{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://tokuda.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-tokuda-holds-agriculture-listening-sessions-across-hawaii-ahead-of-farm-bill", "Rep. Tokuda Holds Agriculture Listening Sessions Across Hawai\u02bbi Ahead of Farm Bill", "2026-02-04", "2026", "2026-02", "Democrat", "House", "HI", "Jill N. Tokuda", "T000487", "tokuda.house.gov", "tokuda", "https://tokuda.house.gov/media/press-releases?PageNum_rs=1&", "scraper", "Hawai\u02bbi \u2014 U.S. Representative Jill Tokuda (HI-02) recently held a series of agriculture listening sessions across Hawai\u02bbi to hear directly from farmers, ranchers, and producers about the challenges facing local agriculture and food systems in advance of a potential markup of a Farm Bill in the House Committee on Agriculture.\n\nThe listening sessions, held in Waim\u0101nalo, Waialua, and Kula, came at a time of heightened uncertainty for farmers nationwide, driven by market volatility, trade disruptions, rising input costs, and reduced access to federal programs. According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, U.S. farmers have experienced more than $50 billion in losses over the last three crop years, underscoring the pressures facing producers as Farm Bill discussions move forward.\n\nAcross the sessions, farmers raised concerns about agricultural land ownership, invasive species control, and the impact of USDA staffing cuts. Participants also discussed tariff impacts, the need for expanded value-added processing capacity, and opportunities to expand local markets.\n\n\u201cOur farmers are navigating higher costs, tighter margins, and increasing uncertainty,\u201d said Rep. Tokuda. \u201cThese listening sessions were about hearing directly from the people doing the work and making sure the Farm Bill is grounded in Hawai\u02bbi\u2019s needs. A strong Farm Bill must support farmers and food security together, because here in Hawai\u02bbi, the health of our farms and the ability of our families to put food on the table are inseparable.\u201d\n\nInput gathered during the listening sessions will help inform Rep. Tokuda\u2019s advocacy as Farm Bill discussions continue, with a focus on supporting farmers, strengthening local food systems, and ensuring Hawai\u02bbi\u2019s agricultural priorities are represented. She is planning more sessions on Kaua\u02bbi, Hawai\u02bbi Island, Molokai, and L\u0101na\u02bbi. For farmers unable to attend future sessions, please share your Farm Bill mana\u2018o here or at tokuda.house.gov/services.\n\nPictures from the Agriculture Listening Sessions can be viewed here.", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://tokuda.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-tokuda-holds-agriculture-listening-sessions-across-hawaii-ahead-of-farm-bill"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8689691312611103, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}