House Democrat Marcy Kaptur of Ohio has introduced an urban agriculture bill. Kaptur’s Urban Agriculture Production Act is described as a bipartisan bill that would bolster nutritional programs and farmers’…
OTA Files Lawsuit Against USDA Over Organic Livestock Standards
…Act, and unlawfully delayed the effective date of the final livestock standards. The trade association further contends that the Trump Administration’s regulatory freeze order issued to federal agencies in January…
Censky, McKinney, Nomination Hearing Scheduled
Senate Agriculture Committee will hold a hearing on nominees to the Department of Agriculture next week. Committee leaders, Chairman Pat Roberts, and ranking minority member Debbie Stabenow announced plans to…
The Western View: Bundy Trials
…against the government – they are losing most of their cases. The Bundy trials, of course, are the result of a group of American cattle ranchers protesting policies and procedures…
UC to Host Washington Forum on NAFTA Future
…of the North American Free Trade Agreement and the state of U.S.-Mexico relations. UC President Janet Napolitano and Alejandro Poiré, dean of the School of Social Sciences and Government at…
John Deere Equipment About to Get Smarter
…management decisions about every single plant in the field.” Deere plans to have the 60-person firm remain in Sunnyvale and the agreement is expected to be finalized later this month….
Strong Numbers for American Beef Exports
Statistics from the United States Department of Agriculture indicate one of the highest monthly totals on record for American beef exports. Information compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation shows…
South Korea Wants Step by Step Approach to KORUS
…North American Free Trade Agreement, but the administration would have to notify Congress before doing so. Cabinet members, including Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, briefed the White House last week on…
Head of USDA Organic Program Stepping Down
…plan was to run the program for five years. After eight years at USDA, he says the program is now stronger, offering better quality inspectors, certifiers and work. He says…
Perdue Part of KORUS Briefing Team That Stopped Withdraw
…from terminating. Perdue met with the President as Trump was intending to withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement in April, before choosing to renegotiate the agreement. From the…
Trump Renewed Call for Full Repeal of Estate Tax
President Trump’s renewed call on a North Dakota visit for full repeal of the estate tax is being praised by the American Farm Bureau. But ‘death tax’ repeal faces more…
NAFTA Renegotiation Could Send Avocado Prices Soaring
…avocados Americans eat. The rest come from Peru, Chile, the Dominican Republic and California. And Americans eat a lot of avocados, more than seven pounds of them, per capita last…
GMO-Free Labeling Fear Based
…a “Peel Back the Label” campaign as 70 percent of American consumers look at food labels when making purchasing decisions, and says some labels are misleading. For instance, one company…
USDA Restructuring Efforts Move Forward
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue last week announced further Department of Agriculture restructuring under his plan announced in May. Perdue says the work streamlines bureaucracy, improves efficiency and makes the federal…