There’s just over a month until the current farm bill expires, and some lawmakers are gearing up for a tough fight. Florida Congresswoman Kat Cammack (R-FL) spoke at the Sweetener Symposium in California last week and said she’s expecting a battle over the farm bill. In an interview with us on Monday, she explained some of the issues she expects. …
USDA Proposal to Strengthen Horse Protection Act
A proposed rule to strengthen horse protection. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) seeks public input on a proposed rule to strengthen Horse Protection Act (HPA) requirements. Announced last week, the proposed changes aim to eliminate horse soring, a practice that gives horse owners and trainers an unfair advantage in …
Bill Introduced to Reinstate MCOOL
U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-SD) introduced the Beef Origin Labeling Accountability Act to bring clarity and to reinstate Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (MCOOL) for beef products. “Consumers don’t know where their beef comes from,” Johnson says. “It could be South Dakota, Brazil, or Canada. U.S. producers raise better beef, and they’re not getting credit for it.” The act will …
FARM Act Would Guard U.S. Ag Land from Foreign Control
About three percent of agricultural land in the United States is owned by foreign entities. But U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer, a Republican from North Dakota, thinks even that may be too much. “One would think that’s not a very high percentage, but it’s obviously a lot of acres. And what’s more, probably somewhat alarming is how quickly in recent years …
Groups Applaud First Senate Veterinary Medicine Caucus
The U.S. Senate has established a Veterinary Medicine Caucus for the first time ever. The caucus will focus on increasing awareness toward veterinary-related matters in Congress, educating lawmakers and their staffs about the challenges facing the profession, and advancing the legislation that benefits the veterinary community. The bipartisan caucus will be led by Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN). …
Florida Ag Commissioner Reminds Local Governments of New Law Prohibiting Special Assessments on Agricultural Land
(FDACS/TALLAHASSEE, FL/August 9, 2023) — Today, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson addressed a letter to local governments reminding them of the new provision in State Law prohibiting counties from levying special assessments on agricultural lands. Read the letter below and here. August 9, 2023 Greetings, As Florida Commissioner of Agriculture, my top priority is to ensure that Florida agriculture continues …
Large Pork Producers Don’t Favor Overturning Prop 12
Legislation has been introduced in Congress that would overturn California’s Prop 12. Reuters says some of the country’s biggest pork producers who’ve already spent money to comply with the California requirements don’t favor throwing out Prop 12. The Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression (EATS) Act would curb states’ ability to regulate agricultural products sold within their borders. The bill was introduced …
Senator Boozman Says No Mandatory Conservation Programs
Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Senator John Boozman (R-AR) doesn’t mince words when it comes to conservation programs in the farm bill. “We talk about what needs to be included or excluded in the farm bill and that is a red line for me. We’re simply not going to get ourselves in a situation where we have a …
NCBA President Slams Regulatory Onslaught by Biden Agencies
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) President Todd Wilkinson recently slammed administration overregulation during a recent NCBA Beltway Beef podcast. Wilkinson says Biden agencies from the EPA to the Bureau of Land Management are trying to take away the cattle industry’s freedoms. He cites recent EPA statements that it can make minor changes to its Waters of the U.S. rule after the …
Producers Encouraged to Talk to Congress in August
The August recess isn’t break for lawmakers, and farmers are encouraged to remember that. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Lawmakers from the House and Senate are on the annual August recess and back in their respective districts and states. Tom Donnely, American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) Director of Grassroots Program Development, says lawmakers will spend that time …