The Western Growers Association says recent comments by Attorney General Jeff Sessions indicate the Justice Department will focus on deporting felons, not farm workers. Sessions recently told Fox News the Justice Department does not intend to target illegal immigrants who have not committed crimes beyond illegally entering the country. Western Growers Association CEO Tom Nassif called the comments encouraging. Nassif …
Purdue Ag Economy Barometer Shows Slip in Confidence
The Ag Economy Barometer from Purdue University found confidence among farmers and ranchers slipped again last month. The Barometer slipped to 124 in March, marking the second month in a row that producer sentiment dropped below the prior month’s level. A rating below 100 is negative, while a rating above 100 indicates positive sentiment regarding the agriculture industry. Recent weakness …
Senate Ag Appropriator Says no Budget Cuts this Fiscal Year
The chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations panel says there will be no budget cuts this fiscal year. North Dakota Republican John Hoeven says the current fiscal year is “too far along” to make an adjustment now, as requested by President Donald Trump. The President has proposed an $18 billion cut in discretionary spending, including more than $1 billion from …
Perdue Vote Won’t Happen This Week
The U.S. Senate will not be taking a vote to confirm Agriculture Secretary nominee Sonny Perdue this week. Instead, the Senate will be focusing time on a filibuster and confirmation vote for Supreme Court Justice nominee Neil Gorsuch. With an upcoming recess, the delay means the vote for Perdue won’t happen until late this month, at the earliest. The former …
Subcommittee Examines Credit Programs in the Farm Bill
Rep. Austin Scott (R-GA), Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on Commodity Exchanges, Energy, and Credit, held a hearing to evaluate the effectiveness of farm bill authorized credit programs administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA). This hearing is a continuation of the committee’s hearing series to set the stage for the next farm bill. Members of the committee …
McMillan Testifies During U.S. House Ag Committee Hearing on Farm Bill
Tim McMillan, farmer from Enigma, Georgia, testified today in support of maintaining the peanut provisions of the 2014 Farm Bill and the Price Loss Coverage (PLC) program in the next farm bill. In his testimony, McMillan says, “If the PLC program had not been in place, I am afraid many farms in the Southeast would no longer exist because of …
USDA County-Level Data Dispute New NWF Study
If you were going to build a timber mill, would you put it in the middle of a desert, far away from the trees? If you were going into the orange juice business, would you build your processing plant in Maine, thousands of miles from the citrus groves of the Gulf Coast? Of course not. So, why on earth would …
Florida RCPP Proposals Due in Two Weeks
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service in Florida is accepting pre-proposals for fiscal year 2018 funding through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCCP). But a reminder, those proposals are due in just over two weeks, April 21. Sponsored ContentStrong Relationship Exists Between the Florida Cattle Enhancement Board and UF-IFASApril 17, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Provides Funding For Quicker Response to Research …
House Agriculture Committee Leadership Calls for Swift Confirmation of Governor Sonny Perdue
Yesterday (Monday) afternoon, House Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway and Ranking Member Collin Peterson sent the following letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts, and Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow, encouraging the swift confirmation of Governor Sonny Perdue as the nation’s next Secretary of Agriculture. Dear Senators: We wish to …
ASA to House Ag Subcommittee: Keep Sugar Policy Strong Amid Low Prices, Foreign Subsidies
A U.S. sugar policy that costs taxpayers $0, protects American producers against foreign sugar subsidies, and keeps consumer prices among the lowest in the world should remain in effect in the next Farm Bill, according to a top industry economist. Jack Roney, Director of Economics and Policy Analysis for the American Sugar Alliance (ASA), testified today before the House Agriculture …