WASHINGTON --The House of Representatives’ Agriculture Committee will hold one of four field hearings on the 2012 Farm Bill at North Country Community College in Saranac Lake.

The hearing, at 9 a.m. Friday, March 9, will be the only one held in the Northeast this year.

The hearing will be to gather on-the-ground input from the local agriculture community on the multi-year reauthorization of federal agriculture policy.

In announcing the hearing, North Country Rep. Bill Owens, a member of the Agriculture Committee, said that it has been many years since the last congressional hearing was held in one of the eleven counties that make up New York’s 23rd Congressional District.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for New York to make its voice heard as Congress crafts the next Farm Bill,” said Owens.

“Farms across our state sell more than $4 billion in produce annually, but the economic impact is far greater. The strength of this industry is critical to economic stability and growth – when farms thrive, so do the businesses they interact with, from local farm equipment dealers to grocery stores.”

Owens said he was grateful to the committee leaders, and wanted to thank them “in advance for making the trip to the North Country to gain a better understanding the unique needs of New York agriculture.”

Three other haring are set, one each in Illinois, Arkansas and Kansas.