The Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee held a hearing on the impact of weather disasters on agriculture and the economy.
Nobel Prize winner Roger Pulwarty, director of the National Integrated Drought Information System for NOAA, testified on the first panel on last year's weather disasters and gives a forecast for the year ahead. He was joined by U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Chief Economist Joe Glauber who discusses how weather disasters impact the economy.
A second panel featured farmers and ranchers talking about their experiences with weather disasters, how to prepare for them and what is needed for recovery.
This was the committee's first hearing in the new Congress.