A recent Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report estimated the House Ag Committee’s farm bill proposal is 33 billion dollars over budget. However, Senate Agriculture Committee Ranking Member John Boozman (R-Ark.) says CBO didn’t give enough consideration to the House bill’s use of USDA’s Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) funds. “Well, what they’re trying to do in the House is use some …
Labeling Lab-Grown Meat
Ag leaders and various advocacy groups around the nation continue to take on the topic of lab-grown meat. Speaking at the Nebraska Governor’s Ag and Economic Summit, executive director of the Center for the Environment and Welfare, Jack Hubbard, pointed out the bipartisanship of the issue. “Different states have taken different approaches, so Florida and Alabama have outright banned it. …
CBO Says House Farm Bill Cost Will Raise Deficit
The Congressional Budget Office released an official cost estimate of the House Ag Committee’s farm bill and said it’s $33 billion over budget and fails to pay for a large increase in crop subsidies. House Ag Chair GT Thompson says if the CBO doesn’t change its mind, he’ll rely instead on the House Budget Committee to overrule the CBO. The …
CA Prop Causing Nationwide Issues
Pork producers here are feeling the squeeze of an animal confinement law from two thousand miles away. We’re now eight months into the enforcement of California’s animal confinement legislation Prop 12, and pork producers around the nation are feeling the effect. National Pork Producers Council Economist Holly Cook said it’s a costly transition for producers. “So, from a production standpoint, …
Consequences of No New Farm Bill
The farm bill is already a year late, the stakes are high, and time is running out. The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) released its Market Intel Analysis of the consequences of not finishing the legislation and adding another extension of the 2018 bill. While crop insurance is a permanent program, it does need improvements to make it more affordable …
House Ag Takes Close Look at Dropping Ag Income
Farmers across the U.S. could see a drop of nearly 25-percent in their farm income compared to last year. That’s what USDA is predicting—and that’s why your lawmakers in Washington, D.C. are looking for answers. Ag banker Tony Hotchkiss, who serves as Chairman of the Agriculture and Rural Bankers Committee of the American Bankers Association, testified before the House Ag …
National FFA Members Attend the Washington Leadership Conference
National FFA heads to Washington DC. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. For more than 50 years, thousands of FFA members from across the country have converged on the nation’s capital each summer for the Washington Leadership Conference. It’s a chance to engage with legislators, hone civic engagement and leadership skills, and create community impact projects to take …
House Agriculture Meets to Examine Consequences of EPA Actions
The House Agriculture Committee met this week for a hearing to examine the consequences of Environmental Protection Agency’s actions on American agriculture. In his opening statement, Committee chair Glenn “G.T.” Thompson (R-PA) pointed out the environmental stewardship of farmers. “American farmers and ranchers are the original conservationists. No one cares more for the environment than those whose livelihoods depend on …
Labor Bill Passes Appropriations
There was strong debate at the House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, as the full committee marked up the bill for fiscal year 2025 funding for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. “The bill puts workers first by ensuring businesses can stay open. We protect farmers from a Labor Department determined to close small family-owned farms across …
Despite Progress, Farm Bill Passage Still Unlikely
There’s been recent progress toward a 2024 Farm Bill, but is it fast enough? Farm Policy News from the University of Illinois says lawmakers have hinted that passage of a full farm bill this year is growing more unlikely. Another extension of the 2018 Farm Bill remains the most likely outcome before the end of the current extension in September. …