Politico’s Morning Ag Report says North Carolina Republican Representative Virginia Foxx is working on sugar market reforms as the 2018 Farm Bill draws closer. Foxx and a bipartisan group of more than 30 members of Congress have introduced the Sugar Policy Modernization Act. She says the policies within the legislation will keep processors from having to forfeit their crops and …
National Milk Producers Federation Talks Issues at Annual Meeting
The dairy industry gathered recently in California at the 101st Annual Meeting of the National Milk Producers Federation in Anaheim. For the last 20 years, the meeting has been held in conjunction with the National Dairy Checkoff. Chris Galen with the National Milk Producers Federation says there are many topics on the table for the dairy industry. In regard to …
Farm Bill Near Ready Status
A lobbyist close to the farm bill effort told the Hagstrom Report this week that the House Agriculture Committee staff is close to being done preparing the bill for consideration. However, the lobbyist says Chairman Mike Conaway will likely keep the bill “under lock and key” until House leadership guarantees floor time for the legislation. That points to the bill …
Farm Bureau Supports Proposed Safety Net Fix
Legislation introduced by Senators Heidi Heitkamp and Joni Ernst would make changes to the Agricultural Risk Coverage program. American Farm Bureau Federation and other farm groups penned a letter to the Senators this week expressing support for the bill. AFBF congressional relations director Mary Kay Thatcher says the bill would change the program to better serve farmer’s needs. The bill …
Peterson Says Writing Farm Bill Will be a Challenge
The House Agriculture Committee held seven Farm Bill listening sessions this year with the goal of hearing what farmers and commodity groups are looking for in the next Farm Bill. Ranking member Collin Peterson says they heard from people in a lot of different ag sectors. Cotton and dairy groups are looking for some extra help from the new Farm …
House Ag Chair Says Farm Bill Work Could Possibly Finish This Year
Washington legislators are working on developing the policy for the new Farm Bill, which is due next year. Texas Republican Mike Conaway, Chair of the House Ag Committee, said developments in the Senate this week mean the Farm Bill process can move forward. Conaway is still planning for the farm bill process in the House to wrap up within …
National Council of Farmer Cooperatives Lists Farm Bill Priorities
The National Council of Farmer Cooperatives is urging Congress to finish the next farm bill on time. In releasing the organization’s farm bill priorities Tuesday, President and CEO Chuck Conner noted the “challenging price environment” farmers are dealing with in explaining the need for a timely farm bill. The council’s framework outlines eight general principles to be included in the …
Coalition Calls for Double the Funding for USDA Research
More than 60 farm and commodity groups are calling for lawmakers to double the funding for agriculture research in the next farm bill. The coalition of 63 organizations sent a letter to House and Senate agriculture leaders, requesting the lawmakers increase the Department of Agriculture’s research, education and extension budget to $6 billion over the life of the next farm …
Conaway on 2018 Farm Bill
The House Agriculture Committee has hosted various farm bill listening sessions across the country to get input from farmers and ranchers on what they would like to see in the next farm bill. Committee Chairman Mike Conaway says a draft of the 2018 Farm Bill could come up before the full House of Representatives yet this year, or early next. …
Legislation Against Farm Bill Cuts a Non-Starter
Senator Pat Roberts says there will not be a vote on a proposal to protect the farm bill from budget cuts. The Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman says the Senate will not consider the bill offered up by the committee’s ranking Democrat, Debbie Stabenow. She filed the bill last week that aimed to keep all farm bill programs away from any …