heritage and farmers’ markets provide valuable economic opportunity and ...
Read more
I recently enjoyed a stop at the Virginia State Peach Festival, held in Stuart on August 16. For 31 years, the festival has been celebrating peaches and all their uses, from eating them on their own to enjoying them in a homemade cobbler. Celebrating peaches is fun, but a lot of work goes into getting them to our tables, our lunchboxes, or even our festivals based around them. Producing all 6,500 tons of Virginia peaches (as reported in the last completed Census of Agriculture) requires selectin...
Read more
Thursday, July 12, 2018 – The House Energy and Commerce Committee today advanced bills in a full committee markup, including measures to expand broadband access. Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) is cosponsoring the two bills promoting broadband and supported them in markup today. He issued the following statement: “The Energy and Commerce Committee made progress in a bipartisan manner on our priorities today, including connecting more Americans to broadband. The Precision Agriculture Connectiv...
Read more
Farm Bill Farming is essential to our way of life. Of course, we all rely on farmers to get food to our tables. Our economy also depends on agriculture, Virginia’s largest private industry and an important part of the Ninth District. We count on farmers, and farmers need stable, consistent policies from Washington. That’s why the farm bill recently passed by the House of Representatives is so important. I supported this year’s farm bill. It maintains programs vital to farmers and the rural commu...
Read more
MLK “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’” – Martin Luther King, Jr., August 28, 1963 I agree with the sentiment of Mr. Joe Sheffey, former chairman of the Pulaksi County Board of Supervisors, in part of his remarks on Martin Luther King given to branches of the NAACP in Christiansburg Sunday, January 14, to paraphrase: America still has this dream. Rural Broadba...
Read more
Foundations of Farming and Forestry Recently, I highlighted ways nations build wealth – make it, mine it, or grow it. This week, I highlight the third way to build wealth. The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) lists agriculture as our Commonwealth’s largest private industry. The economic impact of agriculture and forestry is $70 billion a year and provides 415,000 jobs in the state. Furthermore, these jobs each support another 1.6 jobs in the state economy. Accordi...
Read more
