{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.king.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/king-keynotes-maine-food-network-event", "King Keynotes Maine Food Network Event", "2016-12-02", "2016", "2016-12", "Independent", "House", "ME", "Angus King", "K000383", "www.king.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "King Keynotes Maine Food Network Event\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tThanks Hundreds for Access to Local Goods, Growing Local Economy\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tFriday, December 2, 2016\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tORONO, ME \u2013 U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today delivered keynote remarks at the 2016 Maine Food Network Gathering held at the Wells Conference Center at the University of Maine in Orono, where he applauded the years of hard work that have helped grow Maine\u2019s thriving local food movement.\r\n\u201cMaine has a rich history of agriculture and fisheries. The broad scope of agricultural production, from small local direct market farms to larger commodity growers, is strengthening our rural economy,\u00a0gives us more access to fresh, locally-produced goods, and also creates jobs and grows businesses,\u201d Senator Angus King said. \u201cThe growth we\u2019ve seen didn\u2019t happen overnight; it took years of hard work and collaboration to build the impressive local food network we have today. And events like this one are critically important as we look to continue that positive momentum moving forward.\u201d\r\nToday\u2019s event brought together leaders from Maine\u2019s food economy, and focused on issues such as\u00a0the role that local networks play in overcoming barriers to fresh food, workforce development resources available for small business owners, and opportunities for Maine\u2019s marine economy such as aquaculture. More than 150 attendees from agriculture, fisheries, food production, and food recovery organizations participated in the event.\r\nSenator King has been a strong voice for local agriculture in the Senate, working to support the positive trends in Maine\u2019s local food movement. During debate on the 2014 Farm Bill, which defines our country\u2019s agricultural policies for a period of five years, Senator King worked to make sure the voice of Maine\u2019s farmers was heard.\r\nWhen the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was working to implement the Food Safety and Modernization Act (FSMA), Senator King made sure that Maine farmers\u2019 concerns were heard in the process in an effort to keep the FSMA rules from unduly burdening Maine\u2019s small and midsized farmers. In 2014, he ushered into law the\u00a0Veterinary Medicine Mobility Act, a bipartisan and common-sense bill with Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) that allows veterinarians to legally carry and dispense controlled substances to treat animals on the farm. \u00a0And he has also teamed up with Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) to introduce the Processing Revival and Intrastate Meat Exemption Act, or\u00a0PRIME Act, which would make it easier for small farms and ranches to provide locally-produced meats to consumers.\u00a0\r\n###", 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/king-keynotes-maine-food-network-event"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4315578155219555, "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"}