USDA Offers Farm Bill Extension In February, agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack approved a one-time extension for producers to update yield history or reallocate base acres. This was the same deadline by which producers were to choose a program, whether Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC). If no changes are made to yield history or base acres by ... Read More »
The 2014 Farm Bill implements a change that requires farmers to have a Highly Erodible Land Conservation and Wetland Conservation Certification (AD-1026) on file. To be eligible for premium support on their federal crop insurance, that certification is required. The 2014 Farm Bill continues the requirement that producers adhere to conservation compliance guidelines to be eligible for most programs administered ... Read More »
Premium Peanut has announced plans to build a $50 million peanut shelling plant in Coffee County, Ga., that will employ 100 people. Coffee County Development Officials said that initial work has already begun on the 42-acre site on Barrington Road off Georgia Highway 32 west of Douglas, explains JoAnne Lewis, executive director Douglas-Coffee County Economic Development Authority. “A commitment of ... Read More »
USDA’s Risk and Production Program Manager, Brent Orr, spoke recently at the National Peanut Buying Points Association convention about the new Farm Bill programs. Orr said producers have two important deadlines approaching. Feb. 27, 2015, is the final date to update base and yield, and March 31, 2015, is the final date to select ARC or PLC. Orr explained that ... Read More »
Elections Change Ag Leadership The November election, combined with congressional retirements and term limits, will shake up the leadership of key congressional committees in Washington, D.C. On the Senate side, it is likely that Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS), current ranking member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, will be named as the new chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, a position ... Read More »
No Payment On 2013 Crop USDA has announced that no counter-cyclical payment will be made on 2013 crop peanuts. The National Ag Statistics Service publishes the peanut market year average price received by farmers by state and nationwide. The published prices will trigger payments on a farm base if prices are below the target price. For peanuts, the old Farm ... Read More »
Slow Progress On Farm Bill Senate Ag Committee Chairwoman, Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), and House Ag Chairman, Frank Lucas (R-OK), have said they would like to move versions of the Farm Bill this spring. In discussions, the sticking points are the commodity and nutrition programs. Sen. Stabenow says that the ag committee is having difficulties in finding agreement on the commodity ... Read More »
Finally A Five-Year Farm Bill After two years of debates and delays, H.R. 2642, the Agricultural Act of 2014, has been passed by the House and Senate and signed by President Obama. The 950-page bill rewrites the commodity programs and includes savings from the food stamp section, which comprises about 80 percent of the legislation. The bill will generate an ... Read More »
Farm Bill Privisions (pdf) Read More »
Farm Bill Negotiations Continue The Farm Bill was extended again until the end of January 2014, but the U.S. House and Senate Ag Committees have been unable to get a compromise bill that leaders believe could pass. The area of contention is in Food Stamp (SNAP) funding, which is 80 percent of the Farm Bill. Although a floor fight could ... Read More »
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