food safety

Senate Passes Bill to Address Potential Agroterrorism

Dan Industry News Release

The U.S. Senate passed legislation designed to address the potential threat of agroterrorism and keep the American food supply safe. Ag Committee Chair Pat Roberts co-sponsored the legislation in the Senate and says an attack on the nation’s food supply would cause irreparable damage. “This legislation reaffirms the important role for the Department of Homeland Security in preventing agro-terrorism,” Roberts …

farm bill program

Roberts/Stabenow: No More Cuts to Agriculture

Dan Industry News Release

The Senate Ag Committee heard testimony this week from several economists on the challenges that currently exist in farm country. The Hagstrom Report says Republican Ag Chair Pat Roberts of Kansas and Ranking Democrat Debbie Stabenow of Michigan both came to the same conclusion: no more cuts for farm bill programs. At what he described as the first farm bill …

USDA Designates Eight Counties in Florida as Primary Natural Disaster Areas

Dan Drought, Florida, Industry News Release

In response to a request from Debby Folsom, Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Acting State Executive Director in Florida, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated eight counties in Florida as primary natural disaster areas due to losses and damages caused by a recent drought. Those counties are: Brevard Hillsborough Manatee Seminole Collier Lake Sarasota Sumter Farmers and ranchers in …

Glynn County

USDA Designates Glynn County in Georgia as a Primary Natural Disaster Area

Dan Drought, Georgia, Industry News Release

In response to a request from Dianne Westmoreland, Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Acting State Executive Director in Georgia, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated Glynn County in Georgia as a primary natural disaster area due to losses and damages caused by a recent drought. Farmers and ranchers in Brantley, Camden, McIntosh and Wayne counties in Georgia also qualify …

EPA advisory panel

Conaway, Goodlatte Call on Attorney General to Evaluate DOJ Overreach in Prosecuting WOTUS Violation in CA Court Case

Dan Industry News Release, Water

House Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway (TX-11) and House Judiciary Committee Chairman, Bob Goodlatte (VA-6) sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions calling for a review of the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) decision to prosecute a California court case alleging violations under the Clean Water Act (CWA) – directly related to both the statutory exemptions for farming …

florida bull test

Nominate Bulls for the 2017 Florida Bull Test by June 15

Dan Alabama, Cattle, Florida, Georgia, Industry News Release

For those interested in nominating bulls for the 2017 Florida Bull Test, here’s a reminder you have until June 15th to do so. The 18th Florida Bull Test will once again take place at the University of Florida’s North Florida Research and Education Center in Marianna. Last year there were 129 consignments from Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi, and the window …

corn

Corn Replant Expected to reach “Historic” Levels

Dan Corn, Industry News Release

Seed industry leaders are expecting corn replant rates this year to reach historic levels. Ryan Parkin of Beck’s Hybrids told DTN-The Progressive Farmer “this will be a historic replant year, particularly for corn.” Many seed companies say the year ranks first or second in company history for replanting demand. Spring rains were far too abundant, leaving fields across the Midwest …

seed cotton

Perdue Echoes Vilsack on Cottonseed Declaration

Dan Cotton, Industry News Release

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue this week echoed his predecessor, telling U.S. House lawmakers the Department of Agriculture does not have the authority to declare cottonseed as an oilseed. Perdue carried the same message former Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack offered to lawmakers on the issue, as advised by USDA lawyers. Perdue was asked about the issue during a House Agriculture Appropriations …

trade deal

NAFTA a Success Story for Agriculture

Dan Industry News Release, Trade

A farmer from Nebraska says the North American Free Trade Agreement is a success story for U.S. agriculture and warns of the risks involved in renegotiation. In a letter published by the New York Times, Alan Tiemann writes that NAFTA has tremendously benefited U.S. agriculture. Tiemann, a past U.S. Grains Council Chairman, recalled a delegation of Mexican buyers who recently …

Florida lawmakers

Top Senate Ag Democrat Releases Trump Budget Fact Sheet

Dan Economy, Industry News Release

A fact sheet released by the Senate Agriculture Committee’s Ranking Democrat highlights the expected impact of President Donald Trump’s proposed budget on agriculture. The fact sheet claims that President Trump is “turning his back on rural America.” Released by Senate Democrat Debbie Stabenow’s office, the fact sheet says cuts included in the proposal to crop insurance and the Supplemental Nutrition …