Organizations Ask EPA to Withdraw Proposed New WOTUS Rule

The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) was one of the organizations asking the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to withdraw their proposed new WOTUS rule. Last week, NPPC signed onto two sets of comments asking the EPA to withdraw it. Submitted by the Waters Action Coalition (WAC), of which NPPC is a member, and the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), the comments detail …

Florida Lawmakers Discuss Veterinary Telemedicine

Week five of the Florida Legislative Session saw various issues discussed once again, but there is a bill that has been of interest to some in agriculture across the state. Florida Cattlemen’s Association (FCA) Director of Governmental Affairs, Sam Ard, explains what the bill is about and where it currently stands. The 60 day Florida Legislative session will run until March 11th. Sponsored ContentFlorida …

Foreign Agriculture Service Working to Break Down Trade Barriers

Foreign Agriculture Service has led USDA’s day-to-day efforts to break down trade barriers and generate export opportunities for U.S. agriculture for 2021. They have tried to get peanuts accepted back into the European Union. These efforts also resulted in market access for U.S. pork to India, poultry to Venezuela, and apples and pears going into Argentina, among others. Tyron Spearman …

Global Efforts Underway to Combat Hunger and Poverty

U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service team together to lead global efforts to combat hunger and poverty and build more sustainable equitable, and resilient, food systems through the United Nations and others. According to the USDA they have invested $248 Million dollars in new school feeding projects through the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition …

U.S. Customs Seizes Prohibited Meat at the Mexican Border

Officials with U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced that their agriculture specialists seized prohibited meat products at the U.S.-Mexico border. Customs agents seized 243 pounds of prohibited pork bologna in two separate and unrelated incidents. Officials seized 55 pounds of pork products on January 13 and another 188 pounds of bologna on January 21. “Pork products have the potential to …

Feral Swine Control Program Progressing Well in Alabama

We told you last April that funding through the 2018 Farm Bill allowed the Alabama Soil and Water Conservation Committee (ASWCC) to launch a program to help property owners in certain areas of Alabama control feral swine. The Alabama Feral Swine Control Program, funded by a grant through USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), allowed the ASWCC to launch a three-year program to help farmers …

Growers Discuss Priorities for 2023 Farm Bill

The 2018 Farm Bill is set to expire in 2023, so preparations are underway to craft the behemoth legislation into law sometime next year. However, it is common for negotiations to extend into the following year. Whether the new farm bill is passed in 2023 or 2024, there’s a lot of work ahead. The farm bill was the focus of …

Secretary of Transportation on HOS Regulations for Livestock Haulers

Back in late November of last year, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced they had extended the waiver for commercial truckers from the Federal Hours of Service (HOS) regulation until Feb. 28, 2022. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in March 2020 the FMCSA included livestock haulers in an initial emergency declaration that provided an exemption from the HOS regulation for …

African Swine Fever One Reason for Stopping Food Smuggling

USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) reported last week that Federal agents had seized and destroyed more than 1,900 pounds of prohibited pork, poultry and ruminant products from New York City-area retailers in the past three months. Smuggling of prohibited foreign food products into the U.S. does pose a threat to U.S. agriculture, but USDA and other agencies are …