President Donald Trump has nominated just seven of the 13 Agriculture Department positions that require Senate confirmation. The Senate has confirmed just four nominations, being Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, Deputy Secretary Steve Censky and Undersecretaries Ted McKinney and Greg Ibach. The undersecretary nomination of Bill Northey remains on hold by Senator Ted Cruz, and one Trump nomination, Sam Clovis, withdrew …
Canada Official: U.S. Direction on NAFTA Like Following a Pinball
An agriculture official from Canada says trying to determine the U.S. direction for the North American Free Trade Agreement is like “following a pinball.” Ron Bonnett, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture president, was attending when President Donald Trump spoke at the American Farm Bureau Federation convention last week. Bonnett told an Ontario, Canada-based newspaper that he is still optimistic that …
Major Reservoir Project Could Take Years
After receiving legislative approval last spring, a massive reservoir intended to help shift water south from Lake Okeechobee remains years away from reality, the head of the South Florida Water Management District said Wednesday. A big factor in the timeline for design and construction of the reservoir is waiting for federal-government approval of its half of the roughly $1.6 billion …
Returning to the New Era Corn Price Mid-Point
The agricultural economists at the University of Illinois have been championing a new era for grain prices since the rise of ethanol as a major player in the U.S. corn market. Scott Irwin is an agricultural economist from the University of Illinois. He and his colleagues believe grain prices have achieved a new higher plateau era. An era that started …
Researchers Studying Feed-Carried Viruses
Could viruses be transferred around the globe by the import of feed stuffs from foreign countries? Dr. Scott Dee of the Pipestone Veterinary Clinic in Minnesota talks about a study carried out by Pipestone Veterinary Services, South Dakota State University and Kansas State University. Feed Prior to the last Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea outbreak in the U.S., it was seen in …
Alabama Fruit Growers Understand Managing Cold Weather
Alabama fruit producers are keeping their eyes on the thermometers, but professionals with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System say producers are used to dealing with cold weather. Dr. Edgar Vinson, an Alabama Extension fruit specialist who works closely with the state’s peach producers, said most are not worried about the frigid weather. “This season’s cold weather has kept peaches and …
Lack of Budget Deal Making Farm Bill Efforts Harder
The lack of a budget deal so far to keep the government open, is frustrating efforts to write a new farm bill–and its would-be authors. Farm bills are never easy to write, and some have taken a couple of years or more to enact. And, this is an election year—never an easy time to do any legislating. But, the ongoing …
Farmers Market Legal Toolkit Launched
Farmers markets now have an online tool that provides the markets with accessible resources to understand legal issues and legal risk. The Center for Agriculture and Food Systems at Vermont Law school, along with the Farmers Market Coalition, and others, have launched the Farmers Market Legal Toolkit online, a free resource created with support from the Department of Agriculture. The …
Native Farm Bill Coalition Formed
More than 30 native American tribes have formed the Native Farm Bill Coalition in an effort to give native American farms a voice at the farm bill table. Minnesota Public Radio reports that the coalition is an outgrowth of programs to improve health and expand access to health food for Native Americans. The coalition says that for decades, Indian Country …
U.S. Top Beef Exporter to South Korea
The United States has reclaimed the title of top beef exporter to South Korea in 2017. The change comes 14 years after a U.S. outbreak of mad cow disease that led to a ban of U.S. beef in South Korea, handing the top spot of the market to Australia, according to Reuters. U.S. beef shipments jumped 13.7 percent last year …