Ag Policy
The Canadian Pork Council says it’s critical that the government makes Bill C-234 law quickly. Here’s why Canadian pork producers are behind this legislation.
Rep. Thompson, chairman of the House Ag Committee, continues to express optimism about passing a new farm bill in December in the House of Representatives. But he says an extension of the current farm bill is needed.
Pork producer Robert Kluver hosted President Joe Biden at his farm in Northfield, Minn., last Wednesday. Biden was on a tour of the Midwest, touting billions of dollars in aid he recently pledged for rural America.
Political unrest, a healthy ag economy and the start of an election year. These are all reasons economists in the October Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor think it could 2025 before Congress passes a new farm bill.
The latest USDA report shows a 12.8% of U.S. households were food insecure in 2022, a jump from 10.2% in 2021 and the largest annual increase in USDA’s hunger measure since 2008.
In a historic and contentious election, Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) was elected as the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, writes Pro Farmer analyst Jim Wiesemeyer in Policy Updates.
The Organic Livestock and Poultry Standards final rule is now available for preview. This new rule establishes clear, strong and consistent standards for organic livestock and poultry production, USDA says.
When we talk about advocacy in animal health and welfare, pre-harvest activities come to mind. Funding programs to protect the nation’s pig herd from FADs is a priority. Equally important are post-harvest policy issues.
For years, livestock producers have been regulated under EPA’s CAFO Rules, which enforce a strict “zero-discharge” standard for managing manure. Adding unnecessary paperwork will provide no water quality benefit.
It’s time to raise user feeds within the Agricultural Quarantine and Inspection (AQI) program, NPPC says. The last fee increase was in 2015. The current fees no longer generate enough revenue to cover program costs.
While the U.S. and EU aim to make progress during an upcoming summit, reaching a final agreement is uncertain. This issue has significant implications for U.S./EU ties, climate goals, and geopolitics.
Work by the House or Senate Agriculture Committee on a new farm bill is essentially stalled, Randy Russell tells AgriTalk’s Chip Flory. Russell says that could be the case until government funding issues are resolved.
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird says Question 3 will not only cost pork producers across the country hundreds of millions of dollars and drive many out of business, but it will also dramatically raise pork prices.
China’s Commerce minister expressed concerns over trade and tech restrictions to U.S. Senate Majority Leader this week. That’s as the U.S. Commerce Department added 42 more Chinese companies to the export blacklist.
The attack on Israel by Hamas adds urgency to GOP efforts to elect a new House speaker. The need to focus on Israel may help get a House GOP leadership decision this week, several lawmakers said.
U.S. pork producers tasked NPPC to help update the existing swine traceability system. Swine producers, veterinarians, cull swine and breeding operators and show pig enthusiasts are asked to comment by Oct. 27.
With the government funding in place for now, work on a new farm bill can continue, with the same questions (timing, funding, Title 1 reform, etc.) still being unanswered.
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelming rejected a proposal on Wednesday that would have barred USDA from operating commodity checkoff programs.
Has the costly impact of Proposition 12 reached California consumers? A new study out of the USDA Chief Economist’s Office suggests it has.
California Department of Food and Agriculture released details on the on-site inspection requirements for a pork producer obtaining a third-party certification according to Proposition 12.
American communities deserve ready access to veterinarians, say the supporters of the Rural Veterinary Workforce Act who are urging Congress to pass the act, ensuring healthy livestock and a safe, secure food supply.
As brent crude futures soar toward $100, it’s creating a new battle in the Federal Reserve’s effort to fight inflation. One money manager warns another rate hike is likely.
Randy Spronk testified before the U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means’ Subcommittee on Trade in its hearing on “Reforming the Generalized System of Preferences to Safeguard U.S. Supply Chains and Combat China.”
Meghan Cline has joined the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) as director of policy communications.
“Speaking up for our industry is critical to having lawmakers understand that decisions they make in Washington affect how we can continue to provide safe, nutritious food,” says NPPC’s Scott Hays.
The uncertainty surrounding Proposition 12 is one reason why Scott Hays, a Missouri pork producer and president of the National Pork Producers Council, says he’s not interested in changing how his farm produces pork.
Although there is no shortage of topics the U.S. pork industry needs to wrap its head around right now, National Pork Producers Council CEO Bryan Humphreys says foreign animal disease continues to be a high priority.
The proposal would strengthen protections for farmworkers in the H-2A program and help prevent abuses that undermine wages and standards for all agricultural workers, according to the Department of Labor.
The Livestock Consolidation Research Act would direct a study on the impact of livestock industry consolidation, and a report about how this has affected new market entrants, access to resources and purchasing power.
China’s GDP growth could possibly drop lower than the U.S. this year. In fact, fewer and fewer sectors are healthy, and only then by direct government intervention.