The National Milk Producers Federation, U.S. Dairy Export Council and International Dairy Foods Association believe Congress should solve the trade dispute over country-of-origin labeling (COOL) to head off damaging new tariffs on U.S. dairy exports by Canada and Mexico. In a letter to the Senate, the dairy industry expressed “growing apprehension” that retaliatory tariffs are drawing closer under a finding … Read More
NPPC Questions Prison Pork Removal
This week, NPPC asked the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) for more details on its decision to remove pork from the menu at its 122 facilities beginning Oct. 1, the start of the new fiscal year. A BOP Spokesman has stated that the move was supposedly based both on costs and the results from a survey of federal inmates. NPPC … Read More
Ag Groups Pleased with Court Ruling Against WOTUS
A new ruling issued today by a federal appeals court places a nationwide stay on the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Water Rule, better known as Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS). The court agreed with petitioners that the treatment in the rule of tributaries, “adjacent waters,” and waters having a “significant nexus” to navigable waters is at odds with a previous … Read More
Dairy Last Deal Made in TPP
The last piece of the Trans Pacific Partnership puzzle to fall into place early Monday morning was dairy, with the holdout coming from demands for increased market access by Australia and New Zealand. “The extraordinary thing about dairy products…is that New Zealand has only two and a half percent of world dairy production and roughly one third of world trade,” … Read More
Ag Industy Comments on TPP Negotiations
The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations have successfully concluded in Atlanta and many believe it will benefit all sectors of the U.S. economy by boosting U.S. exports and eliminating trade barriers. “While the full details of the partnership will not be released until the President presents it to Congress, cattle producers are assured this is a true 21st century agreement,” said … Read More
NASDA's Mission to Grow & Enhance Agriculture
The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) represents the 50 state commissioners, secretaries and directors of agriculture. Dr. Barb Glen, CEO of NASDA, took in this year’s World Dairy Expo and said don’t forget that there is one near you and you should get to know them. “We represent agriculture. Our mission is to grow and enhance agriculture … Read More
Wisconsin Sec. of Ag Talks Policy at World Dairy Expo
Policies concerning our nation’s dairy industry were just a few of the topics Wisconsin Secretary of Agriculture, Trade & Consumer Protection, Ben Brancel, discussed while attending the 2015 World Dairy Expo. “Today I think price in most all commodities are issues whether you are talking milk or grain prices. Of course low grain prices help that dairy farmer out when … Read More
House Reauthorizes Mandatory Livestock Price Reporting
The House has voted to reauthorizing Mandatory Livestock Price Reporting through 2020. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the National Pork Producers Council applaud this bill, saying it will ensure cattle producers have access to critical market information. “We thank the members of the House in passing this important legislation to ensure cattlemen and women have access to market information,” said NCBA … Read More
Senate Reauthorizes Mandatory Livestock Price Reporting
U.S. Senator Pat Roberts, R-Kan., Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, has announced Senate passage of H.R. 2051, the Agriculture Reauthorizations Act of 2015. The bipartisan legislation reauthorized Mandatory Price Reporting (MPR), the National Forest Foundation Act and the U.S. Grain Standards Act (USGSA). “I’m proud to lead a Committee that gets things done in a … Read More
NFU DC Fly-In Focus on COOL
Members of the National Farmers Union (NFU) met with administration officials and Congressional representatives in Washington DC last week for the organization’s 2015 Fall Legislative Fly-In. “This fall has proven to be a very important time for several Farmers Union issues, including the path forward for voluntary Country-of-Origin Labeling (COOL), the full implementation of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) as … Read More