Comprehensive tax reform, supported by the American Farm Bureau Federation, could soon cross the finish line. The House and Senate have both passed their own versions of tax reform bills. According to AFBF senior congressional relations director Pat Wolff, the biggest difference for agriculture is how pass-through business income will be treated, income reported by farmers and ranchers who file …
Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show Fast Approaching
The 2018 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show will be here before you know it, and helping kick off that event in Phoenix Jan. 30-31 will be Cattlemen’s College, the premier education opportunity for cattlemen around the country. Josh White, the executive director of producer education for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, which hosts the event, says there are …
Grant to Provide Greater Soil Health Research
A more than $9 million grant from the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research will assist farmers, ranchers, and landowners strategically assess and implement soil health improvement practices on their farm. Awarded to the to the Soil Health Institute, the Soil Health Partnership and The Nature Conservancy, the grant will support research efforts aimed at improving soil health. Nick Goeser, …
EQIP Funding Sign Up for Florida Producers Affected by Irma
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Florida wants to remind agricultural producers in the state that a special Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) signup is underway to help producers who suffered damage from Hurricane Irma. This signup, which runs until December 28th, is to receive both financial and technical assistance for conservation practices designed to specifically address natural …
UF study: Farm to School Program Boosts Fruit, Veggie Intake
It’s one thing to offer students fruits and vegetables for school lunch; it’s another for them to actually eat them. Children who attend schools with Farm to School programs eat more fruits and vegetables, new University of Florida research shows. In 2010, Congress passed the federal Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. In approving the legislation, lawmakers wanted to improve children’s nutrition. …
U.S. Rice Production Down, Prices Up
Rice production in the United States is down 20 percent compared to last year, while futures prices for the commodity are up 30 percent from a year ago. Online source World-Grain reports the drastic reduction largely was the result of reduced planted and harvested area as rice lost acreage mainly to soybeans and cotton. Rice prices were dropping in March …
Trump to Meet with Cruz, Oil Industry, Regarding RFS
Senator Ted Cruz will get his meeting with President Donald Trump regarding biofuels. Reuters reports that Trump has agreed to meet with Cruz and representatives from the oil refining industry to discuss the Renewable Fuel Standard. The White House says the discussion could set the stage for negotiations over possible legislation to overhaul the RFS. Cruz has blocked the confirmation …
Senate Tax Bill Doesn’t Include Section 199 Deductions
The Senate tax bill passed over the weekend does not include a deduction that farm cooperatives lobbied to keep in the tax reform package. The National Council of Farmer Cooperatives (NCFC) says the Domestic Production Activities Deduction, also known as the Section 199 deduction, means farmers may end up paying more taxes. Chuck Conner, NCFC CEO, previously said that Section …
Korea Submitting Plan to Renegotiate KORUS
South Korea trade officials announced Monday the government will submit a plan to renegotiate the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS) to the nation’s National Assembly government body. South Korea’s Trade Minister met with officials from 20 ministries and government regarding KORUS, and the plans to renegotiate the trade agreement. A senior trade official told the Korea Herald newspaper: “We hope …
House/Senate Negotiating Differences in Tax Bill
House and Senate tax writers are moving quickly to negotiate differences between their two chambers’ bills, with one of the most sensitive, a tax break for ag and other small businesses. Among the biggest and most politically-sensitive differences between the two tax bills is the treatment of so-called “pass-through” businesses — a huge number in agriculture — that file returns …