Exporting feed grains and related products is worth a lot of money to the U.S. economy. Those exports offer billions of dollars in direct and indirect economic benefits to farmers, the rural communities they live in, and the nation as a whole. Research commissioned by the U.S. Grains Council and the National Corn Growers Association provided concrete numbers to the …
National Milk Producers Federation Talks Issues at Annual Meeting
The dairy industry gathered recently in California at the 101st Annual Meeting of the National Milk Producers Federation in Anaheim. For the last 20 years, the meeting has been held in conjunction with the National Dairy Checkoff. Chris Galen with the National Milk Producers Federation says there are many topics on the table for the dairy industry. In regard to …
U.S. Meat Export Federation Expanding Efforts to Move More Products
There’s a lot of red meat available for consumption. The U.S. Meat Export Federation is looking at a busy year trying to get that meat out into different markets. Dennis Stiffler is the new Chair of the U.S. Meat Export Federation, and he says the American trade agenda is a little bit uncertain right now. While USMEF doesn’t deal with …
NIFA to Invest in Biotechnology Risk Assessment Research
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced a competitive opportunity to conduct research on the environmental effects of genetically engineered (GE) organisms, including plants, animals, insects, and microorganisms. The $3.5 million in grants is available through NIFA’s Biotechnology Risk Assessment Research Grants (BRAG) Program. The BRAG program supports applied and fundamental research to help federal …
Trump’s Aggressive Trade Strategy Both Defended and Criticized in Farm Circles
President Trump’s aggressive trade strategy of threatening to pull out of existing agreements without big concessions to the U.S. is being both defended and criticized in farm circles. President Trump is again taking a hard line with U.S. trading partners in Asia, after first dumping TPP and now threatening to ditch NAFTA. It’s a strategy that has many, especially in …
Less Than Two Percent of Food Violates Pesticide Residue Standards
Every year, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) tests food for pesticide residues that violate the limits allowed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The FDA enforces those standards in both domestically-produced food as well as imported food. As late as the fiscal year 2015, the FDA found that most foods were well within the allowable standards, with domestic food …
WHO Takes a Strong Stand Against Antibiotics in Animals
The World Health Organization (WHO) issued a strong statement this week against the use of all antibiotics in healthy food-producing animals. The WHO says overuse and misuse of antibiotics in both animals and humans is contributing to the buildup of antibiotic resistance. The organization notes that some bacteria that cause serious diseases in humans have built resistance to most types …
Ag Groups Ask Trump to Implement Farmer Fair Practice Rules
The National Farmers Union joined a coalition of 82 farmer, rural, and consumer groups, in sending a letter to the president, asking him to implement the Farmer Fair Practice Rules by executive order. The groups say those rules would provide basic protections for farmers and ranchers against unfair and abusive practices as a result of consolidation in agriculture marketplaces. The …
NAFTA Negotiators Extend Length of Next Round
A Bloomberg report says negotiators discussing the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) will begin next week’s round in Mexico City two days early. The goal is to give themselves more time to discuss a large number of issues surrounding the two-decade-old pact. Negotiators last met in Washington D.C., for the previous round of talks. Two officials close to the …
Ag Struggling to Make Voice Heard in NAFTA Talks
The American agricultural lobby thought that President Trump’s trade politics would spare farmers and others in agriculture. Politico’s Morning Ag Report says it was the rural and red-state turnout that put Trump over the top in the presidential election. Trump has threatened to issue a formal intent to withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and agriculture can’t …