Senate Agriculture Committee
House sends export inspection, livestock price bills to Senate
In less than half an hour, the House passed on voice votes bills to reauthorize the Grain Standards Act and the mandatory livestock price reporting program, each with significant modifications to prevent disruption of service. The bills now go to the Senate. The Grain Standards bill would require the USDA to step in immediately if there is an interruption of inspection of grain at export terminals, either by dispatching federal inspectors or inspectors from state agencies empowered to conduct the work.
People on the move
Joe Shultz is the new Democratic staff director on the Senate Agriculture Committee, announced ranking member Debbie Stabenow.
Senate bill gives allows one day to cover margins on futures
Farmers, elevators and businesses would have until the end of the day following a futures trade to cover their margin accounts under a bill filed by Senate Agriculture chairman Pat Roberts of Kansas and Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota.
“Repeal of mandatory COOL is the surest way,” says Roberts
Warning of retaliatory tariffs of more than $3 billion, Senate Agriculture chairman Pat Roberts said, "Repeal of mandatory COOL is the surest way to protect the U.S. economy." Farm and industry groups generally joined the call for repeal during an Agriculture Committee hearing on the impact of a WTO ruling that U.S. country-of-origin labels (COOL) on packages of beef and pork violate world trade rules by discouraging imports from Canada and Mexico.
Key senator proposes voluntary origin labels for beef and pork
The United States can avoid billions of dollars in retaliatory tariffs by switching to voluntary country-of-origin labels (COOL) for beef and pork, said the top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Agriculture Committee.
“Repeal is the only solution” for COOL, says Senate Ag
Two days ahead of a hearing on meat-origin labels, the Republican-controlled Senate Agriculture Committee circulated a release saying that, "Repeal is the only option for Canada and Mexico - and now the United States."
Roberts plans “big-picture discussion” of school food rules
Senate Agriculture chairman Pat Roberts says that, as part of reauthorizing school lunch and other child nutrition programs, he plans to "have a big-picture discussion on how to retain the great advancements that some schools have made, and to allow other districts to meet the challenges."
Roberts, Conaway agree over-regulation is the problem
The chairmen of the Senate and House Agriculture committees agree on how to strengthen the agricultural economy and rural America: eliminate "burdensome regulations."
Four lawyers, chief economist join Senate Ag Committee
Chairman Pat Roberts announced the hiring of eight additional staff members for the Senate Agriculture Committee, including Anne Hazlett as chief counsel and Matt Erickson as chief economist.
Obama plan gives food safety to HHS, ends USDA meat role
President Obama has proposed creating a new agency at the Health and Humans Services Department that would consolidate the food-safety activities of FDA and USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service. "The new agency would be charged with pursuing a modern, science-based food safety regulatory regime drawing on best practices of both agencies, with strong enforcement and recall mechanisms, expertise in risk assessment, and enforcement and research efforts across all food types based on...
“A lot” of rural schools struggle with lunch rules – Roberts
Senate Agriculture chairman Pat Roberts said his lunch of teriyaki bits, brown rice and green beans at a high school in Shawnee, Kan, was an example of food at a model school.
Roberts to see what’s cooking in Kansas school cafeteria
Senate Agriculture chairman Pat Roberts plans to eat lunch at Mill Valley High School in Shawnee, Kan, today to see "what works and what doesn't" in the school food program.
Roberts says regulatory overkill is top Ag Committee issue
Chairman Pat Roberts says the big issue confronting the Senate Agriculture Committee is "regulatory overkill we are experiencing with every agency" and particularly with the EPA. Roberts mentioned regulatory reform twice while listing committee priorities for this session. "We've got a lot of priorities," he said, citing reauthorization of the CFTC, the mandatory livestock price reporting law, and child nutrition programs - "big time." Regulatory reform, he said, "seems to be the big thing" in farm country.
Senate newcomers will lead three Agriculture subcommittees
Three newly elected senators - Joni Ernst of Iowa, Ben Sasse of Nebraska and David Perdue of Georgia - will chair Senate Agriculture subcommittees this session, announced Agriculture chairman Pat Roberts. In a statement, Roberts said the committee had "a hearty dose of new blood" as well as experienced veterans. “We have a lot of work to do, not only with legislation but in our robust oversight responsibilities. This posse is saddled up and ready to ride.”
Roberts names biotech and nutrition advisors for Senate Ag
Chairman Pat Roberts announced eight senior staff members for the Senate Agriculture Committee, including Julian Baer as policy advisor for nutrition and James Glueck as policy advisor for biotechnology, risk management and grain inspection.
Senate Agriculture panel gets four new Republican members
Republicans named four new members to the Senate Agriculture Committee, effective with the new legislative session beginning in January - David Perdue of Georgia, Joni Ernst of Iowa, Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Ben Sasse of Nebraska - when the GOP becomes the majority party.
CFTC says will check cyber-security at futures markets
CFTC chairman Timothy Massad said his agency, the regulator of futures exchanges, would focus on threats of cyber attacks on the derivatives industry, said Reuters, which quoted him as telling the Senate Agriculture Committee, "The risk is apparent."
Senate ag panelist Heitkamp may run for governor-Politico
North Dakota Sen Heidi Heitkamp, elected in 2012 and a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, is among three Democrats who may run for governor in 2016 rather than seek re-election to the Senate in 2018, says Politico.
Senate Republicans renew bid to shift climate funds
Pointing to a “once-in-a-generation opportunity,” Republican staffers on the Senate Agriculture Committee proposed on Wednesday shifting more than $13 billion earmarked separately for climate mitigation into USDA land stewardship programs. Under Congress’ arcane budget rules, the transfer would result in a long-term increase of $1.8 billion a year for stewardship, they said, “subject only to congressional reauthorization.”