U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Bill and Legislative Principles for 2018 during a town hall at Reinford Farms in Mifflintown, Pennsylvania. “Since my first day as the Secretary of Agriculture, I’ve traveled to 30 states, listening to the people of American agriculture about what is working and what is not. The conversations …
Farmers Union Releases Priorities for Farm Bill
Urges Increased Funding for Farm Safety Net Given the persistent and ongoing economic challenges in farming and rural economies, National Farmers Union (NFU) is calling on Congress to increase funding for farm programs in the farm bill and pass the legislation as soon as possible. The NFU Board of Directors recently passed a resolution to this effect, outlining requirements for a farm …
Congressman Calls Tax Reform Positive for Farmers
Congressman Rodney Davis said he had Illinois farmers in mind when voting on Tax Reform Legislation. The Republican says the recent changes are a positive for farmers and will help lessen their financial risk. Tax When asked about the status of the 2018 Farm Bill, Congressman Davis said he expects Farm Bill debates to begin in early February. Farm Bill …
Cotton Farm Bill Program in the Works, Long Road Ahead
Support for cotton growers is in the works, albeit a slow process. The National Cotton Council’s Jody Campiche, director of economics and policy, says getting a farm bill program established is a top priority for the sector. Program Long-term, Campiche says a seed cotton program is the council’s preference. Preference She says cotton growers need more support. While prices for …
Conaway: Farm Bill on Track for March Unveil
The House version of the 2018 farm bill remains on track for a March unveiling, according to House Agriculture Committee Chair Mike Conaway. The Republican told Politico the committee is waiting for an official 10-year cost estimate from the Congressional Budget Office to ensure “we can afford the proposal.” The committee started working on the House version of the bill …
Lack of Budget Deal Making Farm Bill Efforts Harder
The lack of a budget deal so far to keep the government open, is frustrating efforts to write a new farm bill–and its would-be authors. Farm bills are never easy to write, and some have taken a couple of years or more to enact. And, this is an election year—never an easy time to do any legislating. But, the ongoing …
NFU President Johnson: Tax Reform Hurts Farm Bill
The recent tax reform package will hurt farm bill negotiations, according to National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson. He says President Trump’s tax package will affect farmers in two ways. Tax Citing PAYGO – a budget rule requiring that tax cuts as well as increases in entitlement and other mandatory spending must be covered by tax increases or cuts …
NCBA Working on ELD and Farm Bill
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) continues to work on a variety of issues here in 2018, some that they started dealing with last year. One of those is the Electronic Logging Device (ELD) mandate, where a 90-day delay was granted for all delivery haulers, including those that transport livestock and other ag commodities. Colin Woodall, NCBA’s senior vice president …
USDA Wants Farmer Input on Government Regulations
Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue spoke to the crowd at the American Farm Bureau’s annual convention on Monday, just ahead of President Trump. According to a DTN article, Perdue told the crowd that the administration will soon present what it wants to see in the new farm bill. Although Congress actually writes the farm bill, the administration will present some …
AFBF Turns Attention to Farm Bill for 2018
The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) and all of agriculture will turn its attention to the farm bill this year, but there are other policy issues needing attention, according to AFBF public policy executive director Dale Moore. Policy Speaking at the 99th Annual American Farm Bureau Convention in Nashville, Tennessee, Moore says the farm bill will top the list, more so …