The Chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee is echoing his House of Representatives counterpart, saying the goal is to get the farm bill to the finish line by the end of this year. In his home state this week, Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas told farmers and ranchers that the farm bill process is in “good shape,” according to the …
Dairy Farmers of Canada in Washington, D.C. to Defend Supply Management System
Representatives of a dairy industry group from Canada were visiting Washington, D.C. this week to support the nation’s dairy supply management system. Dairy Farmers of Canada made the visit as negotiations were getting underway on the North American Free Trade Agreement modernization effort between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. The dairy sector is not a part of the current edition …
Lighthizer: NAFTA Costing Jobs, Failing Americans
At the start of the negotiations of the North American Free Trade Agreement this week, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer told reports the deal had benefited many Americans, but it had also failed countless others. Lighthizer noted that Canada and Mexico are the largest export markets for U.S. farmers and ranchers, but claims at least 700,000 Americans have lost their …
Deadline Approaching for Producer Feedback on FARM Program Resources and Tools
Dairy producers have until Sept. 10 to complete a survey asking about their perceptions of the National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Program and how it can continue to improve the resources it offers farmers. The voluntary survey, conducted by the FARM Program in conjunction with Colorado State University, probes producers’ knowledge of FARM and the value it provides …
U.S. Pork Gains Long-Awaited Access to Argentine Market
The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) applauds the Trump administration for negotiating U.S. pork access to the Argentine market. Argentina was among several countries with non-science based barriers to U.S. pork imports. With today’s White House announcement, trade-dependent U.S. pork producers now have unfettered access to this large pork-consuming nation. “U.S. pork producers are the most competitive in the world …
Cotton Board Holds Annual Meeting
Recommends Cotton Incorporated Budget of $74 Million New Cotton Board Chairman and Officers Elected During its Annual Meeting in Durham, North Carolina, The Cotton Board reviewed and voted to recommend Cotton Incorporated’s proposed 2018 budget of $74 million to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. The Cotton Board also elected Louisiana cotton producer George LaCour, Jr. as Chairman of the Board …
Congress Returns Next Month Facing Challenges
Congress returns next month and immediately faces huge spending and debt ceiling challenges, before other politically important measures like tax reform and the farm bill. House and Senate appropriators have both sent USDA spending bills to the full House and Senate, though neither has acted yet, and the two bills that both reject big cuts proposed by the president would …
EPA Administrator Asks Cattlemen to Submit WOTUS Comments
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association released a video featuring Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt, in which Pruitt urges farmers and ranchers to submit official comments on the repeal of the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule before the Agency’s deadline of Monday, Aug. 28, 2017. “When comments are made a part of a record – as rule-making – we have an …
Family Farm Action Lobbying Group Launched
A new political organization says it will fight for America’s family farmers and rural communities. The Family Farm Action group was launched this week, and says it will “fight to protect” America’s family farms and rural communities from multinational agribusiness monopolies that are “destroying rural economies and way of life.” The Kansas City, Missouri-based group’s President Joe Maxwell, a Missouri …