Ag Policy
U.S. pork producers are concerned the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity talks won’t address tariffs and market access issues, including sanitary and phytosanitary measures, that restrict their exports.
USDA on Thursday lowered expectations for both ag exports and imports in FY 2023. The export decline is linked to corn and wheat, while the import decline is correlated with easing prices.
Waters of the U.S. rules have evolved many times in the past 50 years. EPA announced another round of changes on Tuesday, following a May Supreme Court ruling that required EPA to revise the definition.
The 2018 Farm Bill is set to expire at the end of September. When Congress resumes, their top two priorities will have to be met before the Farm Bill becomes a priority.
More than 150 members of the U.S. House sent a letter to U.S. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “G.T.” Thompson, R-Pa., and Ranking Member David Scott, R-Ga., on Monday citing their opposition to the EATS Act.
The EPA has rejected two petitions seeking stricter regulation of animal feeding operations, and will be establishing a federal advisory committee to study the matter.
“Mexico’s decree, which runs counter to scientific findings and is in direct violation of USMCA, is negatively impacting American corn growers,” said Tom Haag, NCGA president.
Just in time for school to start, in the midst of the Illinois State Fair, students across the state will no longer be penalized for participating in a 4-H or FFA event.
The North Carolina State Attorney General’s Office has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear an appeal of North Carolina’s ag-gag law, twice struck down by lower courts as unconstitutional on First Amendment grounds.
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird led 16 states in a letter to U.S. Congressional leadership, urging the passage of the EATS Act. “California’s radical-drafted requirements for farmers are hog wild,” the authors wrote.
The threat of a foreign animal disease reaching the U.S. has never been greater. Our existing traceability system has gaps that need to be addressed. The swine industry has an opportunity to guide what that looks like.
Ray Starling, general counsel at the North Carolina Chamber of Commerce, details what the recent rulings mean for growers and the ag industry as a whole.
An agreement has been reached on two technical clarifications surrounding Massachusetts Question 3’s rules.
Court Justice Samuel Alito said the EPA’s interpretation of its powers went “too far.”
Reports of empty meat shelves in California can’t be attributed to Prop 12, said Karen Ross, Secretary of the California Department of Agriculture, at the Ag Media Summit in Palm Springs, Calif. At least, not yet.
It’s not feasible to expect all pork producers to comply with Proposition 12, explains Kelly Cushman, NPPC vice president of domestic policy. Here’s a look at her chat with Chip Flory of AgriTalk this week.
Sens. Chuck Grassley and Sherrod Brown have introduced the Farm Program Integrity Act. It would create a cap of $250,000 in commodity support for a single farm operation and, potentially, some undesirable side effects.
NPPC supports the Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression Act, but Clemens Food Group is not supportive, and Hormel, Smithfield and Tyson have said they intend to comply with California’s Prop 12 law.
“Producers looking to adopt precision ag technologies need network connectivity that extends far past their residences. They need to be able to make real-time decisions that increase yields,” says Sen. Fischer (R-Neb.).
New Jersey must “adopt rules and regulations concerning the confinement, care and treatment of breeding pigs and calves raised for veal,” according to legislation signed into law by Governor Phil Murphy on Wednesday.
Charlie Besher, the chairman of NCBA’s Property Rights and Environmental Management Committee, told a U.S. House committee how predatory black vultures take a toll on cattle producers’ livestock and livelihoods.
Pork processor Triumph and others dispute legality of a Massachusetts law about sow housing regulations.
Roughly 37.6 million acres of U.S. ag land is foreign owned, according to USDA. However, select purchases of U.S. land could come to an end following a Senate vote this week.
President Joe Biden’s tax plan has both good and bad news for farmers, says Paul Neiffer, a CPA and principal with CLA and author of the “Farm CPA” blog.
EPA has been asked to exclude ditches from the definition of federal waters, include wetlands when they can’t be distinguished from navigable waters, and erase the independent interstate waters and wetlands category.
Farm Bill discussions and debates don’t pack as much drama for producers. According to JohnPhipps, there’s an unspoken realization that the Farm Bill doesn’t have the same influence on the farm economy it once did.
The Farmland Security Act of 2023 seeks to further boost transparency in foreign ownership of U.S. farmland.
House Ag Committee Chairman G.T. Thompson, along with other members, is seeking additional funding sources for the bill, but that will likely be the biggest farm bill hurdle that may trip up lawmakers.
The majority of ag economists don’t expect a farm bill to be written by the upcoming deadline, but a few think it could happen by the end of the year, according to the most recent Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor.
The leaders also drafted a proposed legislation earlier this month that promises treaty-like benefits for businesses seeking cross-border investment opportunities via the tax code.