White House officials have temporarily halted discussions on the possibility of terminating a free trade agreement with South Korea. A senior White House official told Reuters on Wednesday night that the deal could still be terminated but there were no immediate plans to do so. President Trump had been talking with his senior advisers about the possibility of withdrawing from …
House Debates Ag Spending Bills as Fiscal Battle Looms
House lawmakers began debating bills on Wednesday to fund the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration. Politico’s Morning Ag Report says the funding would be for all of the fiscal year 2018 and be part of a package of eight government spending bills. The ag appropriations bill would set aside $20 billion in discretionary funding for …
Funding to Recruit and Educate a More Diverse Agricultural Workforce
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced $945,400 in available funding to help foster the next generation of multicultural scholars in agricultural sciences. Funding is made through NIFA’s Higher Education Multicultural Scholars Program (MSP). “The Multicultural Scholars Program seeks to help young people reach their potential in the agricultural sciences,” said NIFA Director …
Cattlemen Launch Month Long Media Campaign for Comprehensive Tax Reform
NCBA Launches new website: CattlemenForTaxReform.com The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association kicked off a media and advertising campaign that will shine a spotlight on how various federal tax provisions impact America’s cattle and beef producers. The campaign, which will focus heavily on the death tax, aims to build support in Washington for comprehensive tax reform that makes our tax code fair …
Farm Income Projected to Increase Slightly
The recent projections of farm income released by USDA’s Economic Research Service in their 2017 Farm Sector Income Forecast suggest that while farm income may have hit rock bottom in 2016, there will be an uptick in both net farm and net cash income in 2017 American Farm Bureau. Federation Chief Economist Dr. Bob Young says livestock sales are driving …
USDA Urges People to Be Prepared Ahead of Hurricane Irma
Have a Plan for Yourself, Your Pets and Your Livestock The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is urging everyone in the potential path of Hurricane Irma to prepare now – not just for yourselves, but also for your pets and your livestock. APHIS works to support the safety and well-being of pets …
Secretary Perdue Announces USDA Improvements
Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced the realignment of a number of offices within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in order to improve customer service and maximize efficiency. The actions involve innovation, consolidation, and the rearrangement of certain offices into more logical organizational reporting structures. The changes build on the reorganization Perdue announced in May. As with the previous …
Perdue on President Trump’s Tax Reform Agenda
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue reiterated his strong support for President Trump’s tax reform agenda, as the president outlined in North Dakota. Perdue issued the following statement: “Farming is a complicated operation, so to place more burdens on the people of agriculture through the tax code has never made any sense. Most agricultural enterprises are small businesses, and the …
UF Extension Gives Tips on How to Protect Livestock During Hurricane
While Florida residents scramble to prepare for Hurricane Irma, agriculture operators are working to make sure their livestock survive the storm. Agents with University of Florida IFAS Extension offer advice on how to safeguard animals before, during and after the storm. “After Hurricane Matthew, we had livestock die from dehydration, electrocution and collapsed barns,” said Cindy B. Sanders, UF/IFAS Extension …
American Biofuels Producers Demand U.S. Government Respond to Brazilian Tariff
The Renewable Fuels Association, Growth Energy, and the U.S. Grains Council are calling upon the U.S. government to develop an immediate response to Brazil’s newly implemented tariffs on U.S. ethanol imports, a trade barrier that threatens over $750 million in U.S. exports and American jobs. On August 23, 2017, Brazil’s Chamber of Foreign Trade imposed an immediate two-year tariff-rate quota …