{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.king.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/in-cape-elizabeth-king-joins-usda-secretary-sonny-perdue-to-discuss-maine-agriculture-with-industry-leaders", "In Cape Elizabeth, King Joins USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue to Discuss Maine Agriculture with Industry Leaders", "2018-09-20", "2018", "2018-09", "Independent", "House", "ME", "Angus King", "K000383", "www.king.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "CAPE\r\nELIZABETH, ME  Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) joined U.S.\r\nDepartment of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue at the William H.\r\nJordan Farm in Cape Elizabeth. Senator King and Secretary Perdue toured the farm\r\nand met with Maine agricultural leaders representing a variety of important\r\nsectors of the state's agricultural economy and discuss the challenges they\r\nface. Senator King and Secretary Perdue were also joined by Representative\r\nChellie Pingree (D-Maine).   Maine farmers\r\nfeed our people, drive our economy, and carry on traditions dating back\r\ngenerations, said Senator King. Our farmers are a vital part of Maine,\r\nand it's critical that the USDA understands the significant role they play in\r\nour rural economy, the challenges they're facing and the opportunities the\r\nDepartment can provide to help Maine agriculture grow and innovate. Today's\r\nvisit allowed Secretary Perdue to see what made in Maine' really means  that\r\nboth our products and our people are second-to-none.  Senator King has\r\nbeen a strong advocate for Maine farmers, and in June, the Senate passed its\r\nversion of the Farm Bill witha\r\nnumber of King-backed provisionsto support innovation and create new\r\nopportunities for the Maine's agricultural communities, including a\r\nmodernization of rural broadband programs, permanent funding to educate and\r\ntrain beginning farmers and ranchers, and continuing support for important\r\nMaine products like dairy, blueberries and potatoes. In the months since the\r\nSenate Farm Bill passed, Senator King has met with agricultural leaders around\r\nthe state to discuss its provisions and other challenges facing Maine farmers,\r\nmeeting with farmers in Aroostook\r\nCounty in July and Penobscot\r\nCounty in August to discuss their efforts to innovate. Earlier this month\r\nhe also highlighted the challenge of food insecurity in Maine during a\r\nvisit to Good Shepherd Food Bank.  Senator King has\r\nalso pushed to help Maine farms in a variety of ways, including introducing the\r\nPRIME\r\nAct to help small farmers bypass burdensome federal regulations for\r\nlocally produced meats. He has also introduced the CREAATE\r\nAct, which would expand export opportunities for agricultural producers by\r\nrevitalizing the Market Access Program and Foreign Market Development Program;\r\nboth of these programs aim to increase American agricultural exports, and\r\ngenerate a net return of $28.30 for every dollar invested. Senator King has\r\nalso been a vocal advocate in favor of clear FDA labels for pure, single\r\ningredient products like maple syrup and honey, and spoke\r\non the Senate floor about this topic in June.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "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://www.king.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/in-cape-elizabeth-king-joins-usda-secretary-sonny-perdue-to-discuss-maine-agriculture-with-industry-leaders"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7566940039396286, "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"}