The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) is seeking full withdrawal of the Organic Livestock and Poultry Practices Rule, now delayed until January. AFBF President Zippy Duvall this week in a statement said the rule “has been about pushing an agenda rather than advancing food safety or animal welfare.” Duvall said the rule would force organic farmers and ranchers out of …
Senator Cruz Writes Iowa Governor Over RFS Dispute, Northey Hold
Before Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds traveled to Texas to lobby for the removal of a hold on Bill Northey’s Department of Agriculture nomination, Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz pressured Reynolds to reach a deal on the Renewable Fuel Standard. Cruz has placed a hold on Northey’s nomination to USDA, who is currently serving as Iowa’s Agriculture Secretary. In a letter …
Slight Majority of Americans Favor NAFTA
New findings from the Pew Research Center show 56 percent of Americans believe the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is good for the United States. Just one-third, 33 percent, of respondents to a Pew Research poll say the trade deal is bad for the United States. The study surveyed more than 1,500 adults at the end of October as …
Ross Alleges Special Interest, Like Agriculture, Making NAFTA Talks Harder
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross pointed a finger at special interest groups, including those in agriculture, as reason for hiccups in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) renegotiation. Ross earlier this week said the U.S. will “continue to take a hard line” on its proposals as talks get under way in Mexico City. Speaking at an event Tuesday, Ross said …
Senate Tax Bill Expands Small Business Break, Ends ACA Individual
A revised Senate tax reform bill expands a key break for family farms and other small businesses, but also includes a key GOP goal to end the Obamacare individual mandate. The reworked Senate Finance GOP bill expands tax relief for small businesses that ‘pass through’ company income as individuals. But Republicans set off a firestorm of protest from Democrats by …
Bringing Persimmons into the Limelight
Persimmons are a sweet, flavorful fruit that hasn’t gotten much attention. That’s probably because many people don’t know what it is, how to eat it, or that it’s good for you. Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists and their collaborators are working to bring this uncommon Asian native fruit into the limelight. In 2016, the United States exported 7.4 million pounds of …
USDA Designates 83 Counties in Georgia as Primary Natural Disaster Areas with Assistance to Producers in Surrounding States
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated 83 counties in Georgia as primary natural disaster areas due to losses and damages caused by Hurricane Irma that occurred from Sept. 10 through Sept. 12, 2017. Those counties are: Appling Crisp Lee Stewart Atkinson Decatur Liberty Sumter Bacon Dodge Long Tattnall Baker Dooly Lowndes Taylor Ben Hill Echols McIntosh Telfair Berrien …
Using the Productivity Index to Figure Cash Rents
Right now, farmers are in the middle of negotiating 2018 cash rents. This while their incomes have been depressed for four years. Agricultural economist Gary Schnitkey has been working up a way for landowners and their tenants to feel better about bringing cash rents down. The University of Illinois number cruncher has developed a formula to derive cash rent from …
Tax Reform Proposals Jeopardize Essential Farm Program Funding
Lawmakers in Congress are considering major changes to the nation’s tax system after a pair of tax reform bills were introduced in both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives. While the jury is still out on how the plans would impact farmers’ and ranchers’ effective tax rates, new analysis shows that the plans, if passed into law, …
Pilot Research Projects Selected for Funding to Improve Agricultural Worker Safety and Health
The Southeastern Coastal Center for Agricultural Health and Safety is awarding more than $56,000 to three pilot research projects to improve the safety and health of agricultural workers. Scientists will use mobile app monitoring to prevent heat-related symptoms among Hispanic farmworkers; research mental, physical and occupational health issues among Haitian and Mexican migrant farmworkers; and identify work and movements to …