The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) filed comments in support of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Nov. 14 proposal to exempt manure air emissions reporting from the Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act (EPCRA). In October 2017, EPA concluded that air emissions from manure did not need to be reported under EPCRA while signaling it would take a substantive …
Farmers Optimistic as China Buys U.S. Soybeans
Alabama soybean farmers are optimistic in light of China’s Dec. 12 purchase of U.S. soybeans, the nation’s first substantial U.S. agricultural purchase following a trade truce struck earlier this month. China’s haul of over 1.5 million tons of soybeans is valued at more than $500 million. In 2017, China bought 60 percent of U.S. soybeans — worth $12.25 billion — …
USDA Launches New Program to Create High-Speed Internet e-Connectivity in Rural America
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is offering up to $600 million in loans and grants to help build broadband infrastructure in rural America. Telecommunications companies, rural electric cooperatives and utilities, internet service providers and municipalities may apply for funding through USDA’s new ReConnect Program to connect rural areas that currently have insufficient …
Farm Bureau Board Endorses USMCA Agreement
The board of directors of the American Farm Bureau Federation recommended swift passage of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Exports to Canada and Mexico under USMCA’s predecessor, the North American Free Trade Agreement, increased from $8.9 billion to $39 billion yearly. The USMCA would retain those gains while adding improvements in terms of trade for poultry, eggs, dairy and wine. AFBF, …
Groups Respond to House Passage of Farm Bill
Statement of Secretary Perdue U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue hailed the passage of the 2019 Farm Bill. The House of Representatives approved the conference report on the bill this afternoon, following the Senate’s passage. Perdue issued the following statement: “The passage of the 2019 Farm Bill is good news because it provides a strong safety net for farmers and …
Conaway Floor Remarks on H.R. 2 the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018
Chairman K. Michael Conaway (TX-11) Floor Remarks as prepared: Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the conference report to accompany H.R. 2, the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018. It is fitting that the House considers the Farm Bill because 28 years ago, another proud Texan — President George H.W. Bush — signed the 1990 Farm Bill into law. And, …
Restoring a Species: Northern Bobwhite Quail
Sportsmen were alarmed, landowners worried as they watched the northern bobwhite population plummet at the turn of the century. In the last 50 years, annual populations are down 85 percent in the United States. Habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation on a continental scale has silenced its iconic call across rural America. In Florida, a former private hunting plantation is leading the …
Record U.S. Beef Exports; Pork Exports Slightly Lower
U.S. beef exports remained on a record-shattering value pace in October, according to data released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). October pork exports trended seasonally higher compared to recent months, but were still below the results posted in October 2017. October beef exports totaled 117,800 metric tons, up 6 percent …
Conference Panel Approves 2018 Farm Bill
Pork producers – and all livestock farmers – are poised for a significant victory after passage by a Senate-House conference committee of a 2018 Farm Bill that includes mandatory funding for animal disease prevention and preparedness. The National Pork Producers Council now is urging lawmakers in both chambers of Congress to approve the new five-year agricultural blueprint. NPPC has been …
EPA and Army Propose New ‘Waters of the United States’ Definition
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of the Army (Army) are proposing a clear, understandable and implementable definition of “waters of the United States” that clarifies federal authority under the Clean Water Act. Unlike the Obama administration’s 2015 definition of “waters of the United States,” today’s proposal contains a straightforward definition that would result in significant cost …