WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators David Perdue (R-GA) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) are leading a bipartisan effort to level the playing field for the transportation of agricultural products. The Agricultural Trucking Relief Act will expand the definition of an “agricultural commodity” to include horticultural and aquacultural products, promote consistency across all federal and state agencies, and ease regulatory burdens on the trucking industry. …
Education about Agriculture Needed for New Lawmakers
This week, U.S. Congressman Filemon Vela (D) of Texas told the USA Peanut Congress, the level of expertise on agriculture is getting narrower in Washington. He said educating newer members of Congress before the next Farm Bill is key to the future of any legislation. Tyron Spearman has the story. Sponsored ContentWhat Sets Provysol® Fungicide ApartJuly 8, 2025CIR Agriculture Harvester …
Florida Governor Signs Hemp Bill
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has been busy signing various bills the past few days, one of those being SB 1020. This bill creates the state hemp program that will be administered by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The program will regulate cultivation of hemp, addressing issues such as the licensing of growers. According to the News Service …
USDA Farm Bill Implementation Progress Update
Washington, D.C., – (USDA) — U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced an update on the implementation status of the 2018 Farm Bill. President Trump signed this Farm Bill into law on December 20, 2018, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) promptly began implementing key programs. In addition, USDA held several listening sessions with stakeholders and the public specific to …
Summer Passage of USMCA Looking Doubtful
(NAFB) — Key lawmakers in Washington, D.C. cast significant doubt on the possibility of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement (USMCA) getting passed through Congress yet this summer. This comes in spite of the fact that political pressure is ramping up. Congress has a long summer recess rapidly approaching. Politico says it’s looking like Democrats are sticking to their ideas that the …
Senate Finance Plans USMCA Hearing
Senator Chuck Grassley this week announced a planned hearing regarding the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Grassley, chair of the Senate Finance Committee, says the committee will hear testimony from U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. The committee will hold the hearing, “The President’s 2019 Trade Policy Agenda and the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement,” next Tuesday morning. Grassley told reporters earlier this week, following …
Very Productive Legislative Session for Alabama Cattlemen
The 2019 Alabama legislative session came to an end late last week.Alabama Cattlemen’s Association Executive Vice President Erin Beasley called it a very productive session for cattle producers across the state. Sponsored ContentWhat Sets Provysol® Fungicide ApartJuly 8, 2025CIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2025Nuseed Carinata Covers New GroundOctober 1, 2024
Alabama Lawmakers Send Ag Bills to Governor
Alabama lawmakers have wrapped up the 2019 Legislative session, and various bills of interest to agriculture were passed and sent to the Governor. Executive Director of the Alabama Agribusiness Council, Leigha Cauthen, runs through the list of those bills. And now, Leigha says the Alabama Agribusiness Council is getting ready up for their annual meeting. Sponsored ContentWhat Sets Provysol® Fungicide ApartJuly …
Disaster Relief Blocked Again in Congress
A second congressional Republican, arguing for a vote by the full House, blocked an attempt Tuesday to pass long-stalled federal disaster relief funding that would assist Florida’s hurricane-ravaged Panhandle. The latest move came after a group of Panhandle residents targeted — through a full-page ad in the Austin American-Statesman newspaper — a Texas Republican who initially blocked the bill on …
Rubio, Hyde-Smith, Wicker, Cotton Introduce Bill to Help Private Forest Owners Recover From Disasters
A Third of Forest Land in the U.S. is Held by Family Landowners, Who Find Limited Options Following Loss of Timber to Natural Disasters U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Roger Wicker (R-MS), and Tom Cotton (R-AR) introduced the Forest Recovery Act (S.1687), which would amend the U.S. tax code to establish a special rule for losses of uncut timber …