Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., announced today that the committee's first farm bill hearing will be held held on April 9 at Michigan State University in East Lansing.

The hearing, “Opportunities for Growth: Michigan and the 2012 Farm Bill,” will focus on the upcoming reauthorization of the farm bill, examining agriculture as well as energy, conservation, rural development, research, forestry and nutrition policies that affect Michigan, Stabenow said in a news release.