Data by the Department of Agriculture shows agriculture and agriculture-related industries contributed $992 billion to the U.S. gross domestic product in 2015, a 5.5-percent share, the most recent USDA statistics.The output of America’s farms contributed $136.7 billion of this sum, about one percent of GDP. USDA says the overall contribution of the agriculture sector to GDP is larger than that …
USTR Nomination Vote Could Reach Full Senate After Recess
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch of Utah is hopeful his committee can advance the nomination of Robert Lighthizer, President Donald Trump’s nominee for U.S. Trade Representative, when the Senate returns from its two-week Easter recess. Hatch attempted a committee vote Thursday, but was forced to delay the vote after just one Democrat, Oregon’s Ron Wyden, showed to the committee …
Mexico Eager to Start and Finish NAFTA Negotiations
Mexico is taking a ‘sooner rather than later’ approach when it comes to potential changes to the North American Free Trade Agreement. A top Mexican official told CNNMoney last week: “It will be in the best advantage of the countries involved that we finish this negotiation within the context of this year.” That’s because Mexico will hold a presidential election …
Farm Bureau Statement on Gorsuch Confirmation
The following may be attributed to Zippy Duvall, President, American Farm Bureau Federation: “Neil Gorsuch is now a Supreme Court Justice. His undisputed qualifications as a jurist and legal scholar leave no doubt that he is precisely the sort of Justice this nation needs. Calm, steady and consistent, Justice Gorsuch has demonstrated time and again that his only goal is …
Funding to Repay Educational Loans for Veterinarians
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) today announced $4.2 million in available funding to help eligible veterinarians repay a portion of their veterinary school loans in return for serving in areas of the United States lacking sufficient veterinary resources. Funding is made through NIFA’s Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP), authorized by the …
Long Awaited International Seed Standard is Good News for U.S. Seed Industry
The American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) is praising the passage of a final International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPM) for Seed. The standard was agreed to yesterday during the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) in Korea. ASTA has been advocating for a seed ISPM for nearly 20 years. The need for a standard has become more apparent, as many National …
Drone Operators on Farms Asked to be Extra Cautious
The National Agricultural Aviation Association wants to remind farmers using drones on their operations this year to remember to keep an eye out for agricultural aircraft flying low over their fields. Agricultural aviators often fly as low as ten feet off the ground, and this year may find themselves in the same airspace as drones that are licensed to fly …
Ag Groups Oppose Air Traffic Control Privatization
The Ag Retailers Association, the National Farmers Union, and a host of other groups sent a letter to Congress opposing the possible privatization of the nation’s air traffic control system. The groups say a proposal to privatize the national air traffic system is being pushed by many of the bigger airlines. The idea would take air traffic control out from …
Six Biotech Giants Dropping to Three by Year’s End
Politico’s Morning Agriculture Report says the European Union’s approval of the ChemChina merger with Syngenta means the ball is likely rolling for the six biggest biotech companies to be whittled down to three by the end of this year. A day before the E.U. approved the deal, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission also okayed the deal as long as certain …
Canada Trade Policies Hurting Rural America
A number of U.S. dairy organizations are asking the Trump Administration to take steps against Canadian trade policies they’re calling “protectionist.” They say Canada is shutting the door on American dairy exports in violation of trade agreements between the two countries. The National Milk Producers Federation, the U.S. Dairy Export Council, and the International Dairy Foods Association want the president …