World Ag Expo opens to visit by House speakerWorld Ag Expo opens to visit by House speaker

Political visitors to the World Ag Expo in Tulare, Calif. may not be rare, but never in the five decades of the event has a sitting U.S. House speaker and an entourage of House Agriculture Committee representatives been there at the same time.

Opening day of the World Ag Expo saw House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who’s district includes an area just south of the International Agri-Center grounds, join a bipartisan group of House Agricultural Committee members for a listening session on the upcoming Farm Bill.

House Ag Committee Chairman GT Thompson, R-PA, was joined by McCarthy and six ag committee members from California, including representatives Jim Costa, David Valadao, John Duarte, Salud Carbajal, Jimmy Panetta, and Doug LaMalfa, for a two-hour hearing on the Farm Bill.

“It just goes to prove that for this new Congress, agriculture is going to be an important topic of discussion,” said Jerry Sinift, chief executive officer of the International Agri-Center

Opening day attendance at the World Ag Expo appeared good for the first half of the day as about 200 people attended the Farm Bill listening session. Attendance Tuesday afternoon of the three-day expo fell quickly in the afternoon as a cold, stiff wind chased visitors off from of the outdoor exhibition.