“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. [node:read-more:link]
The 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. [node:read-more:link]
Specifically, 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. [node:read-more:link]
A 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. [node:read-more:link]
The 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. [node:read-more:link]
The 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. [node:read-more:link]
President 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. [node:read-more:link]
After 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. [node:read-more:link]
Just 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. [node:read-more:link]
The 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. [node:read-more:link]
