President of the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) Zippy Duvall addressed the participants of the Agri-Pulse Farm Bill Summit last week. Using his best southern charm, Duvall addressed the issue of the upcoming farm bill, pointing out the different circumstances farmers and ranchers are in as the last bill was being written and the economic climate now. “The biggest problem with this … Read More
Animal Ag Calls for Withdrawal of GIPSA
Animal agriculture organizations united last week when they called on USDA to withdraw the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Act (GIPSA) interim final and proposed rules, labeled with the misleading title, Farmer Fair Practices Rules. Craig Uden, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) president, said the rules stand to threaten market incentives, the quality of American beef the industry is known … Read More
Perdue Finally Gets Hearing
Accompanied by his four children and 14 grandchildren, former Georgia Governor Ervin “Sonny” Perdue III finally had his confirmation hearing before the Senate Agriculture Committee Thursday and will hopefully be confirmed shortly. “I know there was some anxiety over whether there would be a secretary of agriculture nominee,” Perdue began. “I must say with all the humility I can muster … Read More
NCC Calls for Withdrawal of Interim GIPSA Rules
The National Chicken Council (NCC) filed several comments this week with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) explaining the numerous reasons why the agency’s interim final rule and proposed rules are ill-advised, would inflict billions of dollars of economic harm to American agriculture, exceed GIPSA’s statutory authority, and represent an arbitrary and capricious abuse … Read More
No Tainted Brazilian Meat Entered U.S., Yet Still Re-Inspecting
The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced that while none of the slaughter or processing facilities implicated in the Brazilian scandal have shipped meat products to the U.S., they are still taking extra steps to keep food supply safe. FSIS immediately instituted additional pathogen testing of all shipments of raw beef and ready-to-eat products from Brazil upon hearing … Read More
AQHA Elects New Executive Committee
The American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) elected a new Executive Committee on March 20 at the 2017 AQHA Convention in San Antonio. The five-person Executive Committee is responsible for implementing the decisions of AQHA members through the board of directors and governing AQHA between the annual meetings of the membership and the board. Each member serves a term of one … Read More
SMART Farms Take Center Stage on Ag Day
This is the time of year things really get rolling in agriculture, making it a great time to celebrate National Ag Day. Yesterday the US Farmers & Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) made the most of that day with a panel discussion about SMART farms and how producers today are growing sustainable, nutritious food and how to communicate that to consumers. The … Read More
Pork Checkoff Tours the No. 1 Customer for U.S. Pork Exports
Members of the National Pork Board spent March 13-18 in Mexico City building trade relations. The delegation invested its time immersing itself in Mexico, which is one of America’s most important export markets. During the visit, the group emphasized the safety and reliability of the U.S. pork supply. “Our visit to Mexico was eye opening. As board members, we were … Read More
NMPF Stresses MPP Must be Priority for Farm Bill
Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) testified before the House Agriculture Committee sharing priorities for the next farm bill and stating improvements to the dairy Margin Protection Program must be a top priority. Mulhern told committee members, “While MPP was, and is, the right approach for the future of federal dairy policy, the program … Read More
USDA Aids $6 Million to Farmers & Ranchers Hit by Wildfire
U.S. Senator Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, announced that the USDA has designated $6 million in aid to help farmers and ranchers affected by recent wildfires in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. “I am pleased USDA has acted swiftly to aid producers recovering from the largest wildfire in state history,” said Roberts. “For … Read More