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NFU applauds Senate Ag Committee Passage of 2012 Farm Bill

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WASHINGTON (April 26, 2012) – National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson issued the following statement after the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry passed the 2012 Farm Bill out of committee by a 16-5 vote:

“NFU is pleased to see the 2012 Farm Bill voted out of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry in a bipartisan vote. This represents progress toward providing a fiscally responsible farm safety net directed to family farmers and ranchers. The bill’s investment in rural America will create jobs and opportunities for farmers to continue providing energy and conservations benefits to all Americans.

[Read more…]

Contact your federal legislators about a Market Driven Inventory System for the Farm Bill

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If you’re not up to speed on MDIS – the Market Driven Inventory System being advocated for the next Farm Bill by the National Farmers Union, you should be – and so should your representatives in Congress.

MDIS is a farm program framework that smooths out market volatility and allows farmers to make their living on what they produce and not through government payments. NFU and the creators of MDIS, the University of Tennessee’s Agricultural Policy Analysis Center, have been working on research to show that MDIS would save taxpayers money by cutting direct government payments to farmers while continuing to provide a market stability-based security net.

“(MDIS) is an agricultural commodity program that mitigates price volatility, providing advantages to livestock producers, the biofuels industry, and to hungry people in this country and around the world. In addition, it would reduce government expenses, increase the value of crop exports, and maintain net farm income over time,” NFU President Roger Johnson recently told a Congressional committee.

Johnson and others have been educating Congress on MDIS, it’s time you learned more and joined the effort.

First:

Go to the MDIS page at the NFU website. Familiarize yourself with some of the basics and ask yourself, “What would this policy mean for my farm and my business?”

Then:

Contact your legislator and let them know in your own words why you support MDIS in the Farm Bill. In Ohio our U.S. Senators are Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman – they need to hear from you and know this is a serious, win-win policy proposal for farmers and taxpayers. Follwing this link will take you to a tool where you can determine who your member of Congress is and contact them as well. Use the zip code lookup.

 

NFU testifies on Farm Bill energy title

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WASHINGTON – Missouri Farmers Union member Steve Flick testified today in front of the Senate Committee on Agriculture on behalf of National Farmers Union. Flick, the board chairman of Show Me Energy Cooperative, discussed the importance of federal renewable energy programs such as the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP), the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), and the Biorefinery Assistance Program to his cooperative and to rural development as a whole.

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OFU & other Ohio-based food & environmental interest groups ask Portman for sound farm, food and environmental policies in Super Committee

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(Columbus, OH)—The Ohio Farmers Union, Association of Second Harvest Food Banks, Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association, and Ohio Environmental Council are teaming up to urge bold changes to federal agriculture policy.

Their goal is to reform the Federal Farm Bill with a fiscally sound plan to:

  • Grow America’s agricultural production.
  • Sustain the basic nutritional needs of the millions of Americans who continue to struggle to put food on the table during the Great Recession.
  • Nurture America’s emerging sector of organic and sustainable agriculture producers.
  • Conserve America’s precious soil and water resources.

The U.S. Farm Bill is an outgrowth of the 1930s Dust Bowl and Great Depression. The Farm Bill originally was designed to accomplish three goals:

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Ag News Update – October 26, 2011

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A few interesting stories from around Ohio and the U.S. from the past few days …

The fracking industry’s war on the NYT – and the truth

Huffington Post – by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

…

American sourced natural gas might also have helped free us from our debilitating reliance on foreign oil now costing our country so dearly in blood, national security, energy independence, global leadership, moral authority, and treasure amounting to $700 billion per year — the total cost to our country of annual oil imports — in addition to two pricey wars that are currently running tabs $2 billion per week.

My caveat was that the natural gas industry and government regulators needed to act responsibly to protect the environment, safeguard communities from irresponsible practices and to candidly inform the public about the true risks and benefits of shale extraction gas.

The opposite has happened. …

Read the rest at the Huffington Post

Farm Bill process rolling with Ag leaders striving for Nov. 1 deadline

Wallaces Farmer

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack is laying out USDA’s farm bill priorities this week. But given the current economic climate, and the efforts of the Congressional Super Committee tasked with finding more than $1.2 trillion in budget cuts, Senator Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, says USDA’s leadership may not carry much weight. He says that he thinks there won’t be time for the Administration to have much of an impact.

That’s because the leaders of the Agriculture Committees Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., Pat Roberts, R-Kan., Frank Lucas, R-Okla., and Collin Peterson, D-Minn., have told the members of the Super Committee that they’ll have a detailed set of 2012 Farm Bill policy suggestions aimed at achieving the $23 billion in savings they previously recommended by Nov. 1. Grassley believes it will mostly affect Title I, food stamps and perhaps conservation. His understanding is that programs outside those areas will be handled next year.

Read the rest at Wallaces Farmer

Corn ethanol may heighten food scarcity for world’s poor

The Iowa Independent

Pumping that golden elixir — corn-ethanol — into the gas tank can do a world of good, or so goes the argument.

It relieves the U.S. from dependency on foreign oil, some reports say, and it reduces the pollution spewed out the tailpipe.

But, those benefits may take a high human toll.

Over 80 percent of the world’s supply of corn comes from five countries. The U.S. leads the pack, supplying over half of world’s exports, according to a study released Oct. 13 at the World Food Prize in Des Moines.

Read the rest at The Iowa Independent

Bridging the GAP: Bringing food safety regs to small farms

Food Safety News

For large farming operations, food safety audits are commonplace. Most buyers require them before purchasing produce. However, small farms are rarely inspected by auditors, because the cost of implementing a safety plan can be too expensive.

That’s where Bridging the GAPs – a program designed to help small and mid-sized growers find a way to meet food safety guidelines – comes in.

Organized by the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA), the initiative will allow modest-sized operations to reach broader markets such as schools, grocery stores and restaurants, most of which now require Good Agricultural Practices certification.

Read the rest at Food Safety News

New rules proposed for kids working on farms

Ohio Farmer

An update of federal labor regulations governing youth employment could mean significant changes in the types of work young people can do on the farm, according to the leader of Ohio State University Extension’s Agricultural Safety and Health program.

“The Hazardous Occupations Orders For Agricultural Employment hasn’t been touched or changed for the past 40 years,” says Dee Jepsen, with OSu’s Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering. “What the hazardous occupations order for agriculture does is prohibit youth under the age of 16 from working in and around certain types of environments, outside two basic exemptions.”

One of the two exemptions allowed for in the order historically included allowing children to work on farms owned and operated by their parents. The second traditional exemption was for children under the age of 16 who completed a prescribed farm safety education and training program.

Read the rest at Ohio Farmer

National Farmers Union joins coalition telling Senate to honor its contract with America’s farmers

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WASHINGTON (Oct. 19, 2011) – National Farmers Union joined a coalition of organizations in signing a letter to U.S. Senators urging them to oppose amendments to the Fiscal Year 2012 Agriculture Appropriations Bill that would affect mandatory funding for U.S. farm policies.

“This is the end of the fourth year of the current five-year farm bill upon which U.S. farmers and ranchers and their lenders have already made financial decisions,” the coalition wrote. “Amendments to an appropriations bill that would alter the terms of this contract with our producers occur at the wrong time and in the wrong venue.”

The amendments come on the heels of a letter by leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate Agriculture Committees to the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction outlining a plan to reduce the deficit.

“The Senate should respect the ongoing work of this bipartisan, bicameral effort,” said NFU President Roger Johnson. “Leadership of both the House and Senate Agriculture Committees continue to work very hard to find areas to help reduce the federal deficit while maintaining sound policy for America’s family farmers and ranchers. These additional cuts could have very damaging effects on U.S. agriculture and should be opposed by members of the Senate.”

Read the Letter Here

 

Ag News Rounup – October 13, 2011

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Potato Wars on Capitol Hill

Politico

Sen. Susan Collins is a more gentle soul than your typical Republican Steering Group regular, but there she was in the Capitol last week: Ms. Maine Moderate lunching with the “Sons of Jesse Helms” — all in the name of the potato.

It was a jaw-dropping, don’t-spill-your-fries moment and a sign of the newest civil rights frontier of this dysfunctional Congress: the battle over equity among vegetables.

Read the Rest at Politco

Deal close on cut in farm subsidies

Politico

Under pressure to cut farm subsidies, Agriculture Committee leaders in Congress are closing in on a 10-year savings target near $23 billion, about a third less than what House Republicans and President Barack Obama had proposed but still a significant change.

No final announcement has been made, but the bipartisan leadership met Tuesday evening, and three lawmakers told POLITICO that they expected the final savings to be in $23 billion range.

Read the Rest at Politico

Ohio EPA to clarify water quality trading rules

Ohio Environmental Protection Agency

Updates to a program that allows voluntary trading of water quality pollution credits are being considered by Ohio EPA as part of a five-year rule review. Public comments on draft rules are sought through October 25, 2011.

Water quality trading is a voluntary program, typically undertaken by wastewater treatment plants, that allows dischargers to use pollutant reduction credits to offset reductions required by their permits. The credits may be generated by another wastewater treatment plant or by a nonpoint source. The goal of the program is to improve water quality and minimize the cost of achieving and maintaining water quality standards.

Read the Rest

Ohio Turnpike tolls to rise

Associated Press

BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Ohio Turnpike tolls are expected to go up Jan. 1, despite an earlier proposed freeze and opposition from truckers.

Turnpike Commission Chairman Jerry Hruby has said the increase, which is about 10 percent for trucks and cars, is necessary and already in the budget.

The previous chairman, Joseph Balog, said in June that rates should be held steady next year for users of the E-ZPass electronic toll system to satisfy truckers and give motorists a break during a tough economy, The Plain Dealer of Cleveland reported today.

Read the Rest at the Columbus Dispatch

Demand unusually high for Ohio pumpkin crop this year

Ohio’s crop of pumpkins for jack-o’-lanterns and decorations is expected to be good or at least average this year. But demand from the Northeast, where pumpkin crops were damaged by Hurricane Irene, could push prices higher.

Central Ohio’s weather didn’t do the local pumpkin crop any favors.

Record rains in the spring and an unusually hot and dry summer led the state’s pumpkin crop to an “erratic performance,” said Lisa Schacht, board president of the Ohio Produce Growers and Marketers Association.

Read the Rest at the Columbus Dispatch

Low interest rates mean opportunities for farmers

Farm and Dairy

The perfect storm of economics is giving many farmers opportunities they might not have seen coming.

Mark Hancock, vice president and treasurer of Farm Credit Services, said the down economy has created low rates for borrowing, but unfortunately shows a sign of general weakness in the economy.

Read the Rest at Farm and Dairy

Congress ends 5-year standoff on three free trade deals

New York Times

WASHINGTON — Congress passed three long-awaited free trade agreements on Wednesday, ending a political standoff that has stretched across two presidencies. The move offered a rare moment of bipartisan accord at a time when Republicans and Democrats are bitterly divided over the role that government ought to play in reviving the sputtering economy.

The approval of the deals with South Korea, Colombia and Panama is a victory for President Obama and proponents of the view that foreign trade can drive America’s economic growth in the face of rising protectionist sentiment in both political parties. They are the first trade agreements to pass Congress since Democrats broke a decade of Republican control in 2007.

All three agreements cleared both chambers with overwhelming Republican support just one day after Senate Republicans prevented action on Mr. Obama’s jobs bill.

Read the Rest at The New York Times

U.S. Senate approves China currency manipulation bill

New York Times

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan cross-section of Congress seems to agree that China manipulates its currency in ways that make it harder for many American manufacturers to compete. Where they cannot find alignment is on how best to address that problem, while maintaining America’s relationship with its biggest lender and a major trading partner.

On Tuesday, the Senate passed a bill that would require the Treasury Department to order the Commerce Department to impose tough tariffs on certain Chinese goods in the event of a finding by the Treasury that China was improperly valuing its currency to gain an economic advantage.

The measure passed 63 to 35, with 16 Republican votes, an unusual dynamic in the Democrat-controlled Senate. It enjoyed rare support from members of both parties despite the strong disapproval of Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, who pressed his party colleagues to vote against it.

Read the Rest at The New York Times

 

 

News Break – October 5, 2011 – Fracking, Biofuels, China Currency, Farm Bill

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PA Governor supports tougher shale drilling regulations

Columbus Dispatch

Energy companies that drill into Pennsylvania’s Marcellus shale for natural gas would have to pay an impact fee and would face tougher sanctions for violations under a plan Gov. Tom Corbett endorsed yesterday.

The announcement is part of an increasingly tougher stance the state has taken in recent months in response to its natural gas boom, in which more than 3,800 horizontal wells have been drilled and hydraulically fractured, or “fracked” in recent years. In April, Corbett ordered a halt to the dumping of brine, a salty, toxic wastewater from wells, into that state’s streams.

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Study says biofuels costly, their impact questionable

Des Moines Register

Next-generation biofuels are so expensive and difficult to make that the nation is unlikely to meet the government’s usage mandates, according to the National Research Council.

A congressionally requested study by the research council, an arm of the National Academy of Sciences, also warns the feedstocks needed to produce the advanced biofuels could increase food prices by competing with food crops for land,  a key criticism of the corn ethanol the next-generation biofuels are supposed to replace. Producing the future biofuels also could have unintended environmental consequences in some areas because of the fertilizer and water requirements and may not do as much to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as the government has estimated, the study found.

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Vilsack says USDA food safety programs likely to be cut

Bloomberg

Food-safety programs may be less vulnerable to cuts than other areas of U.S. Department of Agriculture spending because of the importance placed on the nutrition supply, Secretary Tom Vilsack said.

“I’m least concerned about the food-safety part than any other part,” Vilsack said today at a food-policy conference in Washington. Nutrition assistance for poor families may be more vulnerable, even as it helps reduce poverty, he said.

Funding for programs that protect the nation’s food supply are being pressured by congressional spending cuts. The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service budget would be reduced by 3.4 percent to $972.7 million in the year beginning Oct. 1 under the appropriations bill the House of Representatives passed in June, while the Senate’s plan would leave funding unchanged.

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Reid sets stage for next vote on China currency bill

The Hill

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) filed a cloture motion on Tuesday night to end debate on the pending Chinese currency bill.

The legislation, designed to pressure the Chinese government to stop undervaluing its currency, already cleared one important hurdle on Monday night, advancing to the first stage of debate by a vote of 79-19. That strong show of support indicates the bill could very well clear the upper chamber by week’s end.

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Thune touts bipartisan Farm Bill proposal

Indiana Prairie Farmer

The Aggregate Risk and Revenue Management program, or ARRM Farm Bill proposal has been introduced by a bipartisan group of farm state Senators including Senator John Thune, R-S.D. So far it’s getting positive initial reaction among the agricultural community.

Thune says it builds on the Average Crop Revenue Election and the crop insurance program to provide a safety net in crop years where prices are low. However, he says it’s less complicated and less restrictive than either ACRE or SURE.

“It does away with direct payments, it does away with counter-cyclical payments, and it sort of reforms the ACRE program and acts as a compliment to crop insurance,” Thune said. “So for example if a farmer takes a crop insurance program, this would allow them to fill the gap between what crop insurance covers and what their 90% of revenue would be in any given year.”

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News Update: October 4, 2011 – Farm Bill, Corn Harvest, Deer Accidents, AEP Overbilling

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Editors Note: You may recall that the Ohio Farmers Union opposed the drastic cut to the budget of the Ohio Consumers Council (OCC) called for in Gov. John Kasich’s last budget and essentially rubber-stamped by the Ohio General Assembly. Whether it’s an institutional bias or just the bias of those serving on the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, the PUCO does not have consumer interests at heart. The commissioners are political appointees and the politicians who appoint them garner lots of campaign contributions from American Electric Power and other utilities. It’s no surprise that only roughly 10% of what the Ohio Supreme Court found to have been overcharged by AEP will actually find its way back to the consumers who were cheated. Would a stronger OCC have made a difference. That’s hard to say, but your elected officials in Columbus have done their best to ensure that your consumer advocate is in a weakened position moving forward.

AEP owes you $12 or $30

Columbus Dispatch

…

The state’s utility consumer advocate does not think the PUCO went far enough in its decision yesterday.

“The PUCO failed to fully protect the public interest by allowing AEP to keep part of the costs ruled unjustified by the court,” said Ohio Consumers’ Counsel Janine Migden-Ostrander in a statement.

Dave Rinebolt, executive director of Ohio Partners for Affordable Energy, shares the same concerns.

“Ensuring revenue stability to the company is apparently more important public policy than giving a fair shake to customers,” he said. …

Read the entire story

Tracing food from farm to table a complex task

Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The recent listeria outbreak carried in cantaloupe shows that large-scale occurrences of serious illnesses linked to tainted food have grown more common over the years, partly because much of what we eat takes a long and winding road from farm to fork.

A cantaloupe grown on a Colorado field might make four or five stops before it reaches the dinner table.

There’s the packing house where it is cleaned and packaged, then the distributor who contracts with retailers to sell the melons in large quantities. A processor might cut or bag the fruit. The retail distribution center is where the melons are sent out to various stores. Finally, it’s stacked on display at the grocery store.

Imported fruits and vegetables, which make up almost two-thirds of the produce consumed in the United States, have an even longer journey.

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Oh, deer! They’re a traffic risk

The Columbus Dispatch

Drivers, beware: As October begins, so does the season of greatest risk for colliding with deer.

The risk is greater during the October-January mating season, when bucks and does are on the run and sometimes scamper across an interstate, a state route or a country road.

Reported deer-vehicle crashes last year totaled 23,201 statewide, a 7.7 percent decline from the 25,146 crashes reported in 2009, according to the Ohio Department of Public Safety. There were 24,590 deer-vehicle crashes reported in 2008.

It’s unclear why the number of crashes reported to local and state law-enforcement agencies dropped last year, said Mary Bonelli, a spokeswoman for the Ohio Insurance Institute. It could be that people are dealing with higher gas prices by driving less, consolidating errands into one trip rather than several. Fewer drives mean fewer chances for deer-vehicle crashes, Bonelli suggested.

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Ag Committee chair address Farm Bill

Farm Futures

Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., says the Senate Agriculture committee is coalescing around a safety net structure for the 2012 Farm Bill that contains revenue protection and expanded federal crop insurance, but does not include the direct and counter-cyclical payment programs.

“It’s very clear as we look at what’s happening with the commodity groups, the proposals coming forward, the proposals within the committee from respected members of the committee that we are moving in a similar direction as it relates to a risk management program and a safety net,” Stabenow said.

She specifically welcomed the ADAP and STAX revenue-based safety net ideas championed by the National Corn Growers Association and National Cotton Council, respectively, and labeled as thoughtful two Senate proposals to build on changes in the current ACRE program.

“Those are very important pieces of work that colleagues on the committee are coming forward with,” Stabenow said. “We are sitting down working with all of them to see where we might come to an agreement.”

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U.S. corn crop harvest behind 5-year average

Bloomberg

The U.S. corn harvest was 21 percent complete as of yesterday, compared with 15 percent a week earlier and the previous five-year average of 23 percent, the Department of Agriculture said.

An estimated 19 percent of the soybean crop was harvested, up from 5 percent a week earlier and less than the five-year average of 25 percent for the date, the USDA said today in report.

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Ag News Roundup – August 24, 2011

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A few things we’re reading at the Ohio Farmers Union:

Drought has Texans looking to Ohio for hay

Ohio Cattlemen’s Association has been contacted by cattlemen in Texas and other drought-stricken states who are looking to purchase hay.

OCA is working with the Ohio Department of Agriculture to assist these cattle producers by identifying Ohioans who have hay available.

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South Dakota’s Thune says next farm bill will focus on crop insurance

Argus Leader

Sen. John Thune and an assembly of agriculture advocates at a roundtable discussion Tuesday in Sioux Falls were in agreement that the next federal farm bill will be focused on crop insurance.

Farmers told Thune access to reasonably priced crop insurance is their safety net and is necessary to safeguard their futures.

Thune said it is the federal farm support most easy to defend when Congress and the president are looking for trillions of dollars of spending cuts.

“It makes sense to make this the centerpiece of ag policy,” Thune said. “Insurance is more defensible than subsidies.”

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Vilsack says economics will have USDA conservation programs under pressure

US Ag Net

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said at the Iowa State Fair Friday that he hopes the next farm bill will preserve conservation programs that have been a part of federal farm legislation since the 1930s.

But the former two-term Iowa governor said economics makes continuation of conservation efforts uncertain.

“There was less interest by farmers in the last round of CRP signups,” Vilsack said, referring to the voluntary Conservation Reserve Program where farmers idle land in return for government payments. “In an era of high commodity prices and high costs, farmers are under more pressure.”

According to the Des Moines Register, the next farm bill, Vilsack said, will be a different animal than its predecessors.

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Possible solution to Grand Lake St. Mary’s problem gets $1 million

ST. MARYS – The first of what could be a series of methane digesters here to turn animal waste into energy will receive a $1 million award from a U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resource Conservation Service grant, Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown said Monday.

Grand Lake St. Marys would be the beneficiary as animal waste that now flows into the lake from feeder streams, firing up toxic cyanobacteria blooms that have at times shut down the lake, is converted into methane gas.

“Not only will this help clean up the Lake, it will also help create jobs in the clean energy industry. This project will serve as a national model for an innovative solution to clean up toxic algae blooms creating jobs and provide consumers with a source of clean, domestic energy,” Brown said. “Grand Lake St. Marys has been an economic anchor of Mercer and Auglaize counties and I remain committed to pursuing all possible solutions to restore it.”

Mel Kurtz, president of Ohio company Quasar Energy Group, said the project will also show how to solve such problems elsewhere.

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Dairy Industry seeks some relief

Idaho Statesman

With a gallon of milk costing as much as or more than a gallon of gasoline this summer, a consumer scanning the supermarket shelves might think milk is a cash cow for dairy farmers.

In reality, it isn’t. Though the price of a gallon hovers around $4, dairy farmers in Idaho and around the country are still struggling with the aftermath of what’s dubbed the Great Dairy Recession.

“For a young guy starting out in dairy farming, it’s tough,” said Jim Heckman, a farmer in Walker Township, Pa., who sold his dairy herd in May. “I wish them the best of luck, but I don’t think they’ll make it.”

Some in Congress, including Idaho Republican Rep. Mike Simpson, want to replace longstanding safety nets for dairy farmers with new ones that better reflect the challenges they face.

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$103M to expand broadband Internet in rural areas

Coshocton Tribune

Telecommunications companies in 16 states will share more than $103 million in federal funding to help expand broadband Internet access to those areas of rural America that haven’t been reached by the high-speed service or are underserved, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Monday.

Policymakers, public interest groups and telecom companies are seeking to bridge the digital divide by reaching even the most remote pockets of the U.S. with broadband internet, hoping to improve economic and educational opportunities there.

“There’s a big gap that remains between rural and urban areas because it’s just hard to make a business case in rural areas,” said Jonathan Adelstein, the agriculture department’s rural utilities service administrator, in a conference call with reporters. “Rural areas’ future depends upon access to broadband and we’re not where we need to be today.”

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Ohio Farmers Union
P.O. Box 363
1011 N. Defiance Street
Ottawa, Ohio 45875
Phone: (419) 523-5300
Toll Free: (800) 321-3671