Just in case you didn’t know it, the Senate passed a farm bill today. Ho Hum. The news releases and statements are flying. It’s still got to go to conference committee and the President isn’t happy with it. Politics as usual. Kind of like the energy bill which is heading toward the White House now that it finally got past …
Qualisoy Touts Incentive to Plant Alternative Oilseeds in Farm Bill
Farmers who plant alternative oilseeds are slated to get some support from the government, well, in the Senate version of the 2007 Farm Bill at least. The version of the bill passed by the U.S. Senate yesterday includes the Commodity Quality Incentive Program, or CQIP. CQIP, introduced by Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), is a provision providing special support to farmers …
Farm Bill Disappoints National Corn Growers
The Senate Agriculture Committee has passed its version of the 2007 Farm Bill, but the National Corn Growers Association was hoping the bill would include more literature outlining improved risk management tools. The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is pleased the Senate Agriculture Committee included a revenue option in the 2007 farm bill, but is disappointed by the committee’s action …
Reporting from Brussels
BASF Agricultural Products set up a nice visit for ag journalists here in Brussels at a great time to get some real news for the farmers back home. It was announced just yesterday that the European Commission was proposing to eliminate the mandatory ten percent set aside to help increase production for the coming crop year, and possibly permanently. We …
Farm Bill Food Battle Video
In the never ending push by whacko groups to impact American production agriculture there’s a new video out from the folks at Free Range Studios. It’s called The Farm Bill Food Battle. It looks like the same folks who brought us The Meatrix and other humorous but so off base productions. They demonstrate great creativity as I’ve pointed out before. …
Get Juicy Gossip on Meat
Beef, poultry, pork… pick your pleasure. The American Meat Institute is launching a new Web Site to demonstrate how the meat industry responds to consumers and constumers. The American Meat Institute (AMI) today launched www.TheMarketWorks.org, a new web site showcasing how U.S. meat and poultry industry structure and practices are a response to signals from customers and make the U.S. …
Environmental Defense Ruminates on Farm Policy
The Environmental Defense group now has a farm policy blog called “The Ruminant.” It’s written by Scott Faber who manages the Healthy Farms, Healthy Food Campaign for Environmental Defense. The slogan for the site is “A daily update on the debates shaping the 2007 Farm Bill.” Thanks to Meg Little for bringing it to my attention. They also have a …
Immigration Key Issue of 2007 Ag Symposium
A host of women in the agriculture industry will converge on Washington the week of June 10th for the annual American Agri-Women Agricultural Issues Symposium and Fly-in. This year’s symposium will be centered around immigration reform within the realm of agriculture. Members of the media and all interested parties are invited to attend the 15th Annual Agricultural Issues Symposium on …
FarmPolicy.com Publisher Blogging From Europe
Farm Policy blogger Keith Good is really getting into it and doing a great job. I’ve been watching him blog from a European trip he’s on sponsored by the German Marshall Fund (EU Journalism Study Tour). He’s posting pictures like this one of Ursula Soyez, a Program Officer with the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) and Charles …
The Wyant Perspective
Kind of sounds like a new Robert Ludlum novel doesn’t it? It’s actually a Commodity Classic Learning Center session on “Perspectives on the 2007 Farm Bill” that was sponsored by John Deere. Sara Wyant, Agri-Pulse Communications, was the moderator of a panel on this subject that featured Mark Halverson, Democratic Staff Director and Chief Counsel for the Senate Committee on …