…will “provide the U.S. agricultural community with the tools needed to retain its edge in an increasingly competitive global economy.” The Act calls for phasing in additional annual funding for…
Roberts Suggests no New Farm Bill Funding
Leadership of the Senate Agriculture Committee indicated there would be no additional money to spend in the next farm bill while touting the cost savings from the most recent farm…
FDA to Address Agricultural Biotechnology Misinformation
Included in a budget deal to avert a government shutdown is funding for the Food and Drug Administration for consumer outreach and education regarding agricultural biotechnology. The Washington Post reports…
NACD Applauds Appropriations Bill in Support of Conservation
…important Conservation Technical Assistance (CTA) program. Congress also allocated a $6 million increase in funding to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Section 319 non-point source grant program, $28.6 million for the…
Organic Farmers Push for Welfare Standards Implementation
Organic dairy and livestock farmers are pushing for Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue to let animal welfare standards formed at the end of the Obama Administration to go into effect. Politico’s…
TPP Nations Meet in Canada to Discuss Future of Pact
Bloomberg reports Canada is hosting what it calls an “exploratory” round of talks regarding the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Senior trade officials from the remaining countries in the pact are in talks…
Monsanto Terminates Sale of Precision Planting to John Deere
The U.S. Department of Justice announced this week that John Deere and Monsanto had terminated their attempted sale of Precision Planting, LLC., from Monsanto to John Deere. The department filed…
Ag Lender Survey: Farm Profitability Down, Commodity Prices Top Concern
ABA and Farmer Mac release first biannual survey of agricultural lenders Nearly 90 percent of agricultural lenders have seen an overall decline in farm profitability in the last 12 months,…
Ag Producer Sentiment Inches Higher in April
By Jim Mintert, David Widmar and Michael Langemeier Purdue University/CME Group Figure 1. Purdue/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer. October 2015 to April 2017. Producer sentiment inched higher during April as…
2017 P.I.E. Program Tour Dates Set
…Bayer through a grant to The Cotton Foundation, the P.I.E. is now in its 29th year and has exposed more than 1,100 U.S. cotton producers to innovative production practices in…
Brazil Looking at Tariffs on U.S. Ethanol Imports
Reuters says the Brazilian Ag Minister is asking the country’s Foreign Trade Council to impose tariffs on U.S. ethanol imports after a recent surge in shipments coming in from America….
Canada/Mexico Doing NAFTA Renegotiations “Together”
The relationship between Mexico and Canada amid the upcoming North American Free Trade (NAFTA) negotiations is said by both countries to be more important than ever. The Canadian Broadcasting Company…
Groups Want Checkoff Reform
Over 80 organizations recently sent letters to both the Senate and House of Representatives, calling on lawmakers to fix the government’s “failed commodity tax support programs.” The 80 organizations represent…
New Spending Bill’s Impact on Agriculture
…in the bill. The department isn’t planning to enforce the rules until at least October, while it takes comments in the meantime. Lawmakers also included funding to fight wildfires out…