The U.S. Senate has passed the The Agriculture Reform, Food, and Jobs Act of 2012, better known as the Farm Bill, getting through that chamber by a bipartisan vote of 64 to 35. That bipartisan support pleased Senate Agriculture Chair Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and the ranking member of the committee, Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS). The vote also pleased the … Read More
Senate's Farm Bill Passes With Dairy Amendments
The U.S. Senate passed its version of the Farm Bill today by a bipartisan margin of 64-35. Passage gained praise from the Dairy Farmers of America: “The U.S. Senate sent an important message to the nation’s agriculture industry today by passing S. 3240, the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2012 (Farm Bill). The Farm Bill contains dairy provisions … Read More
Dairy Amendments Included in Senate Farm Bill
The number of proposed amendments to the Senate farm bill shrank from nearly 300 to 73 this week as senators struck a deal to get debate back on track. Votes were held on a number of those amendments Tuesday, included a couple of dairy-related measures. One by Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) that passed requires milk marketing order reform, eliminating the … Read More
Dairy Producer Supports Farm Bill Energy Programs
The House Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy and Forestry was urged to reauthorize Farm Bill energy programs and provide them with mandatory funding during a hearing on “Formulation of the 2012 Farm Bill: Energy and Forestry Programs” on Friday. Steve Reinford of Reinford Farms in Mifflintown, Pennsylvania testified about how investing in an anaerobic digester with the help of USDA … Read More
House Subcommittee Reviews Dairy Programs
Congressman Tom Rooney (R-FL), Chairman of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy and Poultry, held a hearing this week to review dairy programs as part of drafting the 2012 Farm Bill process. “At our dairy audit hearing last fall, we got a sense for the inadequacy of some of our current dairy programs,” Rooney said. “While consensus is building … Read More
NMPF Votes On Changes To Dairy Policy Reform Package
The National Milk Producers Federation’s Board of Directors has voted for a revised approach to reforming federal dairy policy, with the key change of “allowing farmers an individual choice between receiving the financial protection of a government safety net, or opting out of such protection.” You can listen in on a conference call with NMPF about the changes here: As … Read More
Results From First ZimmPoll
The results of the first ZimmPoll are in. The question was “How do you think agricultural interests will fare in the new Farm Bill?” We thought we’d give you an easy one to start. The results were pretty well mixed with “Too early to tell” getting the most votes. You can add your comments about the question or the results … Read More
N.Y.'s Congressman Bill Owens Named to Ag Committee
Congressman Bill Owens from New York State has announced his appointment to the House Committee on Agriculture. He will join colleagues on the panel that has general jurisdiction over federal agriculture policy and oversight of various federal agencies. “Upstate N.Y. agriculture is a major driver of our entire state’s economy, and now our region has a larger role in the … Read More
Farm Bill Hearing to Focus on Dairy Policy
Looking ahead to 2012, the House Agriculture Committee will be holding its first farm bill hearing Tuesday in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and the focus will be on federal dairy policy. The Dairy Policy Action Coalition (DPAC) reports that dairy producers around the surrounding area will be attending the hearing and they are urging all dairy farmers to attend and “show support … Read More