Politics
On Monday the People’s Bank of China also announced a 0.1 percentage point cut to two of its key policy rates. It acted after GDP grew by more than 8% in 2021, but slowed down in the fourth quarter.
The Biden Administration is deploying money and resources to ramp up clean energy projects across rural America. The White House says the plan taps federal lands to install wind, solar and geothermal energy projects.
AFBF President Zippy Duvall told members this week he will continue to press for policy that progresses agriculture, citing AFBF’s work on changes to the White House’s “America the Beautiful” plan as an example.
The EPA says prior to Jan. 11, 2022, the agency “did not consistently assess the potential effects of conventional pesticides on listed species when registering new active ingredients.”
AFBF’s in-person annual convention focused on everything from H-2A workers, drought, supply chain chaos and policy changes like the Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule. USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack addressed the group Monday.
Biden Administration Scores First USMCA Trade Dispute Victory Over Dairy, Canada Also Claims Victory
USTR Katherine Tai announced Tuesday that the United States prevailed in its first dispute settlement panel proceeding brought under USCMA. As U.S. dairy leaders applaud the ruling, Canada is also claiming victory.
The Biden Administration will announce “Action Plan for a Fairer, More Competitive, and More Resilient Meat and Poultry Supply Chain” Monday. The White House says it will help boost competition and reduce prices.
The House and Senate are on recess this week, but work is ramping back up to finalize 2021 legislation before the New Year begins.
USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack and Rep. Cindy Axne joined AgriTalk with host Chip Flory and Pro Farmer Policy Analyst Jim Wiesemeyer recently to comb through President Biden’s reframe of the Build Back Better (BBB) plan.
Fertilizer prices have soared with top fertilizer companies in North America on pace for their best performance since 2009. One former Congressman says the fix for climbing prices probably won’t come from Washington.
For the upcoming 2023 farm bill, expect chatter and debate about carbon markets, conservation, trade and more. Policy watchers encourage farmers to keep an eye on these issues, as discussions begin in January.
The Canadian government on Tuesday launched a challenge against American duties on Canadian softwood lumber under the terms of the USMCA trade deal, Canadian Trade Minister Mary Ng said in a statement.
As gasoline prices climbed this year, is it policy or other factors that fueled the rise? John Phipps covers the topic in U.S. Farm Report’s Customer Support.
The FSA administrator dives into farmer financing, programs, vaccine rates and more.
The potential elimination of stepped-up basis proved to be a hot-button topic for agriculture in 2021. Pro Farmer’s Ag Person of the Year earned the award for his work in stepped-up basis and Clean Air Act mandates.
My crystal ball is in the shop, but I’m confident these are some of the issues that are going to be part of the ag policy discussion in the next year.
USDA’s Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation talks carbon and goals.
More than 60 ag groups telling the Biden Administration on Monday the nearly 7,000 South African farm workers should be exempted from restrictions related to the Omicron variant.
Here is how some of the roughly $82 billion in agricultural spending could be dispersed.
Look ahead to potential situations including debt limit, inflation, inputs costs, and foreign threats.
Senate leadership’s timeline for the BBB proposal is just before Christmas, according to Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. Centrist Sen. Joe Manchin is calling for a strategic pause for the vote, delaying it into 2022.
Farmers have asked the DOJ to investigate whether recent spikes in fertilizer prices are attributable to market manipulation by fertilizer companies, according to a letter sent by the Family Farm Action Alliance.
EPA’s RFS Announcement This Week Unleashed a Mix of Support and Questions; Here’s What to Watch Next
After months of waiting on the Biden administration’s plans for the RFS and pending waivers, EPA released updated blending requirements earlier this week. The announcement also came with plans for financial relief.
The EPA and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are seeking comment on the pre-2015 WOTUS rule published in the Federal Register.
Look ahead to potential situations including the debt ceiling, WHIP+, President Biden’s challenges, and foreign hotspots.
The White House says 95.6% of USDA employees have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine or filed for an exemption, but the number who’ve received the vaccine is the lowest among reported federal agencies.
Farm Journal Foundation’s Farmer Ambassador Program enables farmers to take agriculture’s story to Washington D.C.
AgriTalk Host Chip Flory and Pro Farmer policy analyst Jim Wiesemeyer discuss plans Congress will probably have these last weeks of 2021, including the debt ceiling and the Build Back Better plan in the Senate.
On Tuesday, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack rang in on AgriTalk to share agriculture’s angle in the BBB plan with host Chip Flory.
Writing the cover story with ambassador Kip Tom was a good reminder to me of how many people in the world are struggling to eat — or even survive — each day.