A Miami Shores couple has asked the Florida Supreme Court to take up a constitutional challenge to an ordinance that bars planting vegetable gardens in the front yards of homes. Hermine Ricketts and Laurence Carroll want the Supreme Court to hear an appeal of a ruling last month by the 3rd District Court of Appeal that upheld the Miami Shores …
EPA Given More Time to Implement Manure Air Emissions Reporting
A federal court is giving the EPA more time to implement a controversial manure air emissions reporting requirement that has the livestock industry crying ‘foul.’ The National Pork Producers Association backed the EPA in the agency’s request to the US Court of Appeals for DC last month for more time to comply with the court’s air emissions reporting order. NPPC’s …
USDA to Allow States Flexibility for SNAP
The U.S. Ag Department (USDA) sent a letter to state administrators of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) advising them that changes will be coming to the program. The Hagstrom Report says USDA will allow states more flexibility in managing SNAP. Brandon Lipps, the acting undersecretary for food, nutrition, and consumers services says the USDA will allow more flexibility in …
USDA Emphasizing Trade Expansion
Ted McKinney, the new USDA Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs, has been busy since being sworn in. He’s visited India, Brazil, Colombia, and Panama recently with the goal of increasing trade opportunities. Capital Press Dot Com says the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is putting a new emphasis on generating more trade opportunities overseas for American agriculture. Ag …
Monsanto Asks Judge to Block Arkansas Dicamba Restrictions
Monsanto went before a judge on Tuesday to officially ask the court to prevent a proposal to ban the use of a weed killer that many farmers say drifts and causes damage to their crops. An Associated Press report says the Arkansas ban on dicamba will go before legislators next month. The company is asking a judge to issue an …
Mexican Ambassador: 50% Chance NAFTA is Terminated
The Mexican Ambassador says there is a 50-50 chance that the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) will be “terminated.” Geronimo Gutierrez says there are tensions hanging over the three sides in the negotiations and that’s creating an air of uncertainty. The Hill Dot Com says despite that, he still thinks a deal to update the agreement can be done …
Trump Talks Trade with Senators
Several pro-trade Republicans met with President Donald Trump on Tuesday to discuss trade. Their goal was to let the president know on a face-to-face basis how important the North American Free Trade Agreement is and to keep negotiating. U.S. officials have taken a hard-line stance in the negotiations with Canada and Mexico, causing concern that the talks could fall apart …
Senators Calling for House-Passed ELD Mandate Delay
Republican Senator Jerry Moran of Kansas and North Dakota Democrat Heidi Heitkamp are spearheading a bipartisan effort to make sure the Electronic Logging Device (ELD) mandate for livestock haulers is delayed one year. A group of Senators wrote to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer expressing support for the delay that was written into the House-passed transportation …
New Dairy Support Program Awaits USDA Approval
Times have been tough in the American dairy industry. Overproduction has led to a lot of supply, which has pushed down beyond the break-even point. There have been some dairy support programs, including the most recent Margin Protection Program. However, the program is flawed, with farmers and farm-state legislators calling for changes. Marin Bozic, Assistant Professor with the University of …
Services are Available for Immigrant Laborers on American Dairy Farms
Immigrant labor is important to American agriculture, especially in the dairy industry. Dairy farmers across the country may not know that Mexican consulates in every state have services available to help their immigrant workers adjust to life in America. Monica Cruz of the Mexican Consulate in St. Paul, Minnesota, says there are a variety of ways employers and their employees …