Common question at Senate infrastructure hearing: How to pay for it
With five cabinet members on hand to testify, Senate Commerce Committee chairman John Thune said a vast overhaul of U.S. infrastructure should be a legislative cakewalk. “Both sides can come together on this,” he said. “And it can happen this year.”
Local food advocates prepare to defend SNAP
Defending the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program was the top priority of attendees at a convening yesterday of 63 sustainable agriculture and food access organizations in Washington, D.C. The meeting was to prepare members of the Good Food for All coalition to lobby Congress on the 2018 farm bill.
Food stamp impasse delays House work on farm bill until mid-April
House Agriculture chairman Michael Conaway has shelved plans for committee approval of the new farm bill next week in the face of Democratic opposition to his proposed cuts in the $70-billion-a-year food stamp program.
Rush Section 199A fix into law, says largest U.S. farm group
Two large U.S. farm groups took opposite sides over legislation to repair an unintended flaw in the new tax law that gives farmers a huge deduction for crops and livestock sold to cooperatives.
Top SNAP counties are rural, analysis finds
Of the 150 counties with the highest percentage of households participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, 136 are rural, according to a new analysis from the Union of Concerned Scientists.
Alternatives to RIN price cap stirring in Washington
Oil-state Sen. Ted Cruz captured President Trump's attention two weeks ago with his dramatic proposal to ease the cost of the ethanol mandate on refiners: A price cap on RINs, the credits that refiners buy if they don't blend enough biofuel into gasoline. Farm groups and ethanol makers say Cruz's idea would be a disaster for them, and now some alternative ideas are getting a hearing.
Concerns grow over Trump’s trade, rural infrastructure plans
A growing number of farmers and rural advocates say President Trump's trade and rural infrastructure proposals would further damage the struggling farm economy, despite his vow to boost rural America through renewed investment.
Ag truckers get 90-day waiver from DOT work limits
The Transportation Department issued a 90-day waiver for truckers hauling agricultural loads from an 11-hour limit per day behind the wheel. Nebraska Sen. Deb Fischer said the waiver will allow more time for the government to decide how to get livestock and other ag commodities to market.
After three delays, USDA withdraws animal welfare rule for organic farms
The Agriculture Department carried out its plan, announced in the early months of the Trump administration, to kill a 2017 regulation that would have given livestock on organic farms more elbow room than factory farms routinely allow for chickens, hogs, and cattle.
Minnesota farmers, rural landowners call for crop insurance reform
As congressional debate on the next farm bill gathers steam, farmers in Minnesota are calling for changes to the crop insurance program. A new report from the Land Stewardship Project argues that the current version of the program favors bigger farms and places an undue burden on taxpayers.
House Ag panel leaders try to bridge a food stamp chasm
The chairman of the House Agriculture Committee is sticking to his goal of gaining committee approval of the new farm bill by the end of this month — while also winning bipartisan support for it.
Farmers seek $1.5 billion from Syngenta for GMO corn snafu
U.S. corn farmers are seeking federal court approval of a $1.5-billion settlement with Syngenta for its decision to sell them a GMO corn variety before China had approved it for import, reported Reuters.
Will Mike Conaway out-do Trump on work requirements for food stamps?
Along with the much-criticized Harvest Box of nonperishable food for low-income Americans, President Trump proposed in his budget more stringent limits on food stamps for people who work less than 20 hours a week. House Agriculture chairman Michael Conaway may go beyond Trump in his proposals to restrict eligibility and to channel millions of food-stamp recipients into workfare and job-training programs.
White House chief of staff stuffs Pruitt’s climate-change debate
For nearly a year, EPA administrator Scott Pruitt pushed for a public debate on the science of climate change that would be structured like the "red team-blue team" exercises of the military. White House chief of staff John Kelly, a retired Marine Corps general, squashed the idea as ill-conceived, reports the New York Times.
Forest Service chief resigns, Perdue names woman as interim leader
One of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue’s prominent appointees to USDA leadership, Tony Tooke, resigned on Wednesday as Forest Service chief amid allegations of sexual harassment. Perdue appointed Vicki Christiansen, a senior Forest Service official, as interim chief.
Government report disqualifies poultry farmers as small businesses
In a report released on March 6, the Office of the Inspector General found that some poultry farmers who had received SBA loans were actually ineligible, because poultry companies “exercised such comprehensive control over the growers” that farmers were not, in fact, operating as independent small business owners. <strong> (No paywall) </strong>
Think tank forecasts sluggish farm income, continued stress
U.S. farm income has been in a rut since the collapse of the commodity boom in 2013, and it is likely to grow only slowly after a bump upward in 2019, estimated a University of Missouri think tank.
New report shows farmers disapprove of Bayer-Monsanto merger
A new poll and report from the Konkurrenz Group found that the vast majority of farmers disapprove of the proposed merger between Bayer and Monsanto. Nearly a thousand farmers, from 48 states, responded to the poll.
Drought wallops Argentina’s soybean crop
Prolonged drought will limit Argentina’s soybean crop to 47 million tonnes this year, about 10 million tonnes less than usual, estimated the USDA in its monthly WASDE report.
Perdue sees ‘legitimate concern’ in farm country over trade issues
The farm sector is “rightfully concerned” that President Trump’s plan for steep tariffs on imported steel and aluminum could trigger retaliatory tariffs on U.S. ag exports, said Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue. Exports account for 20 percent of U.S. farm income.