A bipartisan group of U.S. Senators introduced a bill Thursday that calls on EPA to develop a new “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS) proposal. The senators, including John Barrasso (R-WY), Joe Donnelly (D-IN), Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), Pat Roberts (R-KS) and Joe Manchin (D-WV), jointly introduced the Federal Water Quality Protection Act, directing EPA and the U.S. … Read More
Funds Requested for Producers Hit with HPAI
U.S. Senate and House Agriculture Committee leadership this week requested emergency assistance for poultry and egg producers who have suffered losses due to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N2 infections. Agriculture Committee Chairmen Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., and Rep. K. Michael Conaway, R-Texas, and Ranking Members Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., and Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minn., sent a letter to the Office … Read More
Capitol Hill Briefing Focused on Milk Nutrition
A recent Capitol Hill briefing for House staff focused on a new report on “Fluid Milk in School Programs” by the National Dairy Council. It was hosted by Representative G.T. Thompson (R-PA) and Representative Joe Courtney (D-CT) in the House Committee on Agriculture. The National Milk Producers Federation and the International Dairy Foods Association strongly support the National Dairy Council’s … Read More
Pastoralists Have New Online Knowledge Base
Do you know what a pastoralist is? Here’s one definition: a grazier or land-holder raising sheep, cattle, etc, on a large scale. Kind of sounds like a rancher to me. Why do I bring it up? Because the FAO and partners announced an online Pastoralist Knowledge Hub today. Their hope is that this will provide a platform for these folks … Read More
Minnesota Gov Declares Emergency Over HPAI
Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton issued Emergency Executive Order 15-09, declaring a Peacetime State of Emergency in Minnesota in response to the discovery of H5N2 avian influenza cases statewide. Under the Governor’s Executive Order: – The Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM) will activate the Minnesota Emergency Operations Plan to support the efforts of the Minnesota Board of Animal … Read More
Proposed Labor Rule Could Hurt Sheep, Goat Producers
A new rule proposed by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) could hurt sheep and goat producers, especially those on the western open ranges. This news release from the American Sheep Industry says the significant changes to regulations governing the employment of non-immigrant H-2A workers as sheepherders, goat herders and for the production of livestock on the open range upsets … Read More
TPA on the Move in Congress
bipartisan, bicameral Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation has been introduced in Congress that would put negotiations for new trade agreements that could benefit agriculture on the fast track. The Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015 introduced by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and House Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan … Read More
House Votes to Kill Death Tax
By a vote of 240-179 largely along party lines, the U.S. House voted Thursday to repeal the federal estate tax, better known by opponents as the “death tax.” Co-sponsor Rep. Adrian Smith (R-NE) told his colleagues that repealing the tax is a top priority for farmers and ranchers in his state and around the nation. “Agriculture, particularly raising cattle and … Read More
House Committee Calls for Repeal of WOTUS
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the Public Lands Council applaud the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for sending a clear message to the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers that the proposed Waters of the U.S. rule is an expansion of federal jurisdiction that strips rights from private property owners. Passing the full Committee today by … Read More
Rep Urges Sound Science for Dietary Guidelines
As a lifelong Missouri farmer and a former nutritional science teacher, Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-MO) has a bone to pick with the 2015 Dietary Guideline’s Advisory Committee’s (DGAC) report. In a recent letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell, Hartzler and 70 House colleagues said the report strayed “from purely nutritional evidence and venturing into … Read More