The White House is hoping to play mediator between the oil and ethanol industries as it brought together Wednesday (12/13/17) for a preliminary discussion on the Renewable Fuels Standard. Refiners say they can’t afford the RFS compliance costs. The biofuels industry insists it has to have the mandates in the RFS to keep expanding and growing biofuels. Senators Chuck Grassley, …
Biodefense Experts to Senate Ag Committee-U.S. Ill Prepared
Biodefense experts told the Senate Agriculture Committee a message the panel has heard before. The U.S. is ill-prepared for an intentional or natural disease outbreak that could devastate the nation’s food supply. It’s been over a decade since the Senate Ag Committee held a hearing on agriculture security, but concern over the issue has only grown. Former U.S. Senator and …
House Agriculture Committee Launches Farm Bill Landing Page
Ahead of the 2018 Farm Bill, House Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway (TX-11) today announced the launch of a new online resource which can be accessed through the committee’s current website, https://agriculture.house.gov/farmbill. This landing page is designed to provide updates and information related to the 2018 Farm Bill. Following its launch, Chairman Conaway offered the below remarks: “I’m committed to completing a …
FDA Report on Antibiotics Released
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released its 2016 summary report on antimicrobial use in food producing animals. National Pork Board vice president of science and technology Dave Pyburn says this research confirms reduced use of antibiotics at the farm level. Antibiotics This is a milestone in antibiotic stewardship. Pyburn credits the success back to pig farmers and their …
NCBA Comments on Tax Reform
Tax reform and trade are inserted daily in today’s agricultural conversations all around the United States. 2017 National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) President Elect Kevin Kester says these issues are on the forefront of all in the cattle industry, too. Regarding tax reform, Kester says they support a full elimination of the death tax. Tax Kester says there is also …
Secretary Perdue Welcomes WTO Statement on MRLs
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue issued the following statement in response to the joint statement on pesticide maximum residue levels (MRLs) signed at the 11th World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference in Buenos Aires: “The U.S. Department of Agriculture applauds the joint statement on pesticide MRLs issued this week at the WTO ministerial in Buenos Aires. The 17 signatory …
USDA Predicts Lower Red Meat and Poultry Production
The latest World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report released Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture predicts lower red meat and poultry production due to lower beef and pork production forecasts. Beef production is lowered on the current pace of cattle slaughter and lighter carcass weights. The pork production forecast is lowered on smaller-than-anticipated hog slaughter this quarter although …
UF/IFAS-Developed Sorghum Cultivars Can Produce Thousands of Gallons of Ethanol
Sweet sorghum is not just for breakfast anymore. Although sorghum is a source for table syrup, scientists see a future in which we convert sorghum to biofuel, rather than relying on fossil fuel. That potential just grew as University of Florida researchers found three UF/IFAS-developed sorghum varieties could produce up to 1,000 gallons of ethanol per acre. “Sweet sorghum has …
Optimism for a 2018 Farm Bill is Fading
A Senior GOP Ag Senator says his optimism for a 2018 farm bill is fading, after months of delay in starting to write a bill in committee. Senator Chuck Grassley says he’s less hopeful now than a few months ago, that the Senate will pass a 2018 farm bill soon. Farm Bill But, that was before the Senate got mired …
Monsanto Offering Incentive for XtendiMax with VaporGrip Herbicide
Monsanto is offering an incentive for U.S. farmers who buy a dicamba-based herbicide. The incentive to use XtendiMax with VaporGrip could refund farmers over half the sticker price of the product in 2018 if they spray the herbicide on soybeans Monsanto engineered to resist the weed killer, according to Reuters. However, further restriction on dicamba-based herbicides are in place for …