House Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway (TX-11) praised the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) announcement it is repealing the Obama administration’s waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule and called on other agencies to revise and re-evaluate their enforcement of this onerous provision. Following the EPA’s announcement, Chairman Conaway made the below remarks: “WOTUS has never been about clean water, it …
AFBF: NAFTA Renegotiations Must Prioritize Ag
A modernized North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) must build upon market gains for U.S. agriculture and settle remaining challenges for our nation’s farmers and ranchers in our neighboring markets, Don Shawcroft, Colorado Farm Bureau president, stated in a hearing before the U.S. Trade Representative today. “NAFTA has been overwhelmingly beneficial for the vast majority of farmers and ranchers across …
NIFA Announces $4.3 Million for Higher Education Support
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) today announced 20 grants totaling $4.3 million to help higher education institutions teach the next generation of food and agricultural science professionals. The grants are funded through NIFA’s Higher Education Challenge (HEC) Grants Program. “NIFA invests in the development of future agricultural professionals,” said NIFA Director Sonny …
Managed Honeybee Colony Numbers Increasing
The Department of Agriculture says the number of managed honeybee colonies has increased over the last decade. While recent public attention has focused largely on colony mortality trends, overall colony numbers have increased since 2006. USDA says the number of managed colonies has increased from roughly two million in 2006 to near 2.8 million in 2016. However, honeybee mortality, as …
Brazil Hopes to Reverse U.S. Ban on Brazilian Beef
Brazil is seeking to reverse a ban on Brazilian beef imports enacted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture last week. The Associated Press reports Brazil’s agriculture minister will travel to the U.S. to address officials regarding the ban. While the U.S. says the ban will remain in place until Brazil takes corrective action to safety concerns, Brazil says it will …
Canada Disputing U.S. Claims Regarding Poultry Trade
Canada’s Ambassador to the United States is firing back at claims that Canada is hindering the trade of poultry with the United States. Canadian Ambassador to the United States David MacNaughton told a group of senators who say Canada has denied access to U.S. poultry and eggs that their claims are “inaccurate.” McNaughton cited statistics on Canadian imports of U.S. …
All-American July 4th Cookout Down Slightly
Remains Under $6 Per Person A cookout of Americans’ favorite foods for the Fourth of July, including hot dogs, cheeseburgers, pork spare ribs, potato salad, baked beans, lemonade and chocolate milk, will cost slightly less this year, coming in at less than $6 per person, says the American Farm Bureau Federation. Farm Bureau’s informal survey reveals the average cost of a …
Sanderson Farms Sued Over Drugs in Poultry
Three of the bigger activist groups filed suit against Sanderson Farms, a major poultry-producing company. Politico’s Morning Ag Report says the Organic Consumers Association, Friends of the Earth, and Center for Food Safety all allege that the company is guilty of false advertising. Sanderson Farms’ chicken is marketed as 100 percent natural. The groups say the chicken contains a range …
Groups React to Brazil Beef Announcement
Ag groups are weighing in on Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue’s announcement that the U.S. has suspended all fresh beef imports from Brazil due to safety concerns. National Cattlemen’s Beef Association President Craig Uden supports the move to suspend Brazilian imports because it’s a result of USDA’s science-based testing protocol of imported beef. “This proves our food safety system works …
Syngenta Ordered to Pay Farmers Over $200 Million
A federal jury has ordered Swiss giant Syngenta to pay $217.7 million to Kansas farmers after a verdict was announced this week at a trial in Kansas City. The class action lawsuit was brought because of the Viptera line of corn seed Syngenta began selling to farmers in 2011. At the time, Syngenta hadn’t received Chinese approval of the trait …