The current farm bill is set to expire on Sunday. Top lawmakers now admit they will likely have to finish putting together a new farm bill after the November 6th midterm election. Politico says the timing isn’t surprising to most observers. There’s been a lot more sniping between House and Senate negotiators than there have been signs of progress over …
White House Considers Limits on Biofuel Trading for E15 Deal
Three sources familiar with the discussion told Reuters that the Trump Administration is considering limits on trading biofuels credits. The goal would be to discourage speculation and reduce costs for oil refiners to comply with U.S. biofuels policy. The sources also told Reuters that an announcement could be made in the weeks ahead. The move would be part of a …
FDACS Delivers Thousands of Pounds of Food to Hurricane Florence Victims
Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam announced that the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) has delivered thousands of servings of food to Hurricane Florence victims in North Carolina. The department coordinated with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to ready and deliver USDA Foods to disaster relief sites and shelters. USDA Foods include a variety of canned, fresh, …
House to Recess Without Final Vote on Farm Bill
House and Senate farm bill negotiators say they are close to a compromise on a final bill, but they won’t seal the deal before the current legislation expires on Sept. 30 and the House recesses for an extended break in the run-up to the midterm elections in November. In a recent Zipline column, American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall explained …
AFBF: Environmental Litigation Reform Needed
Restoring balance to environmental litigation is vital to America’s farmers and ranchers. America’s farmers and ranchers embrace an ethic of resource conservation while producing food and fiber. But they are frustrated by inequity and lack of transparency in environmental activist groups’ misuse of litigation fee-shifting laws, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. In such cases, Commercial Litigation Experts can …
State of Florida Ices Shrimp Rule
Shrimp harvested in Florida waters and shipped out for human consumption literally won’t have to be put on ice any longer. With an eye on growing Asian markets across the U.S., the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission approved a rule change Thursday that required shrimp harvested as food to be dead and put on ice when transported from the …
NMPF Mulhern on FDA Request for Comments on Dairy Food Labeling
“We welcome the public comment request announced by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that we hope will finally curtail the misleading labeling practices of plant-based foods imitating real dairy products. NMPF will provide additional perspective explaining why the agency must enforce its own labeling regulations and limit the use of standardized dairy terms to products that come from an animal. …
FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., on Modernizing Standards of Identity and the use of Dairy Names for Plant-Based Substitutes
Consumers should be able to know at a quick glance what type of product they’re purchasing for themselves and their families. Implementing clear and transparent food labels and claims is an issue I’ve made a high priority. We’ve outlined these goals in a new, multi-year Nutrition Innovation Strategy released earlier this year. As part of this plan, we promised to address issues …
On Farm Irrigation Scheduling in Georgia
New “Focus on Cotton” Webcast Approximately 90% of growers in the southeastern United States irrigate crops when they observe visible stress, but by this point, the crops have already lost yield. Yield and quality can be maintained and sometimes increased with irrigation scheduling. Wesley M. Porter, assistant professor and extension precision ag and irrigation specialist in the Crop and Soil …
Deadline Weekend Likely to Pass with Little Farm Bill, NAFTA Progress
The farm bill and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) seem certain not to meet the weekend deadline, leaving more uncertain times for agriculture. Negotiators were trying to reach an agreement on the farm bill this week, but the clock is all but out of time as the current bill expires Sunday. Monday means critical trade programs will not …