Ron Sylvester

More on Protecting COOL and Our Legal Defense Fund

October 13, 2013 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

The National Farmers Union along with others has intervened in the legal battle over Country of Origin Labeling on behalf the USDA’s efforts to implement the U.S. farmer and rancher (and consumer) friendly measure. The cost to be incurred for defending COOL is expected to run to $300,000 for the those supporting the USDA.

OFU President Roger Wise received this letter from Roger Johnson on Friday. As you may know, Johnson is president of the National Farmers Union. If you want the latest details and the reason for a legal defense fund, read the letter by following the previous link.

The most important thing you can do today is head over to the U.S. Cool Defense Fund and make a contribution. Any amount will help keep NFU and our allies in the fight.

NFU: Government Shutdown Unfairly Punishing Family Farmers

October 10, 2013 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

As the country closes in on two weeks worth of federal government shutdown, the National Farmers Union continues to point out to lawmakers in D.C. how their ineptitude is hurting family farmers.

“Perhaps most disappointing about all of these manufactured crises, exacerbated by the lapsed farm bill, is that solutions are close at hand but Congress chooses not to execute them,” said Johnson.

In particular, NFU President Roger Johnson has been pointing at an early blizzard that wracked parts of the Great Plains last week and created havoc for cattle ranchers. Livestock losses are reaching into the tens of thousands after the pre-season winter storm and sever floods in Colorado earlier in September.

“The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Federal Emergency Management Agency are prepared to handle events like these, but the government shutdown, along with the expired farm bill, leaves ranchers without the urgent help they need,” said Johnson. “Both the House and Senate versions of the pending farm bill include a retroactive livestock indemnity provision, which would provide much-needed assistance to ranchers but cannot be accessed because of the legislative stalemate.”

COOL Remains Under Fire But You Can Help Defend It

October 10, 2013 By Ron Sylvester 1 Comment

The National Farmers Union along with several other consumer and farm groups have started a legal defense fund to help defray the costs of defending U.S. Country of Origin Labeling rules from a lawsuit recently filed by several corporate agriculture interests.

Initial estimates for the cost of joining the lawsuit in defense of USDA and COOL ranged from $150,000 to $200,000, but due to legal maneuvers by the plaintiffs, some estimates are reaching the $300,000 range.

NFU has partnered with U.S. Cattlemen’s Assoc., American Sheep Industry Assoc. and Consumer Federation of America to defend COOL against the National Cattlemen’s Beef Assoc., National Pork Producers and the American Meat Institute among other ‘Big Ag’ interests. The defenders of COOL recently won a preliminary victory when the court ruled against a move by plaintiffs to block implementing COOL rules while the lawsuit is being adjudicated.

NFU will be on the hook for its fair share of the final costs of defending COOL in court. OFU and NFU leadership are asking you to consider visiting www.uscooldefensefund.org today and making a donation to the legal defense fund set up by NFU and its partners.

NFU Statement on GOP Congressional Government Shutdown & Farm Bill Expiry

October 1, 2013 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson issued the following statement this morning, amid a federal government shutdown and the expiration of the current farm bill:

“The U.S. Congress has put all Americans in a dire situation. The uncertainty created by the failure to come to an agreement on how to fund the government has overshadowed a situation that impacts the livelihood of so many family farmers, ranchers, fishermen and hungry people in this country.

“Today marks the second time that the 2008 Farm Bill was set to expire. We are once again in a time of uncertainty and limbo. NFU urges Congress to end the partisan politics that are presently taking over the ability to accomplish any business. House leadership should appoint conferees to the farm bill conference committee so that a five-year, comprehensive bill can be put forward for the president to sign. We simply cannot afford another extension or period of inaction.”

Federal Sequester Will Probably Reduce CRP & DCP Payments

September 30, 2013 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

According to the Coshocton Farm Service Agency’s latest enewsletter, federal sequestration – the across the board spending cuts affecting all agencies – will likely reduce payments for certain FSA programs.

It is expected that Fiscal Year 2013 benefits issued under both the Direct & Counter-cyclical Payment (DCP) program and the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) will be reduced. While the final reduction percentage has not been officially announced, benefits are expected to be reduced by around 5.1%.

The payment process normally begins for both these programs in the early part of October each year. Please be prepared for a possible delay in benefits that may occur due to program funding issues and/or staffing shortages.

Farm Bill Update: September was Bad to Worse to Hopeful

September 30, 2013 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

On yet another government shutdown eve, let’s take a look at another Congressional failure that stretches back to last year: Getting a new Farm Bill done.

Earlier this month, all the talk in D.C. was about another extension. The problem with extensions like that passed amid the “Fiscal Cliff” debate earlier this year is that the progress which has been made in the U.S. Senate and at the committee-level in the House on moving away from direct payments is lost. Conservation programs are another huge loser in the extension game.

Roger Johnson, NFU president, said of the extension talks, ““An extension will not solve the issue of uncertainty that U.S. family farmers and ranchers are facing each day that we continue to not have a new farm bill. If Congress again extends current law, indefensible policies such as direct payments to farmers regardless of commodity prices will continue, costing $8 to 10 billion over the next two years.”

Later this month, House Republicans separated the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), aka Food Stamps, from the Farm Bill. Long a way to build bridges between rural and urban interests, the robust nutrition title of the Farm Bill has been an important component of getting both programs done every four years. Although the House bill passed out of committee already cut SNAP by $40 billion, the Tea Party faction of the GOP in Congress got their way. In a nutshell, this meant that a Farm Bill without SNAP lost massive Democratic and moderate Republican support. Still no Farm Bill.

[Read more…]

Portman signals support for currency manipulation protections in trade agreement

September 15, 2013 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

We learned Friday that U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, R-OH, has signed onto a letter to federal trade officials asking for currency manipulation protections in U.S. trade negotiations such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

The Ohio Farmers Union and National Farmers Union are supporters of the Coalition for a Prosperous America a coalition of manufacturing, agricultural, worker, consumer and citizen interests working at the grassroots to reshape U.S. trade policy that is based on roughly balanced trade among nations without surrendering sovereignty, damaging the environment or compromising food safety. CPA has been working to gain Portman’s and other federal legislators’ support for measures to reduce currency manipulation by other countries. Ohio Farmers Union past-President Joe Logan serves on the CPA Board of Directors Executive Committee. John Hansen, president of the Nebraska Farmers Union is also a member of the CPA board.

Currency manipulation is an important component of turning around the U.S. negative trade balance. Nations like China and Japan purposefully lower the value of their national currencies making products produced in their countries essentially discounted on world markets versus those manufactured in the United States. Ending currency manipulation around the world will not cure the U.S. trade problem on its own, but it is a reversible competitive disadvantage for U.S. manufacturers and farmers that can be solved if Congress and the Obama Administration were to make it a priority.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership is a proposed free trade agreement among among the United States, Japan, Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam. It would cover nearly all goods and services sectors. The Peterson Economic Institute lists Japan, Malaysia and Singapore as nations currently manipulating their currencies from the TPP partners.

[Read more…]

Visack: Taking New Steps to Care for the Land and Water

September 13, 2013 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack’s Weekly Column:

Natural resource conservation is paramount to the ongoing strength of our nation. Healthy soil contributes to agricultural productivity. Healthy forests clean our water and air. Vibrant waterways are critical for our health, for transportation and for trade. Investments into conservation spur job growth and community development, particularly in rural areas.

This is an uncertain time for USDA conservation activities. Congress has not yet passed a comprehensive Food, Farm and Jobs Bill that would continue to invest in conservation efforts, while providing rural America with certainty regarding many other important programs.

As we continue urging Congress to provide a new Food, Farm and Jobs Bill, USDA this week took several new steps to strengthen conservation across the country.

[Read more…]

COOL Appeal Another Attempt to Block Consumers’ Right to Know

September 12, 2013 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson issued the following statement upon receiving confirmation that the American Meat Institute and other packer-producer organizations will appeal the denial of their preliminary injunction request in the Country-of-Origin Labeling (COOL) lawsuit:

“NFU, and our allied consumer and producer organizations, intervened at the District Court to protect the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) modified COOL regulation. The judge issued a very well reasoned opinion yesterday and, as a result, NFU will actively participate in the appeal process to defend the district court’s denial of the preliminary injunction motion.

“As we have said many times, the American consumer has a right to know where their meat is from and U.S. livestock producers are proud of what they produce. The new COOL rule issued by USDA in May significantly improves the information available to consumers by reducing confusion about the origins of meat products, and provides U.S. livestock producers the opportunity to differentiate their product.”

Court’s Ruling in COOL Injunction Positive Says NFU

September 11, 2013 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson issued the following statement after the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia today denied plaintiffs’ request for a preliminary injunction that, if granted, would have blocked the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) from implementing and enforcing its revised Country-of-Origin Labeling (COOL) regulations until a lawsuit filed July 8 is concluded.

“The judge’s ruling to deny the injunction on COOL regulations continues to reinforce NFU’s positive position on COOL. We have long supported COOL and the consumer’s desire to know where their food comes from. We are pleased that the packer-producer organizations and foreign interests’ attempts to thwart COOL have been denied. We are committed to defending COOL and will continue to do so throughout this legal process.

[Read more…]

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