The Trump Administration announced its $12 billion plan to help farmers struggling under the escalating trade wars. Politico says there are still important details to be worked out, including just how much help farmers will get and how they’ll prove economic harm. More details are scheduled to come out after Labor Day. USDA Chief Economist Robert Johansson says soybean farmers, …
Not All Reactions to Trade Assistance Are Positive
The President’s plan to aid farmers in the midst of the trade war is not sitting well with several groups, including a number of Republicans in Congress. Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin says, “This is becoming more and more like a Soviet-style economy here with commissars in the administration figuring out where to sprinkle around benefits.” According to the Hagstrom …
U.S., EU to Talk Trade
President Donald Trump says the U.S. and the European Union should drop all tariffs, subsidies, and barriers. This comes as EU trade officials were set to meet with him on Wednesday. In a Tuesday night Tweet, Trump said “I have an idea for them. Both the U.S. and EU drop all tariffs, barriers, and subsidies. That would finally be a …
EPA Approves Sorghum Oil for Biofuels
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler approved sorghum as an eligible feedstock under the Renewable Fuels Standard. The announcement marks a significant step toward leveling the playing field for ethanol plants that extract oil from sorghum. The National Sorghum Producers worked closely with EPA over the past two years to establish a biofuels pathway for sorghum oil in the …
Eliminating Antibiotic Use Would Cost Cattlemen $1.8 Billion
Kansas State University recently announced the results of a study on the economic impact of treating high-risk groups of animals with antimicrobials. They undertook the study to contribute to the growing public debate on antibiotic use in animal agriculture. The study focused on the practice (called metaphylaxis) of treating an entire pen of high-risk animals to eliminate or minimize the …
Livestock Groups Highlight Misuse of Environmental Laws
Cattle and sheep producers warned Congress that environmental laws are increasingly being misused by fringe activist groups and pose a growing threat to grazing on federal lands. The House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on the Interior, Energy, and the Environment held a hearing. It was in response to mounting challenges faced by ranchers who graze livestock on federal lands …
McMillan Advises Horse Owners to Vaccinate for EEE & West Nile Virus
Alabama Department of Agriculture & Industries Commissioner John McMillan has announced that three horses have tested positive for Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) by the department’s diagnostic laboratory in Auburn. The positive results came from horses in Houston, Mobile and Geneva Counties. EEE is a mosquito-transmitted disease that is more severe than West Nile Virus (WNV). The mortality rate in horses …
Mulhern Comments on Passage of Newhouse Amendment to Improve H-2A Program for Dairy Producers
“We greatly appreciate Rep. Dan Newhouse’s (R-WA) work on behalf of America’s dairy producers to expand the H-2A farm worker visa program to include year-round employees on farms. “Rep. Newhouse’s amendment to the Homeland Security Appropriations bill would allow farm employers to use the H-2A visa program to hire foreign workers, regardless of whether those employees are engaged in temporary …
Retired UF/IFAS Agronomist Celebrates 106th Birthday
Elver Hodges, who started working at the University of Florida Range Cattle Research and Education Center just before the U.S. entered World War II, plans to celebrate his 106th birthday with family and friends a few days before his Aug. 2 birthday. An agronomy professor with the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences for 39 years, Hodges introduced improved …
House Vote on Guest Worker Bill in Doubt
House Republican leaders appear to be going back on a promise to hold a vote ahead of the August recess on a conservative immigration bill that includes a new guest-worker program for farmers. Back in June, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy promised several members there would be a vote. Politico says House Republican leaders now don’t have any plans to …