Exactly a month after President-elect Donald Trump nominated his former policy advisor, Brooke Rollins, to serve as the next U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary, he has nominated Stephen Vaden, a judge on the Court of International Trade who served as general counsel for USDA during his first administration, to be the department’s deputy secretary. The …
Category: Ag News
Dec 23
House Passes Bill Authorizing ‘Beagle Brigade’
In this week’s National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) Friday recap: House passes bill authorizing ‘Beagle Brigade’; NPPC ‘deeply disappointed’ Congress didn’t pass new farm bill; pork industry champions to serve as Ag Committees’ new leaders; and NPPC seeks comment period extension on EPA air emission draft models. Take a deeper dive below. What happened: Following unanimous Senate passage …
Dec 23
How Precision Ag is Revolutionizing Crop Insurance at RCIS
Maci Carter caught up with Nick Luett, lead precision ag specialist for the Rural Community Insurance Services (RCIS). RCIS offers crop insurance in all fifty states, covering 26 million acres of corn and soybeans across the country. “I’ve been helping a lot with some of the newly planted winter wheat down in Oklahoma, making sure …
Dec 23
Vitaliano’s Valedictory: Economist Shares Thoughts on Dairy’s Evolution
After nearly four decades as an economist at NMPF, Dr. Peter Vitaliano is retiring at the end of the year. He predicts a bright future for the industry. “The U.S. dairy industry produces a huge variety of great products, for which consumption is continuing to grow,” Vitaliano said in a Dairy Defined Podcast. “It has …
Dec 23
Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops: A Closer Look
Applications are now open for USDA’s new $2 billion Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops (MASC) program. This initiative, administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA), aims to help specialty crop producers manage heightened marketing costs and expand both current and new markets. However, the program’s structure does not require funds to be directed toward marketing-specific activities, functioning …
Dec 22
Ag Groups Give Comment on CR Package
Congress passed shortly after the midnight deadline for a government shutdown a continuing resolution that includes provisions important to soy farmers, among them a farm bill extension and both disaster and economic assistance. Inflation, historically high input prices, falling commodity prices, and devastating storms have led to a lengthening rough patch for many U.S. farmers, …
Dec 21
Lankford Issues Statement on Continuing Resolution
Senator James Lankford (R-OK) issued the following statement after voting for a Continuing Resolution to fund the federal government until March 14, 2025. “Stopgap funding isn’t a real solution—it’s a sign of a broken Congress. I will continue to push for my bill to end the threat of government shutdowns so we can focus on our …
Dec 21
National Farmers Union: Continuing Resolution Offers Relief, But Farmers Deserve Better from Congress
National Farmers Union (NFU) President Rob Larew today issued this statement following the House passage of the continuing resolution, which extends the 2018 Farm Bill and provides supplemental economic and disaster assistance for family farmers and ranchers: “After months of uncertainty, family farmers and ranchers across the country can finally take some solace in the …
Dec 21
Corn Growers Disappointed E15 Not Included in Year-End Votes; Appreciates Economic Assistance
Following votes from Congress on year-end legislation, National Corn Growers Association President Kenneth Hartman Jr. released the following statement: “Corn growers are deeply disappointed that a permanent, year-round E15 solution was not included in the end-of-year legislation package. This no-cost provision would have provided a market-driven solution to farmers experiencing low corn prices. We call …
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