The U.S. Ag Department (USDA) sent a letter to state administrators of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) advising them that changes will be coming to the program. The Hagstrom Report says USDA will allow states more flexibility in managing SNAP. Brandon Lipps, the acting undersecretary for food, nutrition, and consumers services says the USDA will allow more flexibility in …
USDA Emphasizing Trade Expansion
Ted McKinney, the new USDA Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs, has been busy since being sworn in. He’s visited India, Brazil, Colombia, and Panama recently with the goal of increasing trade opportunities. Capital Press Dot Com says the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is putting a new emphasis on generating more trade opportunities overseas for American agriculture. Ag …
Monsanto Asks Judge to Block Arkansas Dicamba Restrictions
Monsanto went before a judge on Tuesday to officially ask the court to prevent a proposal to ban the use of a weed killer that many farmers say drifts and causes damage to their crops. An Associated Press report says the Arkansas ban on dicamba will go before legislators next month. The company is asking a judge to issue an …
Mexican Ambassador: 50% Chance NAFTA is Terminated
The Mexican Ambassador says there is a 50-50 chance that the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) will be “terminated.” Geronimo Gutierrez says there are tensions hanging over the three sides in the negotiations and that’s creating an air of uncertainty. The Hill Dot Com says despite that, he still thinks a deal to update the agreement can be done …
Trump Talks Trade with Senators
Several pro-trade Republicans met with President Donald Trump on Tuesday to discuss trade. Their goal was to let the president know on a face-to-face basis how important the North American Free Trade Agreement is and to keep negotiating. U.S. officials have taken a hard-line stance in the negotiations with Canada and Mexico, causing concern that the talks could fall apart …
Senators Calling for House-Passed ELD Mandate Delay
Republican Senator Jerry Moran of Kansas and North Dakota Democrat Heidi Heitkamp are spearheading a bipartisan effort to make sure the Electronic Logging Device (ELD) mandate for livestock haulers is delayed one year. A group of Senators wrote to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer expressing support for the delay that was written into the House-passed transportation …
New Dairy Support Program Awaits USDA Approval
Times have been tough in the American dairy industry. Overproduction has led to a lot of supply, which has pushed down beyond the break-even point. There have been some dairy support programs, including the most recent Margin Protection Program. However, the program is flawed, with farmers and farm-state legislators calling for changes. Marin Bozic, Assistant Professor with the University of …
Waiting for Northey Confirmation to Announce NRCS Chief
One post involving agriculture that has yet to be filled in Washington D.C. is Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). And Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue told Southeast AgNet’s Randall Weiseman that announcement won’t be made until the confirmation of another USDA post takes place. Waiting for Northey Confirmation to Announce NRCS Chief Sponsored ContentNuseed Carinata Covers New …
Services are Available for Immigrant Laborers on American Dairy Farms
Immigrant labor is important to American agriculture, especially in the dairy industry. Dairy farmers across the country may not know that Mexican consulates in every state have services available to help their immigrant workers adjust to life in America. Monica Cruz of the Mexican Consulate in St. Paul, Minnesota, says there are a variety of ways employers and their employees …
Cotton Research and Promotion Program Hall of Fame 2017 Inductees Honored
Cotton Incorporated inducted the 2017 class of the Cotton Research and Promotion Hall of Fame. The event took place in St. Petersburg, FL, as part of the joint Cotton Board/Cotton Incorporated Board of Directors Meeting. The program, now in its fourth year, recognizes U.S. cotton industry leaders that have made significant contributions to the Program or to the cotton industry in general. The three honorees for the 2017 Cotton Research and …