Fund to Help Capitalize Small Rural Businesses Acting Deputy Under Secretary Roger Glendenning announced that USDA has certified the Innova Ag Innovation Fund IV LP as an investment pool for small and startup rural businesses. “This certification is another tool USDA provides to help rural businesses, to create jobs and to attract private-sector capital to rural communities,” Glendenning said. “Geography …
American Farm Bureau Looks Forward to NAFTA Renegotiation
The following may be attributed to American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall: “With the delivery of the required formal notice to Congress, the Trump administration has officially taken the first step toward re-negotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The American Farm Bureau looks forward to working with the administration, Congress, other agricultural groups, and officials in Canada …
Stop Federal Water Extortion, Farm Bureau Says
Land managers in the West increasingly demand that ranchers who work federal land surrender their water rights to the government or get off the range. It’s extortion and a form of unconstitutional taking that simply has to stop, Randy Parker, Utah Farm Bureau’s vice president of national government affairs, told the House Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans. Legislation known …
NAFTA Modernization Must Not Disrupt Pork Exports
Following notification by the Trump administration to Congress that it intends to modernize the trade agreement among the United States, Canada and Mexico, the National Pork Producers Council urged the president to make sure that tariffs remain at zero for pork traded in North America. The White House officially notified the Senate Finance and House Ways and Means committees, which …
UF Helps Slow the Cycle of Food-Insecurity, Obesity
LaToya O’Neal and others at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences are trying to ensure that all people can buy nutritious food and, in turn, curb obesity among those with limited daily access to healthy food. Those who go day to day with little to no access to nutritious food are food-insecure, O’Neal said. About 13 …
Grilling Season Poised to Increase Meat Demand
The seasonal grilling period is poised to increase demand for meat, according to statistics compiled by Oklahoma State University. The Food Demand Survey found consumers’ willingness-to-pay for steak increased nine percent this month. Meanwhile, consumers say their willingness-to-pay for chicken breast increased 1.2 percent, and 2.45 percent for pork chops, compared to levels indicated in April. Consumers noted a decrease …
OTA Applauds Organic Research Investment Legislation
The Organic Trade Association (OTA) applauded a bill introduced in the U.S. House that would create new investments into the Department of Agriculture Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative. The Organic Trade Association says the investments included in the bill would meet the research needs of the growing organic sector. The Organic Research Act of 2017 would increase annual funding …
EPA Launches WOTUS Review Web Page
The Environmental Protection Agency has launched a web page to keep stakeholders up to date on the review process and potential changes to the agencies Waters of the U.S. rule. The web page, according to the EPA, will keep the public informed as the EPA reviews the definition of a “Waters of the U.S.” In February, President Donald Trump issued …
U.S. Still Likely to Benefit from TPP
The United States stands to benefit from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, even though President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the trade agreement. New Zealand Trade Minister Todd McClay told Radio New Zealand the U.S., and other non-TPP countries, will benefit from the changes to the sharing of pharmaceutical information. However, no added benefits extend to agriculture, which TPP was thought …
$7.4 Million for Research on Food Crops and Animals
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced nine grants totaling $7.4 million for advanced research to develop more resilient and nutritious crops and food animals. The funding is made possible through NIFA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program, authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill. “Research helps us accelerate the development of improved …