Last Minute 2017 Legislation Efforts Benefit Dairy Farmers

Dan Dairy, Industry News Release, Legislative

Congress spent the final few weeks of the year addressing legislation that benefits dairy farmers. Starting with the tax bill, the legislation means lower taxes for dairy farmers. However, that wasn’t the case in the original legislation, according to National Milk Producers Federation spokesperson Chris Galen. Tax While the Section 199 deduction was eliminated in the approved version of the …

United States Hogs and Pigs Inventory Up 2 Percent

Dan Industry News Release, Pork

As of December 1, there were 73.2 million hogs and pigs on U.S. farms, up 2 percent from December 2016, but down slightly from September 1, 2017, according to the Quarterly Hogs and Pigs report published today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). Other key findings in the report were: Of the 73.2 million hogs …

NCC Applauds House Passage of Supplemental Funding Bill with Cotton Policy

Dan Cotton, Industry News Release

The National Cotton Council (NCC) applauds the House of Representatives for advancing its Supplemental Appropriations bill that includes critically needed policy to restore eligibility for cotton in the Title I ARC/PLC programs of the farm bill. “NCC has been working with Congress for over two years to seek a legislative solution to improve the effectiveness of the cotton safety net …

Foreign Ag Service Contributes to Export Success

Dan Exports/Imports, Industry News Release

International trade was an economic driver for rural America in 2017. U.S. farm and food exports totaled $140.5 billion for the fiscal year, which is the third-highest number on record. USDA Foreign Ag Service Acting Administrator Holly Higgins says she’s proud of the role her agency plays in promoting exports. “Those exports generate 20 percent of U.S. farm income, stimulate …

Hops Industry Toasting This Holiday Season

Dan Industry News Release, Specialty Crops

There’s an awful lot for the hops industry to be toasting to this holiday season. The USDA Economic Research Service released numbers this week showing that hops production in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington jumped 20 percent this year to a record 104 million pounds. While there are other states that produce hops, those three states account for the bulk of …

Infrastructure Overhaul Talks to Begin in January

Dan Industry News Release

South Dakota Republican John Thune, Chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, will be very involved with President Trump’s $1 billion plan to overhaul the nation’s infrastructure in January. A Pro Transportation report says Thune, a rural-state senator, has valuable insights on what farmers and Ag businesses will be looking for in infrastructure investments. Thune says there were few problems with …

Groups Want Tax-Extender Bill Passed in 2017

Dan Economy, Industry News Release

More than 50 groups representing a wide scope of businesses sent a letter this week to Congress asking for approval of a multi-year extension of a series of expired tax credits. The groups attaching their names to the letter represent energy, agriculture, business, transportation, and real estate. The groups, which include the American Farm Bureau and National Biodiesel Board, say …

Setting Aside Money In Case of NAFTA Failure?

Dan Industry News Release, Trade

A Politico report shows just how worried some lawmakers are about the potential failure of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) negotiations. Officials began talking on Tuesday about putting together a potential bailout of sorts for farmers. During a conference call Tuesday morning, Iowa Republican Senator Chuck Grassley said he was going to ask U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer …