Representatives for farmer and rancher organizations were present for a meeting with President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Abe in New York City as the two signed a trade deal Wednesday worth billions for U.S. agricultural producers. Under the market access agreement, Japan will open the market to approximately $7 billion in American agricultural exports, eliminating or significantly lowering …
Farmers for Free Trade Rally for USMCA
Farmers for Free Trade brought its #MotorcadeForTrade to Washington D.C. Thursday to highlight the importance of ag trade with Canada and Mexico and the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) that Congress will consider to upgrade NAFTA. Members of Congress and farm leaders discussed how USMCA provides farmers with new market access while maintaining a zero-tariff platform, and stressed the need for Congressional …
EPA Officially Ditches the #WOTUS Rule
Agricultural organizations are celebrating the official repeal of a rule that they have been fighting since 2015 – Waters of the United States, better known as WOTUS. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler and Department of the Army Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works R.D. James announced that the agencies are repealing the rule and “recodifying the …
Little Change in Cost of July 4th Cookouts
Americans will pay just slightly more to celebrate the Independence Day holiday with a traditional cookout. A cookout of Americans’ favorite foods for July 4th, including hot dogs, cheeseburgers, pork spare ribs, potato salad, baked beans, lemonade and watermelon, will cost just a few cents more this year, coming in at less than $6 per person, says the American Farm …
EPA Approves Year Round Sales of 15% Ethanol
Ethanol industry stakeholders are thrilled with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) final rule allowing retailers to sell gasoline containing 15% ethanol (E15) year-round. “E15 already has a proven track record for saving drivers money at the pump and reducing emissions, and today’s action will ensure that more Americans are able to enjoy those benefits. Year-round E15 will also provide …
Egg Prices Down for Easter
About 180 million eggs are purchased each year in the United States for Easter, and this year they are a little less pricey than normal. According to an American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) analysis, the typical seasonal bump in retail egg prices that normally occurs just prior to Easter did not not happen this year because an increase in the …
National Ag Day Honors Youth
The Agriculture Council of America (ACA) honored the winners of the 2019 National Ag Day video and written essay contest during the celebration in Washington DC this week, and also featured a youth panel discussion moderated by USDA Deputy Secretary Stephen Censky. The theme for the video and essay contest this year was Agriculture: Food for Life. How does our …
Farm Bureau Adopts Policies
As the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 100th Annual Convention wrapped up yesterday in New Orleans, member delegates adopted policies on key topics such as farm bill implementation, cell-cultured food products, trade, rural broadband access and rural mental health programs. “As our organization has done for the last 100 years, grassroots delegates from across the nation came together to express a …
President Trump Addresses 100th AFBF Convention
For the second year in a row, President Donald J. Trump addressed the members of the American Farm Bureau Federation at its 100th annual convention Monday in New Orleans. Despite being nearly an hour late, the president was greeted by thousands of farmers and ranchers who had been in place waiting to see him since early in the morning, and …
Sen. Moran Hosts Townhall at #AFBF19
Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) hosted a townhall meeting at the 100th American Farm Bureau Federation’s (AFBF) Annual Convention & IDEAg Trade Show on Sunday in New Orleans. Moran, together with Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced a resolution last week recognizing AFBF’s 100th anniversary and celebrating their long history representing farmers across the United States. “For a century, American Farm Bureau …