{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.roberts.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=C2DB267D-F3F6-4F10-87B6-46FD126C226D", "Senator Roberts & K-State Pres. Gen. Myers Look Ahead to Safeguard Agriculture", "2017-12-13", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "KS", "Pat Roberts", "R000307", "www.roberts.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 With Kansas State University President General Richard Myers\u2019 critical testimony on the remaining challenges to agriculture security before the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee, U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) today said the nation must continue to be vigilant against threats to American agriculture and may address improvements to security as part of the next Farm Bill.\r\n\u201cGeneral Myers\u2019 testimony before the Agriculture Committee today realizes the vision we had 18 years ago when then K-State President John Wefald testified before the Senate Emerging Threats Subcommittee, saying that our nation needed better agro-defense and that Kansas and K-State could step up to fulfill this role,\u201d Roberts said. \u201cNow today, just as we did then, we must continue to look ahead, invest in and evaluate measures to better protect our food supply, our economy and our public health.\u201d\r\nRoberts, Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, invited Myers to testify at a hearing titled: Safeguarding American Agriculture in a Globalized World.\r\nIn his testimony, General Myers said, \u201cMuch must be done to safeguard American agriculture in a globalized world \u00be the U.S. agriculture and food critical infrastructure is not well protected from potentially catastrophic biological events.\u201d\u00a0To watch General Myers remarks, go here.\r\nMyers shared 13 specific recommendations to the committee, including adding additional security clearances, investing in workforce development, better coordination, improved intelligence and more strategic plans for research continuity.\r\nGeneral Myers concluded his remarks saying, \u201cCongress must enact enforceable statutes before it\u2019s too late.\u201d\r\nRoberts also invited former Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.), Co-Chair of the Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense, to testify.\r\n\u201cThe good news is that a national biodefense strategy is in the works and focusing on many of these issues,\u201d Lieberman said. \u201cThis committee can help promote those efforts in the Farm Bill.\u201d\r\nThe Committee also heard from Dr. Doug Meckes, a former practicing veterinarian and DHS official tasked with leading the agency\u2019s agro security work, and current state veterinarian for North Carolina.\r\n\u201cAs I am certain you all are aware,\u201d Meckes said, \u201cnumerous animal agriculture groups, animal science organizations, and veterinarians support a new Animal Disease and Disaster Prevention Program for inclusion in the 2018 Farm Bill.\u201d\r\nAlso testifying before the Committee was Dr.\u00a0Raymond Hammerschmidt, Professor of Plant, Soil And Microbial Sciences at Michigan State University.\r\n\u201cBecause of global trade, we are at risk of introducing new pests and pathogens as well as variants of endemic species,\u201d Hammerschmidt said. \u201cThus, the threat to plant systems can come from many different directions, and the need for proactive detection and diagnostic technologies, and enhanced preparedness at all levels is more important than ever before.\u201d\r\nConcluding his remarks Roberts said, \u201cToday, we will commit to the record updated information regarding agriculture security, begin to examine any needed changes in this arena, and continue work on these evolving challenges. There are several key questions for us to explore.\u201d To watch his full remarks, go here.\r\nFor more information on Senator Roberts\u2019 extensive work to improve the nation\u2019s ability to detect, deter and respond to threats to agriculture, go here: https://www.roberts.senate.gov/NBAF/\r\n-30-", 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.roberts.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=C2DB267D-F3F6-4F10-87B6-46FD126C226D"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4273128472268581, "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"}