It’s a key week for the 2018 farm bill. House and Senate staff and principal negotiators are trying to bridge differences in time to pass a compromise bill back through both chambers and get it on the president’s desk by the end of the month, when the current law expires. Key Week for Farm Bill-1 Andrew Walmsley, American Farm Bureau …
Perdue Says NAFTA Must Include Dairy Fix
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue says Canada must make changes to dairy trade with the United States as part of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) negotiations. Speaking on C-SPAN, Perdue said U.S. farmers don’t have the same access to Canada that Canada has to the U.S., specifically referring the Class 7 dairy products in Canada. Perdue says: “Class 7 …
Senate Ag Leaders Question USDA Reorganization
Leaders of the Senate Agriculture Committee are expressing concerns over the Department of Agriculture’s reorganization plans. Senators Pat Roberts and Debbie Stabenow wrote Secretary Sonny Perdue recently, noting that stakeholders have expressed concerns over the USDA plan to place economics functions under the Office of the Secretary and to move most of the employees of the Economic Research Service and …
OTA Moving Forward with Voluntary Checkoff
The Organic Trade Association (OTA) is moving forward with plans to create a voluntary checkoff program. The Association says the program would provide industry-invested organic research, promotion and education check-off program that will be collaboratively designed and implemented by organic stakeholders across the organic supply chain. The trade association has formed a Steering Committee to coordinate and lead the efforts. …
National Farmers Union DC Fly-in This Week
National Farmers Union members head to Capitol Hill this week at a critical time for agriculture issues. NFU is hosting 350 farmers as part of a fly-in event. The farmers will meet face-to-face with top Trump administration officials and members of Congress. The fly-in kicks off Wednesday with an event at the Department of Agriculture. On Thursday and Friday, participants …
USDA Partners with Communities to Support Opioid Prevention, Treatment and Recovery Opportunities in Rural America
Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Anne Hazlett announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is partnering with rural communities in 22 states to support opportunities for opioid prevention, treatment and recovery (PDF, 162 KB). “With its impact on workforce, quality of life and the economic vitality of rural communities from Maine to California, the opioid epidemic is more …
USDA, FDA Announce Joint Public Meeting on Use of Animal Cell Culture Technology
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb announced a joint public meeting to be held on Oct. 23-24 to discuss the use of cell culture technology to develop products derived from livestock and poultry. The joint public meeting, hosted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service …
Gap Remains in Farm Bill Talks Over SNAP
Senate Ag Committee Leaders said the farm bill compromise offered by House Ag Chair Michael Conaway doesn’t go far enough. Politico says Conaway described it as a “significant compromise.” The disagreement has slowed the efforts to reconcile the House and Senate Farm Bills. Senate Ag Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow says the offer isn’t even close to something that the Senate …
Industry Coalition Opposes New China Tariffs
A coalition of more than 150 business groups, including several in agriculture, wrote a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer this week regarding trade. The Hagstrom Report says the groups fear additional 10 percent or 25 percent tariffs, put in place under Section 301 authority, will backfire. The letter says, “Continuing the tit-for-tat escalation with China only serves to …
What’s Next for E-Verify Immigration System
All employers would be required to use the E-Verify system to check the immigration status of employees. Milk Business Dot Com says the requirement is part of some revisions to the Ag and Legal Workforce Act that’s currently making its way through Congress. If the Act gets Congressional approval, it would phase in the E-Verify system over time and phase …