Senate Ag Comm. Passes Bill The U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry marked up the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 and delivered on promises for bipartisan legislation from Committee Chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kansas, and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow, D-Michigan. The Farm Bill passed through committee with a 20-1 vote. “We are very pleased the bill is moving forward. ... Read More »
Start Of Farm Bill Fight On April 18, 2018, the House Agriculture Committee passed its 2018 Farm Bill out of committee on a straight party-line vote. All republicans voted for the bill, and all democrats voted against it. The committee has already adopted 17 amendments. The democrats are expected to submit amendments when the bill comes up on the House ... Read More »
Farm Bill Introduced In mid-April, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Michael Conaway (R-Texas) introduced the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018 — legislation to address the economic challenges facing the nation’s farmers and ranchers, while making historic investments in opportunities for SNAP recipients. Upon introducing the bill, Chairman Conaway said, “Rural America is hurting. Over the last five years, net farm ... Read More »
2017 Crop Value According to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, the price of peanuts last season averaged $0.230 per pound, or $460 per ton, 21.6 percent higher than 2016. The value of the 2017 peanut crop at farm level is $1,638,095,000, a 50.5 percent increase from 2016. Harvested peanut acres were up 16 percent. The highest average price was paid ... Read More »
Generic Base Eliminated Congress cleared a budget agreement and disaster-aid package that has a significant impact on farmers for the 2018 crop year. The budget agreement passed the House by a vote of 240 to 186 and passed the Senate by a vote of 71 to 28. The President has also signed the legislation. The legislation includes $90 billion in ... Read More »
It had been more than 25 years since a sitting U.S. President addressed the American Farm Bureau Federation, but that’s why President Donald Trump is different. Not only did he give a rousing speech at the Farm Bureau’s 99th annual meeting in Nashville, he promised to attend next year’s 100th anniversary and help celebrate the centennial for the grassroots organization ... Read More »
Crisis Coming For Trucking The new rules governing trucking will cause driver shortages according to Larry Barton of Great West Casualty Company, who further told members of the American Peanut Council that the industry needs to be aware. Truck drivers are being forced to record the hours they work with new electronic logs, which carriers are scrambling to get loaded. ... Read More »
Farm Bill Landing Page Ahead of the 2018 Farm Bill, House Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway (TX-11) announced the launch of a new online resource that can be accessed through the committee’s current website, https://agriculture.house.gov/farmbill. This landing page is designed to provide updates and information related to the 2018 Farm Bill. Following its launch, Chairman Conaway, said, “I’m committed ... Read More »
Blanched Peanuts Reclassified After diligent work from the American Peanut Council, the World Customs Organization has determined that blanched peanuts should be considered as raw product and will be placed under the tariff classification code 12.02 where other raw peanuts are categorized. The action reverses the decision last September to classify blanched peanuts as “processed,” and thus subject to import ... Read More »
Standards Board Members Sought USDA is seeking nominations for three peanut producers and three industry representatives to serve on the Peanut Standards Board, succeeding members whose terms expire June 30, 2017. Nominations are due April 17, 2017. Selected members will serve three-year terms from 2017 to 2020. The board consists of 18 members who represent three regions: the Southeast (Alabama, ... Read More »
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