USDA Deputy Secretary Jewel Bronaugh, just off a major trade mission to the UK, sees that effort as setting the stage for a later free trade deal with Great Britain. Bronaugh says the trade mission resulted in both direct ag sales and talks on trade barriers that could lead to more formal US-UK negotiations. “I think we’re all very hopeful …
Survey Says Shoppers Want Clearer Meat Labels
The National Chicken Council (NCC) released findings from a recent national survey of Americans regarding consumer attitudes about chicken and plant-based ‘chicken’ alternatives. Survey participants included individuals who consume meat and animal products, along with flexitarians, vegetarians and vegans. The results indicate the majority of Americans want clearer product labeling and separate shopping sections for plant-based products. One in five …
Forcing Compliance on Trade Policies
Making Canada Stick to Dairy Trade Policies. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Last month, the U.S. Trade Representative’s office initiated the second U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement dispute regarding Canadian dairy tariff-rate quota policies. The U.S. is requesting dispute settlement consultations regarding Canada’s dairy tariff-rate quota, or TRQ allocation measures. The TRQs deny allocation access to eligible applicants, including retailers, …
Bill Would Ban US Foes From Owning Farmland
Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran would be banned from owning U.S. agricultural land under legislation just advanced by a House panel. It was the second try for House appropriators after they failed last year to get the Senate to agree to a ban on foreign ownership of U.S. ag land for the key U.S. foes in the annual USDA …
Keep Kids Fed Act Passed in Both Chambers of Congress
A bill to help keep kids fed moves forward. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. The House and Senate each passed the Keep Kids Fed Act this month, but the bill had to return to the House because the Senate version was slightly different. The Hagstrom Report says the House passed the Senate’s version of the bill that …
House Agriculture Committee Discusses Dairy Farm Bill Programs
The House Agriculture Committee met Wednesday to discuss dairy provisions in the Farm Bill. House Agriculture Committee Chairman David Scott (D-GA) says while the creation of the Dairy Margin Coverage program in the last farm bill has provided beneficial improvements, lawmakers must continue to ensure the dairy industry has a safety net that works. “This program provides more comprehensive coverage …
NPPC Welcomes Biden Administration Siding with Farmers on Prop 12
The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) welcomed a Supreme Court brief filed by the Biden administration in favor of ag groups regarding California’s Proposition 12. The state law seeks to ban the sale of pork from pigs that do not meet the state’s arbitrary production standards, including pork from pigs raised on farms outside of California. NPPC assistant vice president and general …
Cattle Market Reform Bill Passes Senate Agriculture Committee
The Cattle Price Discovery and Transparency Act passed out of the Senate Agriculture Committee. The legislation, sponsored by U.S. Senators Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) passed by a voice vote with only two no votes. The bill now moves to the Senate floor. The senators unveiled the updated version of the legislation back in …
Growers Disappointed Supreme Court Decides Not to Hear Glyphosate Case
Agriculture groups expressed disappointment regarding a Supreme Court decision denying consideration of the case Monsanto v. Hardeman, which pertains to state glyphosate health warnings. A coalition of groups issued a joint statement regarding the decision Tuesday, including the American Farm Bureau Federation, American Soybean Association, National Corn Growers Association, National Association of Wheat Growers, and National Cotton Council. The joint …
Growers Frustrated with EPA Regarding Pesticide Impacts
American farmers are again at odds with the Environmental Protection Agency over the Endangered Species Act. The final EPA biological evaluations of neonicotinoids and their impacts on endangered species are overly conservative and don’t use all available data, according to the farm groups. Grower groups like the American Soybean Association and the American Farm Bureau Federation are concerned the evaluations …