Pork producers know what they want in a 2012 Farm Bill, they’re just not sure if and when it will happen. Former National Pork Producers Council president Sam Carney of Iowa, co-chair of the organization’s farm bill policy task force, gave an update on the legislation, which happened at almost the very moment the Senate voted to advance the bill …
POTNAFB Interviews POTUS
The president of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting had the opportunity to interview the President of the United States today about a new report on the rural economy and farm policy. NAFB President Tom Steever of Brownfield Ag News not only asked President Obama about the Council of Economic Advisers report – Strengthening Rural Communities: Lessons From a Growing …
Farm Bill Work This Week
While farmers are busy getting crops in the ground this week, members of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees will be busy trying to get a 2012 Farm Bill off the ground. As the Senate Ag Committee released a draft proposal on Friday, several agricultural organizations sent a letter to the leadership thanking them, while at the same time expressing …
GROWMARK Legislative Priorities
GROWMARK government affairs director Chuck Spencer shared some of the agricultural cooperative’s top legislative priorities on both the state and national level during the media day tour this week. Chuck and other GROWMARK representatives participated in the Ag Day event Wednesday at the Illinois state capitol to talk with legislators about some of those priorities. “Obviously everyone in Illinois is …
Ag Groups Testify at Senate Farm Bill Hearing
The Senate Agriculture Committee heard testimony from farmers and farm organizations Thursday on risk management priorities for the 2012 Farm Bill. Among those who testified was National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) First Vice President Pam Johnson. “NCGA has invested time and resources to develop and analyze concepts for a new farm bill that would help farmers in times of need …
We Need Both RFS and Farm Bill According to Senator Stabenow
Addressing the attendees to the Agri-Pulse reception last night was Senator Debbie Stabenow, Chairwomen, U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. I visited with her briefly after her remarks. I first asked her what she thought about the importance of the work that’s being done by groups like USFRA which held a Food Dialogues event prior to the reception. …
Senator Pat Roberts Just Tells It Like It Is
The Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, Senator Pat Roberts, made comments during the Agri-Pulse reception last night. I got to visit with him briefly afterward. Senator Roberts says the idea of trying to get urban America better understand where their food comes from is “a mountain we’ve been trying to climb for years …
Conversation with a Speaker
The 59th Speaker of the House spoke about leadership and the importance of the nation’s energy security during an appearance at the GROWMARK, FS System “Gold Rush” event in East Peoria, Illinois to introduce re-formulated Dieselex Gold. Denny Hastert, who is an Illinois farm boy, says growing up on a farm taught him the responsibility and leadership that helped serve …
Farm Bill Games Begin
Let the Farm Bill games begin! The Senate Ag Committee held the first of four scheduled farm bill hearings this past week, focusing on energy and rural development issues. In the coming weeks there will be hearings on conservation programs Feb. 28 and nutrition issues on March 14; and most importantly, a hearing on Title I – the farm safety …
GROWMARK Perspective on 2012 Farm Bill
2012 is likely to be a very interesting year for agricultural policy as we face the writing of a new Farm Bill during a presidential election year with a huge federal deficit. Since the GROWMARK cooperative system represents the interests of farmers on the federal level, I talked with GROWMARK government affairs director Chuck Spencer to get his perspective on …