Rep. Scott: Work on 2023 Farm Bill On Track

Josh McGill Farm Bill, Industry, Legislative

The 2018 Farm Bill faced months of delays that left the nation without farm bill programs from the expiration of the 2014 Farm Bill on September 30, 2018, until the bill was finally passed and signed by then-President Donald Trump in December 2018. The 2018 Farm Bill is set to expire next year and work is getting underway on the …

Omnibus Spending Bill Included Many Pork Industry Priorities

Dan Legislative, Pork, Regulation

The omnibus spending bill to keep the government operating through fiscal 2022, which was approved by Congress and then signed into law last week by President Biden, included nearly two dozen pork industry priority provisions and programs that will benefit U.S. producers. According to the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), a lot of the $25.1 billion for agriculture, rural development, …

Florida Agriculture Included in State Budget

Dan Florida, Legislative

The 2022 Florida Legislative Session wrapped up last week when lawmakers passed the $112.1 billion budget for next fiscal year. Looking at some of the ways that relates to agriculture, in her final legislative report for the session Mary Ann Hooks, director of the University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Government Affairs, noted they did exceptionally well and they are thrilled to …

NCBA Working on Various Issues for Cattle Producers

Dan Cattle, Legislative, Regulation

The National Cattlemenā€™s Beef Association (NCBA) recently sent letters to producers across the country discussing the challenging year that many have faced. This includes the threat of tax hikes, to the uncertainty around the Water of the United States (WOTUS) and many more issues. During the recent Alabama Cattlemenā€™s Association Convention Mary Bea Halimeh, director of membership and affiliated services for NCBA, …

Chlorpyrifos Ban Will Stand

Dan Environment, Legislative, Regulation

Agriculture groups had two requests for a stay of the Environmental Protection Agencyā€™s ban on chlorpyrifos turned down by a federal court. DTN says the court will allow the groupsā€™ latest suit against the agency to go forward. Farmers still canā€™t use the insecticide on food or feed crops because its food residue tolerances got revoked. The leading groups of …

Georgia State Legislative Session Passes Crossover Day

Dan Georgia, Legislative

Week ten of the 2022 Georgia State Legislative Session saw lawmakers get through the importantĀ Crossover Day.Ā Georgia Agribusiness Council (GAC) President Will Bentley says this means there are now 12 legislative days left to the session. The 2022 Georgia State Legislative session is scheduled to run through April 4th. To keep track of any of the bills during the session, go to the GAC website. …

Florida Announces Dates of 2023 Legislative Session

Dan Florida, Legislative

Now that the 2022 session has ended, dates for the 2023Ā Florida Legislative Session have been announced. AĀ schedule that was posted this week on theĀ Florida Senate websiteĀ shows it will run fromĀ March 7 through May 5, 2023. According to the News Service of Florida, while the 2022 session did end Monday, it remains unclear whether lawmakers will need to hold a special …

DeSantis Says Water Bill ‘Much Different’

Dan Florida, Legislative, Regulation, Water, WOTUS Act

(NSF) — FloridaĀ Gov. Ron DeSantis said a controversial environmental bill is ā€œdramaticallyā€ improved from when he severely criticized the measure during the middle of the legislative session. The Senate voted 33-0 and the House voted 99-8 on Monday to approve the budget-related bill (SB 2508) as they finished the session. While DeSantis wouldnā€™t say whether he will sign the bill, …

Florida Legislative Session Ends

Josh McGill Florida, Legislative

Florida lawmakers passed a record $112.1-billion budget Monday to end a legislative session dominated by fierce debates about issues such as education, abortion and immigration. The election-year spending plan was pumped up by federal stimulus money and higher-than-expected state tax collections. It funnels money to many issues, including higher funding for public schools and pay raises for state employees. The …