Holsman Selected To Chair Joint Committee on Urban Agriculture

At right: Holsman tours Growing Power in Milwaukee

Jefferson City, MO - The Missouri General Assembly's newly established Joint Committee on Urban Agriculture held its first organizational meeting on Thursday afternoon. On the agenda for the committee's inaugural meeting was election of a chairperson and vice-chair, as well as the approval of a slate of nominees to serve on a technical advisory subcommittee. When it came time to select a committee chair, Representative Tom Loehner (R-Koeltztown) nominated Representative Jason Holsman (D-Kansas City).

In making his nomination speech, Loehner stated that Holsman's initiative in getting the committee formed made him a good candidate for the position. Representative Loehner also believed that the committee chair should come from an urban area.

Loehner's motion was seconded by Representative Billy Pat Wright (R-Dexter). The motion passed unanimously.

"I appreciate the responsibility vested in me through this committee chairmanship," said Holsman after the meeting, "A sustainable local food system will be an important aspect of our growing society as we change both what and how we eat. The average family in Kansas City will sit down for dinner and consume food that was grown with heavy pesticides, preserved, pre-packaged and shipped thousands of miles from both domestic and international souirces."

Holsman went on to say that every year the United States imports almost 800 million dollars in processed fruits and vegetables from China. That money can be redirected to help create agriculture jobs in areas of the urban core suffering from high unemployment.

"Locally grown food not only decreases transportation costs and related greenhouse emissions, but also provides access to healthier foods for children and seniors who live in the food deserts of the inner city." Holsman said. "Urban Agriculture has the potential to supply a reliably sustainable source of nutrition in the event of an interruption in supply due to drought, disease or disaster."

In other committee business, State Senator Jim Lembke (R-St. Louis) was selected as the Vice-Chairman. The committee approved a slate of nominees recommended by Missouri Department of Agriculture Director Dr. Jon Hagler to serve on a technical advisory subcommittee to the Joint Committee.

"I'm incredibly optimistic about the results of this committee and look forward to playing a positive role in shaping the future of agriculture in Missouri and across the nation," said Holsman.

The Joint Committee on Urban Agriculture, House Bill 1848, was designed to create a report to serve as a blueprint for state government activities relating to agriculture in metropolitan areas.