Kansas Republican Representative Roger Marshall says families across the U.S. need the next farm bill. As part of a House Agriculture Committee video series, Marshall says there is “no single piece of legislation more important” to his district than the farm bill. Marshal represents District One of Kansas, one of the largest agricultural-driven districts in the nation. He says the …
Senate Ag Sets Northey, Ibach Confirmation Hearing
The Senate Agriculture Committee will consider the nomination of Bill Northey and Greg Ibach Thursday. Northey was nominated by the Trump administration to be the Department of Agriculture undersecretary for farm and foreign agricultural services. Meanwhile, Ibach was nominated to be undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs. Northey is the current Iowa agriculture secretary, and Ibach is the Nebraska director …
Soft Durum Wheat Opens Door to Expand Food Uses
Soft Svevo, a new soft durum wheat variety developed by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists and their collaborators, could expand the market for wheat. Traditional durum wheats are primarily grown as a source of semolina—a coarse meal used to make pasta, couscous, and other products. However, producing semolina requires specialized mills that can grind durum wheat’s rock-hard kernels. This, in …
Dairy Industry Cautions Japan to Respect Current Trade Relationships
Japan’s agriculture officials must respect current market access between Japan and its trading partners, including the United States, when reviewing a list of geographical indications (GIs) proposed by the European Union (EU), or else risk disrupting one of the world’s largest consumer marketplaces, the U.S. dairy industry urged. In a letter to the Japanese Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, leaders …
Sills Joins Georgia Cotton Commission
The Georgia Cotton Commission is pleased to announce that Taylor Sills had joined the commission staff as Director of Public Affairs. Sills previously worked as the Young Farmer Coordinator at Georgia Farm Bureau. In this role, Sills coordinated activities to support, promote, and encourage Young Farmers within Georgia Farm Bureau. He also served GFB as a Marketing Specialist in the …
China Set to Import $100 Million Worth of U.S. Peanuts
China is buying U.S.-produced peanuts on a very high level. The USDA says that will continue. An Agri-Pulse report says China will purchase $100 million dollars of American peanuts. Sales data so far in 2017 says it very well could happen. The U.S. has already sold $29 million dollars’ worth of peanuts from Texas, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, Virginia, as …
Packer Capacity to Keep Up With Expanding Beef Herd
A new report says the U.S. beef herd will keep expanding through the end of this decade but there shouldn’t be any need for increased beef packer capacity. The report from CoBank says the herd will increase 3-5 percent from 2018-2019. Improving pasture conditions and continued profitability in the beef sector have been fueling herd expansion in recent years. Trevor …
Brazil Says U.S. Ban on Brazilian Beef May End in October
Brazil’s agriculture ministry says that the ban on fresh Brazilian beef exports to the United States may be lifted in October. The ban was first implemented in June. A Reuters article says it would end after the U.S. finishes evaluating the responses on documents sent in response to questions raised earlier this year during a U.S. veterinary mission to Brazil. …
Organic Field Crop Production Numbers Rising
Organic farming is a rapidly growing segment of U.S. agriculture. Organic vegetables, fruits, and livestock make up the bulk of the entire segment. However, a new USDA report shows organic field crops are making gains in the number of acres planted and overall value. The National Ag Statistics Service released the numbers showing that U.S. farms and ranches produced $7.6 …
Mexico Says U.S. Proposals Would Threaten Free Ag Trade
Pan Am Post Dot Com says the U.S. will be putting forth controversial proposals during the next round of North American Free Trade Agreement negotiations. The U.S. will allegedly be putting forth proposals for what it calls “seasonal windows” when it comes to agriculture trading with Mexico and Canada. The article says this type of a proposal would be a …