Bringing children accurate knowledge about how their food is grown is the goal of Feeding Minds Press, a new children’s book publishing venture from the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture. The new publisher’s first book will be “Right This Very Minute,” written by award-winning author Lisl Detlefsen. It is scheduled for release in January 2019. “‘Right This Very Minute’ …
ASA Hires Ryan Findlay as Chief Executive Officer
The American Soybean Association announced the selection of Ryan Findlay as its new Chief Executive Officer. Findlay replaces Stephen Censky, who left ASA in October of 2017 after confirmation by the U.S. Senate as Deputy Secretary of Agriculture. “ASA is extremely pleased to have found someone of Ryan’s caliber and experience to lead us into our next chapter as a …
Emissions Reporting Relief Bill a Breath of Fresh Air for Ag
The introduction of S. 2421, the Fair Agriculture Reporting Method (FARM) Act is a welcome relief to farmers and ranchers who will soon need to file unnecessary, low-level continuous air emissions reports under federal Superfund and emergency response laws. “Congress enacted Superfund and emergency response laws to provide the tools needed to quickly respond to hazardous waste emergencies. Emissions from …
Cattlemen Applaud Introduction of Strong Bipartisan Bill in U.S. Senate to Prevent Farms, Ranches From Being Regulated Like Toxic Superfund Sites
Ten Republicans, Ten Democrats Join Together As Initial Co-Sponsors on Fischer-Donnelly FARM Act The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) applauded the introduction of bipartisan legislation in the U.S. Senate that would prevent farms, ranches, and other agricultural operations from having to report livestock manure data under CERCLA, the law that governs toxic Superfund sites. The bipartisan bill was introduced with …
USDA: Pesticide Residue Levels Show No Risk to Consumers
More than 20 percent of the food sampled by the USDA in 2016 showed no detectable pesticide levels and less than .5 percent of the food had detectable residue levels above limits set by the Environmental Protection Agency. A USDA report titled “What Consumers Should Know” says, again this year, the U.S. food supply is one of the safest in …
Sorghum Producers Look into Chinese Anti-Dumping Investigation
The National Sorghum Producers are looking at how to respond to China’s announcement of anti-dumping and countervailing duties investigations into imports of U.S. sorghum. China’s Ministry of Commerce made the investigation announcement on Sunday. National Sorghum Producers CEO Tim Lust said his organization plans to fully participate in the investigations. They also intend to work closely with industry stakeholders and …
Canada: 73 Percent of U.S. Milk Price is Subsidized
Canada’s dairy subsidies have been a controversial topic during the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) negotiations. For many years, the U.S. dairy industry has claimed that their Canadian counterparts are heavily subsidized through their dairy supply management program. The U.S. says that supply management program, and the Class and pricing systems in place, creates an unfair playing field. The …
Trump Budget Seeks State Money for Dike Repairs
State dollars will be needed to speed federal repairs to the Herbert Hoover Dike around Lake Okeechobee, under President Donald Trump’s proposed budget. Gov. Rick Scott was quick Monday to praise direction given in the proposed budget as solidifying Trump’s commitment to complete the federal dike repairs ahead of schedule. “Last year, after my meeting with President Trump, he directed …
NACD Responds to President Trump’s FY19 Budget Proposal
The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) released the following statement regarding President Donald Trump’s budget for conservation programs in the 2019 fiscal year. “Once again, this administration is calling on American producers to do more with less,” NACD President Brent Van Dyke said. “The President’s budget proposes cuts to almost every area of USDA’s discretionary and mandatory budgets, including …
Budget Agreement Eliminates Generic Base
NCPC releases tool to aid farmers in planning Congress cleared a budget agreement and disaster-aid package that has a significant impact on farmers for the 2018 crop year. The budget agreement passed the House by a vote of 240 to 186 and passed the Senate by a vote of 71 to 28. The President has also signed the legislation. The …