Alabama farmers hope for better prices by Kelsey Cassebaum, Alabama Farmers Federation Despite low feed grain yields in 2016 because of drought, some Alabama farmers increased corn acreage this year, counting on good market conditions come harvest in July. Butler County’s Steve Tanner planted 1,100 acres of non-irrigated corn this year, up more than 300 acres from 2016. His non-irrigated …
NPPC White Paper Details Benefits Of NAFTA
Following last week’s notification by the Trump administration that it will renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the National Pork Producers Council released a white paper on the benefits of the trade deal among the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The paper, which focuses primarily on trade with Mexico, makes the case for not abandoning the 23-year-old pact …
No Plans to Name Cottonseed as an Oilseed
The U.S. cotton industry has been working for some time to get cottonseed designated as a covered commodity, making it eligible for the Agriculture Risk Coverage  and Price Loss Coverage  programs. But according to a story from Stephanie Ho, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue indicates he is not likely to name cottonseed as an oilseed. Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, …
Celebrating National Wine Day
If you are into wine, then this is a day for celebrating. Cathy Isom tells you why you’ll want to toast your favorite red, white or bubbly today. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Today you can pour a glass of your favorite wine to celebrate and participate in National Wine Day. Celebrated on this day in May every …
New Proposal Could Protect Farm Workers from Deportation
The American agriculture industry relies on foreign workers, especially at harvest time. The website Eater Dot Com reports a group of Democrats has introduced legislation that would give farm workers some protection from possible deportation. The bill is called the Agricultural Worker Program Act of 2017 (Senate Bill 1034). It would protect undocumented workers from deportation if they can prove …
AZ Rancher Wants Burden of Federal Regulations Lifted
Arizona rancher David Cook is calling on Congress to remove layers of red tape and federal bureaucracy that have made it much harder to effectively manage and care for public lands. He testified this week before the U.S. House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. Cook told lawmakers he doesn’t believe it was the intent of Congress to disenfranchise …
Elanco Seeks Injunction Against Deceptive rbST Advertising
Elanco initiated legal action last week in an eastern Wisconsin U.S. District Court against international dairy conglomerate Arla Foods last Friday. Elanco wants the court to force Arla to stop what it calls a deceptive advertising campaign and false business practices against rbST. It’s a supplement marketed and sold by Elanco under the brand name Prosilac. Elanco says the technology …
Trump Budget Proposal Puts Perdue in Awkward Position
The deep cuts to the nation’s agricultural support programs proposed by President Donald Trump have put Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue in an awkward position with both lawmakers and farm groups. Politico’s Morning Agriculture Report says a good example of this is the plan to cut funding for trade promotion programs and to eliminate more than 230 jobs geared toward …
Agri View: Shaking Up NAFTA
Everett Griner talks about the shaking up of the NAFTA trade deal in today’s Agri View. Farmers in general, agriculture in particular, is looking at anxiety at our president’s involvement in NAFTA. NAFTA, that’s North American Free Trade Agreement. If you don’t know, that is Canada, Mexico and the U.S.A. It may not be the best international trade …
Heritage Action Praises Trump’s Budget Proposals
Heritage Action is a conservative think tank known for criticizing programs at the USDA. The Hagstrom Report says the group applauds White House budget proposals released this week. However, the group did say it was disappointed the proposals didn’t include structural changes to Medicare and Social Security. Heritage Action CEO Michael Needham calls budget proposals “visionary documents,” saying that the …