U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan said last week that he saw no point in bringing up the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal for a vote during the lame-duck session of Congress….
Agri View: Politics and Cuban Trade
…Congress approved a bill to allow the sale of agricultural products and medicine to Cuba. And just this year a measure to fund a bill to study and begin to…
National Peach Month
…of the role peaches play in our food supply and our economy, the Congress by Joint Resolution approved March 16, 1982 (96 Stat. 12), has requested the President to designate…
Farm Bureau Urges Support for Education
…a well-rounded, practical approach to learning through classroom education. The House Committee on Education and the Workforce approved the bill earlier this month. However, both chambers of Congress remain in…
Vermont Stops GMO Label Enforcement
…General William Sorrell issued the announcement Tuesday saying he was pleased Vermont spurred Congress to act. However, Sorrell added “it is unfortunate that corporate interests were ultimately able to water…
Governors Strongly Support TPP
…isn’t passed by Congress. The TPP involves 12 nations and covers 40 percent of the world’s economy. The agreement opens up new and lucrative markets for American agricultural products overseas….
GMO Bill Puts Labeling Efforts in Holding Pattern
The GMO labeling bill passed by Congress and signed into law last week puts labeling efforts into a holding pattern while the U.S. Department of Agriculture works on the rulemaking…
Ag Appropriations Bill Still Undecided
Congress Yet to Deal with Ag Appropriations Bill When Congress returns to Washington D.C., it will have over 100 appropriations bills to work through, including the Ag Appropriations Bill, which…
Anti-GMO Labeling Petition Reaches 100,000 Signatures
…getting through Congress, the White House earlier this month said the President would sign the bill; however, there is no indication when he may do so. The House and Senate…
USDA Seeking Additional Funding for Farm Loans
…FSA told Congress it was tapping into $500 million in emergency funding to bolster a related program, the Guaranteed Farm Ownership Loan Program. However, emergency funding options do not exist…
Anti-Trade Talks Threaten TPP
…pressing Congress to consider the measure after the November elections. However, Politico says all of the anti-trade campaigning makes it exceedingly difficult to get TPP through an already wary Congress,…
GOP Platform Touches on Ag Issues
…of agricultural issues. Among other things, the 58-page document urges Congress to remove the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) – food stamps – from the Farm Bill. More than 75…
Agri View: Lost Land
…The overgrazing stripped the land, and, in part, brought about the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. Congress enacted the 1934 Taylor Grazing Act, which finally established grazing districts and required…
Ag Labor and Border Security Require Balanced Approach
…farmers. To keep that option viable, we must act soon,” Duvall said. Farmers and ranchers from all regions are ready for Congress to act on immigration reform, but as Duvall…