Women are active advocates for agriculture and successful business owners interested in filling leadership roles, according to a new American Farm Bureau survey. A majority of those surveyed, 91%, also believe there should be more women in leadership roles in the industry. More than 3,000 women completed the informal survey online, which AFBF conducted…… MORE
Category Archives: Agriculture News
Farm Labor Fix Introduced in Congress
Representatives Zoe Lofgren of California and Dan Newhouse of Washington introduced comprehensive legislation that attempts to overhaul the nation’s agricultural labor programs. Politico says the legislation will attempt to “thread the needle” between agriculture and labor groups that have long butted heads over the issue. The bill, called the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, would…… MORE
Farm Debt Taking Longer to Repay
Farmers need more time to pay off non-real estate loans, according to recent data. An analysis published last week by Agricultural Economics Insights, an agriculture economic analysis firm, shows repayment term length on farm loans recently reached levels not seen in decades. In 2018, the average repayment term on all non-real estate loans was 15.4…… MORE
First Organic Transition Loan Program
Farmers looking for organic certification on all or part of their operations can get some financial help from Rabo Agrifinance. The company has developed a loan product so farmers can get the capital they need up front to help with costs associated with changing production practices. Farmers can then schedule loan repayments when they…… MORE
Beef Labeling Issues
The United States Cattlemen filed a petition for rulemaking with the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service to address “Product of the USA” and “Made in the USA” claims on U.S. beef. The USCA says since the repeal of Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) back in 2015, there is no clear definition of what…… MORE
EPA Finalizes Rule to Repeal WOTUS
The Environmental Protection Agency published the final rule repealing the Waters of the U.S. rule. The EPA and Army Corps of Engineers effort repeals and returns the law to provisions in place prior to 2015. The new rule will go into effect on December 23, 2019. However, legal challenges are expected from environmental groups.…… MORE
Beef Industry Direction Redo
The Beef Checkoff is undergoing a year-long process to determine direction for the organization over the next five years. The long-range strategic planning process for the beef industry is underway, a process that pulls together key leaders from all over the country representing different sectors of the beef business. Updated every five years, the…… MORE
Next Round of Trade Aid Uncertain
The U.S. and China recently reached a partial trade deal that included the promise of large agricultural purchases by China. Because of that, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is deciding on whether or not it will go through with the next round of trade relief payments to farmers for their 2019 production. USDA Deputy…… MORE
U.S. Dairy Thanks Trump for EU Trade Tariffs
The National Milk Producers Federation is thanking President Donald Trump for including European dairy products on a new tariff list. The organization sent a letter to Trump to “commend his Administration for its excellent judgment” for including the products. The tariffs stem from a U.S. World Trade Organization complaint about illegal subsidies to Airbus.…… MORE
China Wants More Trade Talks
Optimism over a trade breakthrough with China is fading as China wants more talks this month to work out the details of the “phase one” agreement. Bloomberg News reports China may send another trade delegation to Washington, to finalize a written agreement. A statement from China’s Commerce Ministry noted “substantial progress” in the talks…… MORE
