The National Pork Producers Council and the American Farm Bureau have filed a legal challenge to California’s Proposition 12. The proposition imposes animal housing standards that reach outside of California’s borders to farms across the U.S. “Proposition 12 revolves around a set of arbitrary standards that lack any scientific, technical, or agricultural basis, and…… MORE
Category Archives: Agriculture News
USDA Opening CRP Signup on December 9th
The USDA’s Farm Service Agency announced that signup for the Conservation Reserve Program will begin on Monday, December 9th. The signup period ends on February 28th for general CRP, while the signup for continuous CRP is ongoing. Farmers and ranchers who enroll in CRP get a yearly payment for voluntarily establishing long-term, resource-conserving plant…… MORE
Japan Approves Partial Trade Agreement with U.S.
Japan’s Upper House of Parliament ratified a partial trade agreement with the United States, which will go into effect on January 1, 2020. That nation is one of California’s biggest agriculture export markets. Ryan LeGrand, President and CEO of the U.S. Grains Council, notes that the agreement “solidifies trade with our second-largest corn market.”…… MORE
November Ag Economy Barometer
The Purdue/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer rose in November for the second month in a row, climbing to 153, 17 points higher than in October when the index stood at 136. This month’s rise in the ag economy sentiment index left the barometer tied with July for the highest reading of 2019. Once again,…… MORE
State is Forecasting Small Water Allocation
The California Department of Water Resources announced an initial State Water Project allocation of 10% for the 2020 calendar year. According to a DWR announcement, the initial allocation is based on several factors, such as conservative dry hydrology, reservoir storage, and releases necessary to meet water supply and environmental demands. State allocations are based on…… MORE
Hemp Innovation Challenge Coming to WAE
Something new is coming to the World Ag Expo. The Hemp Innovation Challenge is designed to kickstart the future of the hemp industry by supporting entrepreneurs, researchers, and students, who are launching some of the world’s biggest hemp industry innovations. Submissions are invited from hemp innovators in universities, companies, research institutes, barns, and government…… MORE
2019 Trade Aid May Violate WTO Commitments
A recent independent report suggests U.S. trade aid in 2019 for farmers may surpass limits set in World Trade Organization commitments. The report for the American Enterprise Institute by Joe Glauber, a former Department of Agriculture Chief Economist, suggests the size of payments made to producers in 2019 may encourage other WTO members to…… MORE
Bill Preserves Family Farms
A bill introduced in the House of Representatives will help more farm families continue operating their farms after the death of a loved one. The Preserving Family Farms Act of 2019 is sponsored by Jimmy Panetta of California and Jackie Warlorski of Indiana and has the full support of the American Farm Bureau Federation.…… MORE
Doubt Growing on USMCA Passing in 2019
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi appears doubtful that the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement will be passed this year. After she met with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and House Ways and Means Committee Chair Richard Neal last week, there was no deal and not much time left on the legislative clock. “We’ve made progress,”…… MORE
Bureau of Reclamation Reacts to Cal Announcement
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is responding to Governor Newsom’s announcement regarding the State of California’s intent to sue the federal government on the Central Valley Project and the State Water Project. In a prepared statement, Brenda Burman, Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation says ”From the beginning, we’ve been focused on cooperative solutions with…… MORE
