Agriculture groups say trade retaliations from China will “costs farmers their livelihoods.” China announced retaliation efforts to the Trump administration’s tariffs on steel and aluminum. The American Soybean Association says “It’s extremely frustrating” the administration is targeting the nation’s largest trading partner during a time of low farm income. American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall echoed those comments, stating …
Trade Issues Pose Farm Bill Challenges
During a Senate hearing last week, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts linked the state of U.S. trade to the farm bill, remarking trade presents more challenges to the farm bill. Speaking last week at a Senate Finance Committee hearing with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, Roberts simply said: “This is not a good situation.” Speculating that if Congress needs …
Organic Groups Suing USDA over Livestock Rule
Four organic groups have filed a lawsuit against The U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, regarding the organic livestock welfare rule. Led by the Center for Food Safety, the groups say the decision to withdraw the rule was “outrageous and unlawful,” similar to what USDA called the rule. In the March 13th decision, USDA claimed the regulations …
USDA Wants Input on Statistics Gathering Programs
The Department of Agriculture is seeking feedback on the National Agricultural Statistics Service. Through the 2018 USDA Data Users’ meeting, USDA will seek comments and input on recent and pending changes in various data and information programs. NASS and partner agencies organize the annual meeting for USDA stakeholders. Other participating USDA agencies include the Agricultural Marketing Service, Economic Research Service, …
Agri View: New Peanut Allergy Treatment
Everett Griner talks about peanut allergies. Everett discusses how this allergy may vanish in today’s Agri View. New Peanut Allergy Treatment You know one of the healthiest foods from all of the world of agriculture is peanuts. Not a great variety of those foods, and, they are important. But, isn’t it a shame that so many children are allergic to …
Perdue Applauds Fire Funding Fix in Omnibus
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue expressed his appreciation for the work of Congress to find a bipartisan fix for the way the U.S. Forest Service is funded for fighting wildfires. Secretary Perdue had advocated for the change since taking office in April 2017. Congress included the solution in the FY 2018 Omnibus Spending Package, which has been signed into …
Broadband Investment and Section 199A Tax Code Fix in Omnibus Applauded by Perdue
Broadband: U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue applauded the robust investment of $600 million in rural broadband for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which was included in the FY 2018 Omnibus Spending Package. The funding comes at a time when President Donald J. Trump is pursuing an ambitious agenda to rebuild America’s infrastructure, including a special emphasis on rural …
Weekly Livestock Market Report
Here are the weekly livestock market reports for Alabama, Florida, and Georgia, for the week ended March 23, 2018, compiled by the Livestock Market News Service for all three states. AL Livestock Market Report: AL Livestock Market Report At Alabama Livestock Auctions, for the Week ended March 23, 2018, receipts at 21 markets totaled an estimated 9,600 head compared …
President Trump Signs Omnibus
With President Donald Trump’s signature, the 2018 omnibus spending bill—and the several provisions that benefit farmers, ranchers and rural communities it includes—became law. The measure, which was a must-pass to avert a government shutdown, was approved in quick succession by the House and Senate on Thursday and the wee hours of Friday morning, respectively. The omnibus amends the cooperative tax …
Major Victories for Cattle Producers in Signed Omnibus Bill
This afternoon, President Trump signed the omnibus spending bill, which includes several provisions that will directly benefit livestock producers. National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Executive Director of Government Affairs Allison Cooke said the association has a lot of solid wins in this bill. Major Victories for Cattle Producers in Signed Omnibus Bill From NCBA Cattlemen Applaud Final Approval of Omnibus …