Minneapolis Star Tribune reports…

With a garage door opened to the tall, green corn of the Peterson family, Monday’s midsummer gathering marked the committee’s first field hearing in the Midwest. The earlier stops have been farther west, such as California and Arizona, where conversations revolved around access to water.

The farm bill touches everything from food policy to broadband, biofuels to school lunches. This often leaves priorities in tension — from reducing the carbon footprint of industrial agriculture to providing milk for hungry children.