exports

Benefits to Proposed Rule for Competition in Meatpacking Industry

Dan Agri-Business, Beef, Cattle, Legislative, Regulation

USDA recently released its fifth and final proposed rule to beef up competition in the highly consolidated meatpacking industry – seeking advice on price discovery and competition in markets for fed cattle. Rusty Halvorson has the story.  Joe Maxwell, the co-founder of Farm Action, says one of the real problems facing cattle producers is a lack of transparency. “In cattle …

Lab-Grown Meat

Labeling Lab-Grown Meat

Dan Beef, Livestock, Marketing, Pork, Regulation

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. …

USDA Finalizes Product of USA Label Rule

Dan Agri-Business, Legislative, Regulation

The USDA finalized a rule to align the voluntary “Product of USA” label claim with consumer understanding of what the claim means. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the rule Monday at the National Farmer’s Union annual convention in Scottsdale, Arizona. “We are now on record as being for the utilization of that label only, only, when the animal was …

USDA: Expiring Estate Tax Provisions Would Increase Taxes for Farm Estates

Dan Economy, Legislative, Regulation, This Land of Ours, USDA-ERS

An expiring estate tax could be very costly for farm estates. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act significantly changed federal individual income and estate tax policies, though some were temporary. In 2018, the legislation increased the estate tax exemption amount from $5.49 million to $11.18 million. This increase expires at the …

Ag Groups Respond to Dicamba Decision

Dan Agri-Business, Environment, Legislative, Regulation

Agriculture groups around the nation responded to the EPA’s decision to allow farmers to use existing stocks of dicamba for the upcoming planting season. The American Farm Bureau Federation sent a letter to EPA that read, “We are grateful to EPA for hearing farmers’ and ranchers’ concerns and addressing them quickly to ensure we have access to the critical tools …

Lawmakers Discuss Pesticide Regulations

Dan Agri-Business, Funding, Legislative, Regulation

The issue of pesticide regulation came up a few times during the House Agriculture Committee Member Day Hearing last week. Representative Dan Newhouse (R-WA) was the first to give comments at the hearing and the first to broach the subject. He said state pesticide regulations need to fall in line with federal controls. “The ability to produce abundant feed, food, …

Battle over Tomato Suspension Agreement

Dan Agri-Business, Fruits, Regulation, Specialty Crops, Vegetables

Should the U.S. terminate the Tomato Suspension Agreement with Mexico? The agreement is intended to keep Mexico from flooding the U.S. market with underpriced tomatoes by suspending duties, however, some industry leaders say it’s not working, and the agreement needs to be terminated so Mexico can be held accountable. Others worry that terminating the agreement and making Mexico pay duties …

NPPC Asks to Intervene in CAFO Rule Court Case

Dan Legislative, National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), Pork, Regulation

The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) has teamed up with the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), the U.S. Poultry and Egg Association, and the United Egg Producers (UEP) requesting the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to allow their intervention in a lawsuit filed by environmental and animal rights extremists against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over …