New CRP Program Launched
The Agriculture Department will unveil a program today that provides financial incentives for farmers to enroll up to 1 million new acres of grasslands and wetlands into the Conservation Reserve Program. According to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, USDA’s goal is to maintain the level of erodible farmland in the CRP program at the current level (30 million acres). The new program will focus...
Read MoreHouse of Representatives Votes to Protect Private Property
The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday, Feb. 29, 2012, sided with private property owners by passing The Private Property Right Protection Act of 2012 (H.R. 1443). The bipartisan bill, sponsored by Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), prevents states from using eminent domain over property to be used for economic development. The bill would also strip federal funds to states that violate...
Read MoreNational Ag Day
National Ag Day will be celebrated March 8 during National Ag Week (March 4-10, 2012). National Ag Day, sponsored by the Agriculture Council of America, is promoted through awareness efforts in communities across America. Ag Day is about recognizing and celebrating the contribution of agriculture in our everyday lives. The program encourages Americans to learn more about how food and fiber...
Read More2012 USDA Census of Ag
Surveys are now arriving in mailboxes around the nation to help identify all active farms in the U.S. The National Agricultural Classification Survey, which asks landowners whether or not they are farming and for basic farm information, is one of the most important early steps used to determine who should receive a 2012 Census of Agriculture report form. The Census of Agriculture, conducted every...
Read MoreEPA Pushes Water Rules
EPA is moving forward with its controversial “waters of the U.S.” guidance, which would significantly expand the agency’s regulatory reach. The guidance will extend federal regulatory authority over isolated wetlands and all tributaries, which the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers will define as virtually any water body with a hydrological connection. Within as few as 30 days, the agency...
Read MoreLegislative Tracking 2013
