The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Greg Ibach issued the following statement regarding efforts to address concerns with recent changes to Section 199A of the federal tax code. Some agriculture stakeholders have raised questions about potential market effects on cooperatives and independent grain-related businesses. Ibach’s statement is as follows: “The aim of the …
Perdue Names Appointees to the Florida USDA Farm Service Agency State Committee
U. S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue recently announced the individuals who will serve on the Florida USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) state committee. The state committee is responsible for the oversight of farm programs and county committee operations, resolving appeals from the agriculture community, and helping to keep producers informed about FSA programs. Each state committee has five members, …
Panel Kills Controversial Environmental Proposal
After drawing widespread opposition from business and agriculture groups, a proposal to redefine legal standing for Floridians on environmental issues won’t go before voters in November. The Judicial Committee of the Florida Constitution Revision Commission on Friday unanimously rejected the proposal (P 23), filed by commission member Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch, with opponents saying it was too broad. Thurlow-Lippisch, a former mayor …
War of Words Over Republican Tax Package Continues
The war of words over the recently enacted Republican tax package continues, and farm state GOP lawmakers are pushing back against claims by Democrats, that the new tax law benefits mostly the wealthy. Farm-state Republicans weighed in, as the partisan sniping over the successful tax legislation continued, ahead of the 2018 midterm elections. Iowa Senator Joni Ernst said her neighbors …
USFRA, Leader Krotz, Part Ways
U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) board members have voted to not renew the contract of CEO Randy Krotz, the organizations only CEO since its inception in 2014. Farm Journal AgWeb reports USFRA Board of Directors executive committee placed Krotz on administrative leave January 5th, and the board voted not to renew his contract on January 8th. In a statement, …
Global Avian Influenza Surge
Different strains of avian influenza were found over the holiday season globally, according to two global health agencies that say the number of human infections appears to have decreased over time. Meat industry publication Meatingplace reports that since December, the H5N6 strain of avian influenza has been reported in Hong Kong, the Netherlands, South Korea and Taiwan, in addition to …
2017 Farm Equipment Sales Up
Sales of farm tractors and combines increased in 2017, up five percent and four percent, respectively. The Association of Equipment Manufacturers latest monthly sales report found the sale of all tractors in the U.S. in December 2017, were up 18 percent compared to the same month last year. For the twelve months in 2017, a total of 220,500 tractors were …
Key Risks Keep Ag Outlook Cool
The Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank says the outlook for agriculture remains down, but is beginning to show signs of stabilization. The bank notes that while aggregate measures of farm income are significantly lower than in previous years, the farm income forecast for 2017 was relatively unchanged from the 2016 estimate. Although farm income was expected to stabilize, growing inventories …
Mexico to Leave NAFTA if Trump Starts Withdraw Process
Be it a threat, or intention, if President Donald Trump starts the withdrawal process from the North American Free Trade Agreement, Mexico will drop the trade pact. If Trump decides to leave NAFTA, he would trigger a six-month process to withdraw from the agreement. An official from Mexico said this week that if Trump announces a U.S. withdrawal from NAFTA, …
Canada More Convinced Trump Will Withdraw from NAFTA
Canada is becoming more convinced that President Donald Trump will soon announce U.S. intentions to withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement. President Trump told reporters at the AFBF annual convention earlier this week that he is negotiating tough for farmers, but did not rule out the possibility of withdrawing from the agreement. While the administration seemed to attempt …