Before we get to the Farm Bill let’s look at our latest ZimmPoll which asked the question, “Could drones (UAV’s) serve a purpose on your operation?” Well over half of the voters this week said that drones could in fact serve a purpose on their operation. Price is still a factor and may be the reason that some operations would … Read More
Farm Bill Passed with New Dairy Program
The U.S. Senate Tuesday voted 68-32 to approve the Agricultural Act of 2014 which contains a new program for dairy producers. “It has been a long and torturous road toward the creation of a better safety net for dairy farmers,” said National Milk Producers Federation president and CEO Jim Mulhern. “We didn’t wind up precisely where we wanted in terms … Read More
Dairy Farmers Oppose Supply Management
Dairy producer groups from across the United States have teamed up to urge Farm Bill conferees to oppose Supply Management. The proposal is known as the Dairy Market Stabilization Program (DMSP). A letter signed by numerous dairy farmer associations urges conferees to follow the lead of the House of Representatives, which rejected this controversial new dairy program to impose milk … Read More
Groups Frustrated with Passage of House Bill
Agricultural groups are discouraged with the passage today of the U.S. House of Representatives’ H.R. 1947, the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013 (FARRM). The bill slid through with a tight margin of 216 to 208 after more than six hours of debate today and did not include food stamp authorization or nutrition programs, which the House … Read More
Dairy and Food Stamps Kill Farm Bill
Republican amendments to the dairy program and giving states the option to require able-bodied food stamp recipients to seek employment were the straws that broke the camel’s back when it came to getting a farm bill passed in the House last week. The dairy measure was the Goodlatte-Scott amendment, which effectively killed the Dairy Security Act included in the bill, … Read More
House Farm Bill Fails
Despite an impassioned plea by House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas to “move this bill forward” the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013 (FARRM) failed on a vote of 194 to 234, with 60 Republicans joining the majority of Democrats to defeat the House version of the farm bill. “If it fails today, I can’t guarantee you’ll … Read More
Rep. Peterson Celebrates June Dairy Month
Congressman Collin Peterson (D-MN) visited with Kandiyohi County Dairy Ambassadors during West Central Dairy Days in Willmar last week. He is pictured here with ambassadors Caroline Holmberg; Kristen, Kate, and Meghan Dimler; and Eva Damhof. “As we celebrate National Dairy Month, a number of festivals are being held in communities across the 7th District in tribute to the hard work … Read More
Boehner Supports Farm Bill Despite Dairy Provisions
Speaker of the House John Boehner says he would vote for the House Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act (FARRM) of 2013, but intends to try and change the dairy provisions. “I’ve got concerns about the farm bill, as I told our members,” Boehner said during the Republican Leadership press conference Wednesday. “But doing nothing means that we get … Read More
Farm Bill Now up to House
The Senate passed the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2013 by a vote of 66 to 27 on Monday evening, putting even more pressure on the House of Representatives to complete its work to get a bill to conference and passed by the end of summer. Representative Vicky Hartzler (R-MO), a member of the House agriculture committee, is … Read More
House Ag Committee Supports DSA in Farm Bill
The House Agriculture Committee came out in support of the Dairy Security Act (DSA) on Wednesday, voting to reject an amendment by Reps. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and David Scott (D-GA) to remove the supply management mechanism of the act. “Supply management is antithetical to the future growth of the dairy industry,” Goodlatte and Scott said in a statement expressing their … Read More