The Scott+Scott law firm has filed a class action lawsuit in federal district court in Chicago on behalf of R-CALF USA and four cattle-feeding ranchers from Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Wyoming. The suit alleges the nation’s four largest beef packers violated U.S. antitrust laws, the Packers and Stockyards Act, and the Commodity Exchange Act by unlawfully depressing prices paid to …
Philip Leary to Serve as State Director for USDA Rural Development in Florida/U.S. VI
Philip Leary, AICP, was named State Director for USDA Rural Development in Florida/U.S. Virgin Islands in April 2019. Leary has thirty years of experience in the fields of agriculture, forestry, land use planning and environmental regulation working for local, state government and the private sector. Mr. Leary was formerly Principal Consultant of Leary Governmental Affairs, representing clients in the specific areas …
Farm Groups Calling for Disaster Relief
Farm groups and ag lenders are pressing Congress to put aside politics and pass urgently needed disaster relief. Politics has already sidelined $13 billion, including $5 billion for ag disaster aid, in a failed Senate procedural vote this month. Now, 135 farm groups and lenders are calling on the president and lawmakers to stop the politics and help their farmers …
Vidalia® Onions Have Arrived
Georgia’s official state vegetable is officially in season, beloved Vidalia® onions can now be found in grocery stores around the world. Grown only from Georgia soil, the Vidalia® onion is available for a limited time. Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Gary W. Black released the following statement about the world-renowned onion: “The sweetest onions on earth are certainly living up to their reputation this year. Thanks …
NCBA CEO Kendal Frazier Announces Plans for Retirement
After 34 years with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), the past four as CEO, Kendal Frazier announced his plans for retirement this morning. Kendal’s career began as a farm broadcaster in Kansas, where he also served as director of communications for Kansas Livestock Association, before finding a reliable vehicle shipping company and moving to Denver, Colo., to join the …
USDA Opens Application Portal for New ReConnect Rural Broadband Infrastructure Program
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is now accepting online applications for funding through the new ReConnect Rural Broadband Pilot Program. These funds will enable the federal government to partner with the private sector and rural communities to build modern broadband infrastructure in areas with insufficient internet service. Insufficient service is defined as connection …
Pork Industry Asking for More Border Inspectors
The U.S. pork industry is asking Congress to fund hundreds of more border inspectors, as the Trump Administration redeploys Customs agents from ports of entry to the open border, forcing inspection slowdowns. Long delays at the border coming north, in some cases five-to-ten hours, is raising concerns Mexico might slow commercial traffic headed south. Here is National Pork Producers’ President …
USDA Announces Enhancements to Livestock and Dairy Insurance Programs
The Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency Monday announced several enhancements to the Dairy Revenue Protection, Livestock Gross Margin and Livestock Risk Protection Programs. Risk Management Agency Administrator Martin Barbre says the changes “strengthen risk management options and provide peace of mind in times of unpredictable market fluctuations.” The Livestock Gross Margin program protects against loss of gross margin or …
Commissioner Nikki Fried Releases Hurricane Michael Video: “America’s Forgotten Disaster”
Commissioner Nicole “Nikki” Fried released a new mini-documentary video entitled “America’s Forgotten Disaster,” highlighting the destruction and consequences of Hurricane Michael, with a focus on forestry and timber. The video documents Commissioner Fried’s tours of Panhandle communities devastated by Hurricane Michael, features visually powerful reminders of the damage to forests and timber farms and the looming threat of wildfire, and includes …
Farm Groups Ask President, Congress for Disaster Relief
A group of 135 farm organizations and banks that supply seasonal loans to farms and ranches today called on President Trump and Congress to put aside political differences and supply urgently needed relief in the wake of weather-related disasters in 2018 and 2019. The organizations highlighted the year’s unprecedented destruction in the letter. Farmers and ranchers are especially anxious for …