Ron Sylvester

COOL Update – NFU Adjusting Its Stance to Preserve a Semblance of Program

July 30, 2015 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-IA, told an Iowa TV station last night that essentially there are two competing bills in the Senate regarding COOL, the Roberts full repeal and a bill that would replace the current mandatory COOL program with a voluntary program.

That brings us to today and a practical policy shift from the Ohio and National Farmers Union. I use the word shift, because ultimately what Farmers Union stands for is mandatory COOL. Picking the best of two bad options, Farmers Union is backing a bipartisan compromise bill being advanced by two key U.S. Senators and backed by our own Sen. Sherrod Brown.

Called the Voluntary Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) Act of 2015, the bill would allow the U.S. to avoid retaliatory tariffs by repealing the mandatory COOL law and replacing it with a voluntary program that will enable processors to voluntarily label meat products. The new COOL law would maintain the integrity of the label, ensuring that the product is actually “born, raised and slaughtered in the United States,” rather than just processed in the U.S. The bill is also known as the Stabenow-Hoeven bill for its sponsors, Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-MI and Sen. John Hoeven, R-ND.

We are asking that our members adjust their own advocacy for COOL to reflect Farmers Union support for the Staebenow-Hoeven bill. We understand that this represents a change none of us is happy about, but we are even less happy about the prospect of losing COOL entirely. Remember, we’ve already lost in the House.

[Read more…]

NFU Sends Sen. Hatch Message on Taxes

July 22, 2015 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson encouraged support for the U.S. Senate Finance Committee’s draft tax extenders package that will be considered today at the Committee’s executive session.

“Producers and rural residents deserve certainty when it comes the tax needs of their individual businesses,” said Johnson in a letter to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Oregon. “NFU applauds the Finance Committee in advancing a two year extenders package well ahead of the end of the year.”

Johnson noted that over the last several years, Congress has approached the extension of valuable tax credits in a way that was unpredictable and unfriendly for family farmers and rural residents.

“The last minute extensions, some of which were retrospective in nature, left producers scrambling during the last few weeks of the year to make purchases,” said Johnson. “There was very little confidence that Congress would extend the credits until it actually passed. As a result, long-term planning was impossible.”

Johnson pointed out NFU support for the following tax credits:
·      Charitable contributions of real property for the purpose of conservation.
·      Extension of bonus depreciation.
·      Charitable deduction for contributions of food inventory.
·      Extension of increased expensing limitations and treatment of certain real property as section 179 property.
·      Extension of the Renewable Electricity Production Credit.
·      All extensions that benefit the renewable fuel sector at both the production and consumption levels.
·      Deductions for energy efficiency upgrades made to buildings.

NFU Reiterates Stance on Mandatory GMO Labeling

July 22, 2015 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

In light of the U.S. House of Representatives’ consideration of the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act (H.R. 1599), National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson again highlighted NFU policy on Genetically Modified Organism labeling.

The policy supports conspicuous, mandatory, uniform and federal labeling for food products throughout the processing chain to include all ingredients, additives and processes, including genetically altered or engineered food products.

“NFU appreciates efforts by Representatives Pompeo, R-Kansas, and Davis, R-Illinois, to reduce consumer confusion and standardize a GMO label,” said Johnson. “The bill passed out of committee makes significant improvements over previous versions of this bill. Absent a mandatory labeling framework, however, NFU cannot support this bill.”

Johnson noted that the bill has changed several times from the one introduced during the last Congress. Improvements include additional authority for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), a labeling framework that if utilized could reduce consumer confusion, greater emphasis on the Food and Drug Administration’s role in safety reviews, and a GMO label that works in conjunction with USDA’s organic seal instead of counter to it.

“Consumers increasingly want to know more information about their food, and producers want to share that information with them,” said Johnson. “It is time to find common ground that includes some form of mandatory disclosure for the benefit of all aspects of the value chain, but this bill is not that common ground.”

NFU Makes Proposal on Organic Checkoff

July 20, 2015 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

National Farmers Union has submitted a partial proposal for an organic commodity checkoff program to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The proposal provides for a majority of checkoff funds to go toward agricultural research, a producer majority on the board, and an inclusive checkoff that allows all organic producers the ability to vote in any referendum establishing the checkoff.

“Domestic consumer demand for organic agricultural products is ever-increasing, and to date, the U.S. has had to rely on imports to meet much of that demand,” said NFU President Roger Johnson. “NFU’s proposal calls for a majority of the checkoff funds to go to agricultural research to ensure consumer demands are met with American-produced organic products, as well as a board composition that has a producer majority in order to better represent the organic industry, and a democratic process that allows for each organic certificate holder to vote on whether or not the checkoff should be established.”

NFU’s proposal notes that the organic sector has had scarce resources available for organic research. It calls for 60 percent of checkoff funds to go towards agricultural research that will provide organic producers in the U.S. the information they need to keep up with the increasing demand for organic food in the U.S.

“Commodity research and promotion programs are, and always have been, intended to support the efforts of producers of agricultural commodities,” according to the proposal. “An organic checkoff must fill the gap in agricultural research and prioritize addressing the production research needs of the industry.”

The proposal also notes that board composition should be a producer majority, and provides for 13 members of the 19-member board to be organic producers in order to properly represent the organic industry.

“The board would have considerable oversight of the checkoff dollars, including 25 percent for discretionary purposes,” notes the proposal. “Board composition is of tremendous importance to NFU and should constitute a significant producer majority.”

Nice Primer from OSU on Ohio’s New Manure Regs

July 17, 2015 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

If you’re involved in the ag industry in Ohio, one of the bookmarks in your favorite browser should be to the Agricultural Law & Taxation blog. It’s a service of OSU Extension and currently curated and written by Peggy Kirk Hall, Asst. Professor, Agricultural & Resource Law at Ohio State.

She recently posted this overview of Ohio’s newest manure regs courtesy of Senate Bill 1 passed earlier this year. Thanks to OSU for this document:

[Read more…]

New Study: U.S. Consumers Prefer Meat Labeled From U.S.

July 16, 2015 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson lauded today’s release of a University of Arkansas study that found U.S. consumers prefer meat from the U.S. when provided with a country-of-origin label, and urged Congress to respect consumers’ right to know where their food comes from by rejecting efforts to repeal Country-of-Origin Labeling (COOL).

“Opponents of COOL have argued that it has no impact on consumers’ purchasing decisions,” said Johnson. “This study clearly shows the opposite: that consumers use COOL to draw inferences related to a food product’s safety, taste and freshness. NFU urges Congress to reject efforts to repeal the popular labeling law and instead focus on finding a solution to the recent World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute that maintains the integrity of COOL and continues to provide consumers with information they use to make informed decisions about what they eat.”

The study, authored by University of Arkansas marketing researchers, found that COOL provides consumers with additional information that has both direct and indirect effects on purchasing decisions.

“The (COOL) requirement impacts inferred attributes, such that meat products from the U.S are perceived to be safer, tastier, and fresher than meat products from Mexico,” notes the study. “These attribute inferences, in turn, have differentially positive effects on purchase intentions.”

Johnson noted that the U.S. Senate will soon weigh its options for meeting WTO obligations, and urged senators to ensure consumers maintain the ability to distinguish where their food comes from through a national country-of-origin labeling standard.

“As the Senate searches for a path forward for COOL, we urge them to consider this new study that clearly shows U.S. consumers care where their food comes from and that they use COOL to determine where it comes from,” he said.

State Budget Contains $5 Million for Fairgrounds

July 15, 2015 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

One overlooked tidbit in the recent state budget process is that over the next couple of years the Ohio Dept. of Agriculture will have around $5 million to make available through a competitive grant process for “acquisition, construction, reconstruction, expansion, improvement, planning and equipping of facilities” used for county fairs and other agricultural exhibitions.

A department spokesman told the Hannah News Service that the agency is working on drafting the rules for what will be a grant program. When the rules are ready sometime this fall, we expect there to be a way for local fair boards or others to compete for some of that $5 million and improve their local ag exhibition facilities.

Some Positive on COOL in U.S. Senate

July 15, 2015 By Ron Sylvester 1 Comment

The following statement was issued by National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson expressing gratitude for Senate Agriculture Committee leaders’ determination to working towards a resolution for difficulties facing Country-of-Origin Labeling (COOL).

“We are grateful that key leaders on the Senate Agriculture Committee are fighting to find a path forward for America’s popular food labeling law, COOL. Food labeling is not only strongly supported by consumers but family farmers as well.

“Of course, groups that have opposed COOL from the very beginning are using red herring arguments and scare tactics to encourage our elected officials to throw in the towel, given objections by our chief trade competitors Canada and Mexico.

“The talk of retaliation by those countries is not only grossly premature, but scaremongering at its finest. In order for Canada or Mexico to retaliate against the U.S. should we wish to continue to exercise our sovereign right to label our food, they must first prove that our labeling law has harmed them economically.

“It should be noted that Canada already has a voluntary food labeling law on the books, so it begs the question as to why they are so strongly against Americans having a similar law.

“NFU will continue to advocate for this popular law and defend the American consumers’ right to know the origin of their food.”

OFU Annual Picnic is August 15

July 15, 2015 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

You should join us at the Ohio Farmers Union Annual picnic, August 15 at 12:30 p.m. We’ll be at the Ohio Caverns in West Liberty again this year. You’ll hear from OFU leaders and there are always special guests who come from Columbus, Washington D.C. or elsewhere to speak to us about the issues of the day affecting family farmers. Oh – and there’s lunch on us! Just contact Linda Borton at the state office at 800-321-3671 to RSVP.

Deadline July 17 for Some Conservation Programs Around Lake Erie

July 15, 2015 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

Funding is available to Western Lake Erie Basin farmers to improve water quality through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). Deadline to apply is July 17th!

Nutrient management practices such as cover crops, drainage water management structures, blind tile inlets, placement of phosphorus below the soil surface using variable rate technology (VRT) and animal waste management are the primary conservation focus available through these programs.

Contact your local county USDA Farm Service Agency office, Soil and Water Conservation District office or Ohio Department of Natural Resources office for additional information on the Regional Conservation Partnership Program.

« Previous Page

NATIONAL FARMERS UNION

Click to Take Action

Contact