Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack Thursday announced the awarding of $9.6 million across the country and taking several other steps to help farmers, ranchers, processors and rural businesses diversify the nation’s meat supply. The Department is awarding 23 Value Added Producer Grant program grants totaling $3.9 million to help producer-owned companies process and market new products. USDA is also providing guarantees …
NCBA Praises White House Food and Ag Security Focus
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) praised the signing last week of the National Security Memorandum to Strengthen the Security and Resilience of U.S. Food and Agriculture, which will allow the federal government to identify the threats facing our food supply and enhance national preparedness and response. “Our agricultural sector faces a variety of threats that could inhibit cattle producers’ …
Six Companies Compete in AgLaunch Livestock Challenge
AgLaunch is hosting six livestock agtech start-ups this week solving on-farm issues for the 2022 AgLaunch365 Livestock Challenge to select up to five teams that will move forward in the AgLaunch365 Accelerator that include on-farm trials with AgLaunch Farmer Network members. Selected teams will participate in a 12-week accelerator with opportunities to showcase at the Farm Journal Top Producer Summit …
Preliminary Hurricane Losses to Agriculture in Florida
According to preliminary assessments by the University of Florida, the combination of seasonal crops, livestock, nursery and aquaculture products potentially lost as a result of Hurricane Ian will likely range between $787 million and $1.56 billion. “This estimate only accounts for production losses, or changes in expected revenues for the current calendar or market year; citrus, for example, had not …
Syngenta Seeds Research Shows Benefits of Enogen Corn
Syngenta Seeds has unveiled new research on the benefits of using Enogen® corn for livestock feed in dairy operations. The research found that when comparing Enogen corn to traditional feed products, a U.S. dairy farm operation could potentially yield a financial savings of $132 to $208 per milking cow. The financial value assessment, conducted in partnership with model developers at …
Cattle Industry Summer Meeting Underway in Reno
More than 600 cattle industry leaders are attending the Summer Business Meeting in Reno this week to provide direction for important industry programs. The event includes meetings of cattlemen and women representing the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board (CBB), American National CattleWomen and National Cattlemen’s Foundation. NCBA Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane …
Lower Food and Fuel Cost Act Passes House
The U.S. House of Representatives today passed the Lower Food and Fuel Costs Act, a diverse package of initiatives from meat packing plants to year round E15, despite opposition by the majority of Republicans. The final vote was 221-204, with seven Republicans siding with the majority and five Democrats voting against the bill. The act includes a package of ag-related …
House to Vote on Lower Food and Fuel Costs Act
The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote Thursday on the Lower Food and Fuel Costs Act led by Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), a package of legislation designed to address supply chain issues for the American energy and agriculture sectors, combat rising fertilizer prices and increase the availability of higher ethanol blends and other biofuels. The legislation includes Spanberger’s …
NCBA Opposes Mandate on Cattle Sales
Two bills designed to address transparency and oversight within cattle marketing were the subject of a Senate Agriculture Committee hearing on Tuesday where the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association expressed opposition to a “government mandate on cattle sales.” The hearing was specifically on the Cattle Price Discovery and Transparency Act sponsored by Sens. Deb Fischer (R-NE) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and …
Agri-Pulse Newsmakers Spotlights Cattle Price Discovery Bill
The newest episode of Agri-Pulse Newsmakers is now live and the focus this week is on cattle price discovery bill. An updated piece of legislation seeks to reform the way cattle are bought and sold across the country, but the new bill includes a provision that caused two major farm groups to oppose the initial version. Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., …