Southern Peanut Farmers Federation Says Peanut Program Works and Must be Preserved Meredith McNair Rogers, a more than a 20-year veteran farmer from Camilla, Georgia, testified before the Senate Agriculture Committee that the peanut provisions included in the 2014 Farm Bill and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) program work for farmers and consumers – and must be preserved in the next …
Senate Committee Blocks E15 Bill
The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee has halted a bill that would have allowed gasoline with 15 percent ethanol to be sold year-round. The bill was co-sponsored by Republican Senators Deb Fischer of Nebraska and Chuck Grassley of Iowa, along with Democratic Senator Joe Donnelly of Indiana. Despite the bipartisan support, the legislation was unable to muster enough support …
Farm Groups Support Clovis Nomination
While some lawmakers have voiced concerns, agriculture groups Monday vocalized support for the nomination of Sam Clovis to a Department of Agriculture position. President Trump announced he would nominate Clovis to serve as the USDA undersecretary for research, education, and economics, which also serves as the departments chief scientist. Senate Agriculture Committee ranking member Debbie Stabenow, Senate Appropriations Committee ranking …
Multiple Rounds of NAFTA Negotiations Expected
A top official from Mexico expects between six to nine rounds of negotiations between the United States, Mexico and Canada on the North America Free Trade Agreement. Mexico’s Economy Minister said last week the NAFTA members were looking at avoiding gaps of more than three weeks between negotiating rounds with a view to making quick progress, according to Reuters. The …
New Sensor System for Improved Peanut Drying
A sensor network developed by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) engineers could make it easier and cheaper for peanut growers and processors to dry their peanuts. In Georgia, farmers bring their peanuts to a buying point for grading and pricing. If the moisture content is too high, the semi-trailer loaded with peanuts is transferred to a drying bay for a drying …
Southwest Cotton Producers to Learn from Georgia Operations
Eleven cotton producers from Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas will see cotton operations in Georgia on July 30-August 4 as part of the National Cotton Council’s 2017 Producer Information Exchange (P.I.E.) program. Sponsored by Bayer via a grant to The Cotton Foundation, the P.I.E. program is now in its 29th year of helping its U.S. cotton producer participants improve yields and …
NACD Urges Congress to Restore EQIP
NACD Encouraged by Technical Assistance funds The National Association of Conservation Districts is encouraged that the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Fiscal Year 2018 bill strongly funds technical assistance at the Agriculture Department, but is concerned with continued cuts to the Environmental Quality Incentives Program. The spending legislation includes an allocation of $874 million for the Conservation Operations account – almost $10 …
Recordings Available from Stoneville Ginners School
Ginners School Conference Webcasts on Reducing Bale Contamination, Use of RFID Technologies Now Available Cotton ginners and producers recently gathered in Stoneville, Mississippi for an annual Ginners School conference to learn and discuss how to use radio frequency identification (RFID) tags for module tracking and data management, reducing contamination in cotton bales, and other important topics. The event’s educational presentations …
Stabenow States Concern with Clovis Nomination
Senate Agriculture Committee Ranking Democrat Debbie Stabenow is concerned that Sam Clovis is not qualified to be an Agriculture Department Undersecretary. In a statement last week, Stabenow said: “This nominee seems to lack the necessary agricultural science and research qualifications that are required by the Farm Bill.” President Trump announced he would nominate Clovis to serve as the USDA Under …
Canada Wants Dispute Mechanism in NAFTA Redo
Canada says it is critical that the North American Free Trade Agreement includes a dispute resolution mechanism, setting up a potential clash with the United States once renegotiations begin next month. The United States goals for the NAFTA renegotiation released last week include a desire to ditch the Chapter 19 dispute settlement mechanism. That mechanism has hindered the U.S. from …