September 5, 2001

The Commissioners, Secretaries, Directors
of State Departments of Agriculture

Dear Fellow Commissioners, Secretaries, and Directors:

A copy of my testimony on the Federal Specialty Crop State Block Grant funding to the California Senate Committee on Agriculture and Water Resources has been posted to http://www.nasda.org/temp/Lyons.pdf.

California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) along with the NFACT Coalition and the agricultural community applauds Congress in its recent response to the continuing economic crises affecting American agricultural producers.

CDFA will hold a series of hearings throughout the State of California for the purpose of obtaining input on how to best utilize these Federal Block Grant Funds.

I encourage you to share information (i.e. innovative ideas) about your state planning process and recommendations from the agricultural community.

I look forward to hearing from you. If you have any questions, please contact me at (916) 654-0433 or via-email at shessing@cdfa.ca.gov

Sincerely,

William (Bill) J. Lyons, Jr.
Secretary