Federal News
U.S.D.A. announces G.M.O. labeling standard
Food Business News | Posted on December 21, 2018“The National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard increases the transparency of our nation’s food system, establishing guidelines for regulated entities on when and how to disclose bioengineered ingredients,” Mr. Perdue said. “This ensures clear information and labeling consistency for consumers about the ingredients in their food. The standard also avoids a patchwork state-by-state system that could be confusing to consumers.”The standard defines bioengineered foods as those containing detectable genetic material that has been modified through lab techniques and may not be created through conventional breeding or found in nature. Implementation of the standard begins Jan. 1, 2020, or Jan. 1, 2021, for small food manufacturers. The mandatory compliance date is Jan. 1, 2022. Regulated entities may voluntarily comply with the standard until Dec. 31, 2021.The Agricultural Marketing Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture developed a list of bioengineered foods to identify crops or foods that are available in a bioengineered form and for which regulated entities must maintain records to inform whether a food product must include labeling of bioengineered ingredients.Regulated entities may use text, a symbol, an electronic or digital link or a text message to disclose bioengineering. Additionally, a phone number and web address are available for small food manufacturers or for small packages.Certain products made from the 13 bioengineered crops and foods on the U.S.D.A.’s list do not require labeling. The list of bioengineered foods are alfalfa, canola, corn, cotton, potato, salmon (AquAdvantage), soybean, squash, sugarbeet and certain varieties of apple, eggplant, papaya and pineapple.
New rules limiting clean water protections ignore stream science
High Country News | Posted on December 21, 2018The Trump administration announced plans to cut back the number of wetlands and creeks protected under the Clean Water Act, which regulates water pollution in the U.S. The new rules would leave about half the nation’s wetlands and all of its ephemeral streams — those waterways, common in the West, that flow only after rainfall or snowmelt — without federal safeguards. The proposed guidelines, which will almost certainly face years of lawsuits, are a stark departure from how previous administrations have interpreted the act — and a sharp divergence from research on how to protect clean water. The Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers argued that the new rules were informed by science. But the agencies did not conduct a new scientific assessment of which waterways the Clean Water Act should cover; instead, they relied on a comprehensive report prepared by the EPA in 2015. That report, on how streams and wetlands are connected to downstream waters, highlights the importance of the very waterways the new guidelines would leave unprotected.The regional example I’ve used is the Pacific Northwest. They have a very different attitude toward rivers than anywhere else in the U.S., and I think it’s because of the focus on salmon. They get it — a salmon can’t survive without a watershed. It needs to migrate upstream, it needs spawning habitat, it needs rearing habitat. They’ve made the connection between a particular fish that everybody is excited about and the whole watershed.Even though there are these national rules, and even if they go into effect, there are things you can do locally to protect your local river. If people feel strongly about this, I would encourage them to become active in, or form, local watershed groups. Then you get the immediate benefits of a clean, healthy river. So adopt a river, and care for it.
Farm Bill Outlaws Cat and Dog Meat in the U.S.
Fortune | Posted on December 21, 2018Specifically, this year’s Farm Bill would prohibit the slaughter and sale (both import and export) of cat and dog meat for human consumption. While it is not a typical or widespread practice to eat dogs and cats in the U.S., it is still legal in 44 states. If President Trump signs the Farm Bill as expected, this will no longer be the case.
Farm bill includes King bill to bring fast internet to farms
WABI | Posted on December 21, 2018A bill co-sponsored by Maine's independent senator that promises to help bring high-speed internet to farms has passed Congress as part of the 2018 Farm Bill. Sen. Angus King in May co-sponsored the Precision Agriculture Connectivity Act of 2018, which he says is designed to promote precision agriculture and deployment of rural broadband. The bill directs the Federal Communications Commission to start a task force to find gaps in high-speed internet connectivity in agricultural areas.Congress sent the 2018 Farm Bill to Republican President Trump last week.Amanda Beal of Maine Farmland Trust previously said greater connectivity would improve access to markets for farmers in Maine and beyond.The proposal cites a goal of reaching 95 percent of agricultural land with fixed and mobile high-speed broadband by 2025.
A Boost for Young, Diverse Farmers
The Atlantic | Posted on December 21, 2018The new farm bill, which passed through both houses of Congress last week and is waiting on Donald Trump’s signature, nearly triples funding for the only two programs specifically designed to support beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers; in other words, farmers outside the current dominant—and aging—demographic. The two grant programs—the Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers Program, often known as the 2501 Program after its original section number, and the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program—will exist within one new initiative, called the Farmer Opportunity Training and Outreach (foto) Program.
Farmers urged to support Trump rollback of water rules
WKRN | Posted on December 21, 2018The Trump administration called on farmers to throw their support behind a proposal to withdraw federal protections for many of the country’s waterways and wetlands. Environmental Protection Agency acting administrator Andrew Wheeler and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Purdue on Tuesday traveled to middle Tennessee to drum up support among the state’s agricultural community in their pursuit to replace the Obama-era water protections.Environmental groups have warned the proposed overhaul will be a grave assault on the aims of the 1972 Clean Water Act, the foundational U.S. water protection law. The changes would affect what waterways and wetlands fall under jurisdiction of the EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Trump administration would remove federal protections for wetlands nationally unless they are connected to another federally protected waterway.Groundwater, stormwater, most farm ditches, wastewater treatment systems and land already converted for crops would also no longer be regulated under the Clean Water Act.The Clean Water Act bans polluting any “water of the United States” without a permit. However, pinning down a definition of such water has been the subject of legal scrutiny for decades.
Trump now says he won't sign spending bill without wall money
| Posted on December 20, 2018President Donald Trump in a closed-door meeting with House Republican leaders on Thursday reiterated that he would not sign a short-term spending bill passed by the Senate to keep the government open past the midnight Friday deadline if it does not include funding for his proposed border wall. Trump's hastly called meeting with outgoing House Speaker Paul Ryan and Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy came amid backlash by conservatives, who urged the president to oppose the Senate's spending bill because it did not fully fund the president $5 billion request.McCarthy, speaking to reporters after the White House meeting, said he believed "there is still time" to negotiate a spending agreement that would provide increased funding for "border security.""We want to keep the government open," Ryan said, distancing House Republicans from Trump's earlier calls for a government shutdown if his $5 billion request was not approved.
Trade-mitigation aid won’t undo damage, ag groups say
Capital Press | Posted on December 20, 2018After reports last week that the White House was delaying additional payments to farmers to mitigate lost trade due to retaliatory tariffs, USDA announced on Monday a second and final round of assistance. Farm groups were quick to weigh in on the announcement, saying in press statements that while they appreciate the assistance, it falls short of actual damages and getting trade back on track is critical.The American Farm Bureau Federation said farmers and ranchers continue to feel price pressure and very real economic damage due to the trade actions other nations have taken.“While this assistance package will help a number of our farm families during this year of economic challenges, the best way to provide lasting relief is to continue pushing for trade and tariff reform from trading partners like China, Canada, Mexico, India, Turkey and the European Union,” Zippy Duvall, AFBF president, said.National Farmers Union said that while the assistance is appreciated, it falls woefully short of the support required to blunt current and future damages of the administration’s trade wars.“We’ve lost markets that took decades to build,” Roger Johnson, NFU president, said.
Farm bill does not solve dairy farmer's financial problems
Edairy News | Posted on December 20, 2018Just like the former Margin Insurance Program (which we always referred to as being ill-fated and poorly conceived), the new program, if it does what it is supposed to do, it will leave over 50 per cent of the cost of production unaddressed. However, we want to thank Congressman Collin Peterson and others for giving the average dairy farmer much consideration.Right now you have two choices. 1) Tell everyone not to participate in the program or 2) you should sign up for the program and receive some needed financial help.If I was still an active dairy farmer, I would sign up for at least the 5 million pound provision, and maybe more.
The Impact of the Market Facilitation Program on U.S. Soybean, Sorghum and Corn Producers
Choices Magazine | Posted on December 20, 2018The second quarter 2018 issue of Choices focused on the current trade war between the United States and China. The authors of this theme explained the state of the conflict at the time of publication (May 2018) and detailed some of the likely impacts of Chinese tariffs on U.S. agricultural exports levied in response to U.S. tariffs on Chinese exports to the United States. Zheng et al. (2018); Taheripour and Tyner (2018); Hansen et al. (2018); Liu, Robinson, and Shurley (2018); and Countryman and Muhammad (2018) predicted dramatic effects for U.S. production and trade of commodities such as soybeans, corn, sorghum, and other food and feed grains; cotton; and wine. The first exchange of tariffs between the United States and China occurred in early 2018 and was followed by a second round in April. It appears that corn, sorghum, and soybean producers who meet all the requirements for receiving MFP payments will be more than compensated for any losses caused by the Chinese tariffs. The actual per acre revenue will differ for each producer based on actual yield, marketing strategies pursued, and many other factors. Very large producers with output sufficient to trigger the $125,000 payment cap will receive lower per acre payments than similar producers not subject to the cap, but their compensation will still more than offset the hypothetical losses from the Chinese tariff.