Ag Policy
The House last week has already passed its WOTUS rule resolution and it’s up for a Senate vote. The White House has pledged a veto of the measure, should it reach President Joe Biden’s desk.
“It would be a lost opportunity if we just sit on the sidelines and watch other countries engage while the playing field continues to tilt against us,” said Rep. Smith (R-Neb.).
To put cover crop investments in motion, NRCS would draw on federal, state and private conservationists to hire “thousands” of employees for rural America.
The Beagle Brigade Act of 2023 would provide congressional authority to USDA’s National Detector Dog Training Center that trains canine teams that work to prevent foreign animal disease from entering the U.S.
USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is extending time-limited trials until Nov. 30, allowing certain New Swine Slaughter Inspection System (NSIS) establishments to operate at an increased line speed.
“The prioritization of resource concerns must be left to the local level where producers decide how they can best address their unique and varied landscapes and needs,” said Sen. John Boozman.
“In this current situation, the traditional approach to free trade agreements — which isn’t just tariff cuts, but that they do tariff cuts on a fully comprehensive basis — isn’t what we need right now,” Tai says.
SNAP, which historically receives the greatest amount of farm bill funding, will see an 82% increase of a quarter-trillion-dollars.
“There are so many legislators in policy-making that are unaware of the issues in rural veterinary medicine and rural agriculture today,” says Dr. Jody Kull, owner of Valley Mobile Veterinary Service, Danville, Pa.
Pork producers are working in an increasingly challenging environment. The headwinds are bigger than any single producer can tackle, but everyone coming together can impact the industry’s ability to shape policy.
“Over the long term, our projections suggest that changes in fiscal policy must be made to address the rising costs of interest and mitigate other adverse consequences of high and rising debt,” CBO Director Swagel said
The House will take the reins in writing farm bill 2023. House Ag Chairman Thompson says the pen is “firmly” in his hand, with few tweaks to be made from 2018. The Senate says their version is nearly complete.
As the debate heats up, here’s a breakdown of what National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) looks to push on the 2023 farm bill negotiating table.
A Senate Ag Committee hearing Thursday on the new farm bill raised a issue that is now evident: the Title 1 farm bill safety net can no longer deal with the current ag environment.
“America’s pork producers stand ready to back government efforts to maintain, diversify, and expand additional export markets for U.S. ag,” NPPC said in a press release.
The price surge comes as Europe announced a ban on Russian diesel fuel and G7 countries vowed to price-cap Russian oil products.
The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Alexis Taylor for Under Secretary of Agriculture for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs. According to Taylor, her priorities include addressing export markets and food insecurity.
With Republicans now in control of the House, Rep. RandyFeenstra (R-Iowa) said he wants to introduce legislation shielding the stepped-up basis and like-kind exchanges.
USDA’s second-highest ranking executive, Jewel Bronaugh, announced her resignation on Thursday as Agriculture Deputy Secretary.
“It’s a mystery as to why the USDA began to hide the names of many recipients,” said Scott Faber, senior vice president for government affairs for the Environmental Working Group.
Understanding the environment farmers operate in was top of mind for U.S. Sen. John Boozman (R-AR), ranking member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, at the first Farm Bill hearing.
The revamped foods program would absorb the functions of Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition and the Office of Food Policy and Response, as well as some of the work of the Office of Regulatory Affairs.
Are hog producers being left out of USDA’s Emergency Relief Program (ERP) Phase 2? Paul Neiffer, a CPA who specializes in farm taxes, told AgriTalk’s host Chip Flory that’s what it looks like from his perspective.
Vilsack said USDA believes there are more options for farmers other than “get big or get out. There’s got to be a system in which the many and most have a fair shot.”
The expectation of large Brazilian corn exports to China in 2023 is worrying Brazil’s meat companies in a large producing state, according to a statement from Santa Catarina’s meat processors lobby Sindicarne on Monday.
Reps. Dusty Johnson and Jim Costa on Tuesday introduced the Safer Highways and Increased Performance for Interstate Trucking (SHIP IT) Act to expand the trucking workforce and offer flexibility in times of need.
For example, Rep. Ralph Norman in the past unsuccessfully pushed crop insurance amendments that would have cut premium incentives/subsidies by 15% for producers with specified adjusted gross incomes.
Some legislative officials have discussed the possibility that the Treasury could use an obscure law authorizing platinum coins to circumvent Congress if lawmakers don’t raise the debt ceiling.
The Ghanaian market is now officially open to U.S. exports of pork and pork products in addition to other meat products from the U.S.
A proposal amending existing labor laws covering workers in Minnesota’s food processing and agricultural industries is moving ahead in the state legislature.