The following may be attributed to American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall: “American Farm Bureau Federation strongly supports the bi-partisan Regulatory Accountability Act introduced today by Senators Portman and Heitkamp. This bipartisan effort is one that should be welcomed by all stakeholders – farmers, ranchers, policymakers, state officials, environmentalists, scientists – anyone who wants a system that is open, …
Wetland Conservation Projects Receive Boost
$38.8 million approved for wetland conservation projects; $7.8 million to conserve 2,629 acres on national wildlife refuges and open thousands of additional acres to public hunting The Migratory Bird Conservation Commission, chaired by U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, approved $17.8 million in grants for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and its partners to conserve or restore more …
Commissioner Putnam Urges Department of Commerce to Investigate Mexico’s Unfair Trade Practices
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam sent a letter to Department of Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross emphasizing the need for fair trade, as Mexican imports have negatively affected Florida agriculture. He asked the Department of Commerce to initiate an investigation into Mexico’s unfair trade practices. “I believe that Florida produces the highest quality agricultural commodities in the world and …
Productivity Growth and the Revival of Russian Agriculture
by Nicholas Rada, William Liefert, and Olga Liefert, USDA Economic Research Service What Is the Issue? Russia’s agricultural output fell during the country’s transition from a planned to a market economy in the early 1990s but has rebounded strongly since the late 1990s. The production increase contributed to Russia reducing its large imports of meat and other livestock products and …
USDA Seeks Nominees for Christmas Tree Promotion Board
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking nominations for the Christmas Tree Promotion Board to fill six seats for members and an importer whose terms expire on Dec. 31, 2017. The 12-member board is composed of 11 producer members from three regions and one importer. Five producer members are from the Western region, four are from the Eastern region …
Funding to Support the Agricultural Sciences
$1 Million to Support Agricultural Science Education for Insular Areas The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced $1 million in available funding for projects to strengthen food and agricultural science education in insular areas of the United States. Funding is made through two NIFA programs, the Resident Instruction Grants Program for Institutions of Higher …
Renewal Options Available for Expiring CSP Contracts
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) wants to remind landowners with existing Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) contracts, the renewal sign-up deadline is coming up May 5. NRCS Acting Chief, Leonard Jordan, says participants with existing CSP contracts that expire on December 31 can access the benefits of the recent program changes through an option to renew their contracts for an …
USDA to Study Antibiotics Use in Pork operations
The Department of Agriculture will begin a four-month study in May on how antimicrobials are used in U.S. swine operations. Meat industry publication Meatingplace reports the agency’s National Animal Health Monitoring System, along with the National Agricultural Statistics Service, is conducting a new data collection and reporting effort that will focus on antimicrobial use and stewardship practices on swine nursery …
Rural Economy Index Lower Again
The Creighton University Rural Mainstreet Index remained weak with a reading below growth neutral for the 20th straight month, according to the monthly survey of bank CEOs in rural areas of a 10-state region dependent on agriculture and energy. Released last week, the index which ranges between 0 and 100, slipped to 44.6 from 45.3 in March. The last time …
Progress on Canada Dairy Issue
The Associated Press reports more farmers impacted by what they call unfair trade practices by Canada have found a buyer for their milk. A Wisconsin state officials told the Associated Press Tuesday that around 15 more farms have found buyers or have promising leads. If those deals go through, that means 20 to 25 of the 58 farms dropped by …