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 …
Higher Inventory and Tariffs Impacting Cattle Markets
The USDA released the Cattle Inventory, July Cattle on Feed, and July Livestock Slaughter reports last week. The Cattle Inventory report provides the first real estimate of the 2018 calf crop, as well as a look at how rapidly the U.S. cattle herd is increasing. The July first all cattle and calves number was one percent higher than last year, …
One Week Left to Complete Census of Agriculture
The National Ag Statistics Service is ending all of its data collection for the 2017 Census of Agriculture on July 31. Anyone who received the Census questionnaire is required by law to respond by that date. They can also fill out the census online at AgCensus.USDA.Gov. NASS Administrator Hubert Hamer says the Census of Agriculture, which is conducted once every …