Vilsack Briefs Obama on Drought
Pointing to the depth and severity of the drought that’s dried out much of the nation, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said Congress must quickly pass a new farm bill, or at least approve additional disaster programs or provide more flexibility in credit availability. Vilsack met with President Barack Obama on Wednesday to fill him in on what is now the worst drought in 25 years in the...
Read MoreHouse Releases Farm Bill
The House Agriculture Committee on Thursday released a draft of the farm bill to be considered by the committee next week. The bill touts $35 billion in savings with many of the same tenets from the Senate’s farm bill. It calls for deeper cuts in nutrition spending and looks to address some of the concerns with regional commodity differences while still consolidating conservation programs...
Read MoreEuropean Egg Crisis
Europeans are coping with a new reality when it comes to the humble egg—prices are 67 percent higher than one year ago. Production has dropped 15 percent since a government mandate banning conventional cage house systems for hens went into effect in January. “Reasons for Ruffled Feathers,” a recent Chicago Tribune opinion piece by Mike Doherty, senior economist and policy analyst at...
Read MoreTransportation Bill Good for Agriculture
The recently approved, 27-month highway bill not only keeps transportation projects rolling until September 2014, it contains key provisions exempting farmers, ranchers and covered farm vehicles from several federal regulations, Andrew Walmsley, American Farm Bureau Federation transportation specialist, told Newsline. “Those farmers and ranchers who are using a farm vehicle to haul their...
Read MoreColorado a Disaster Area
President Obama today announced Colorado was officially a disaster area because of ongoing wildfires and fire threats. The move will open up assistance from FEMA and other federal agencies to help fight fires, and assist the victims. Colorado officials including Gov. Hickenlooper, and all of Colorado’s nine Congressional members, pushed for the formal declaration over the past week. They...
Read MoreFarm Bill in the House
On Tuesday, the House Agriculture Committee sent an announcement to agriculture groups regarding consideration of the farm bill. According to the committee, H.R. 5972, the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act will be considered this week and H.R. 5973, the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies...
Read MoreLegislative Tracking 2013
