The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association will be asking Congress to maintain funding levels for conservation programs when it gets back to work on the next farm bill. They will also ask the agriculture committees to keep the 60-40 ratio for livestock conservation funding....More
The National Cattlemen's Beef Association counted the Columbia, Panama and South Korea trade agreements as victories in 2011. But its leaders are looking to even more successes in 2012....More
When you prepare to file your 2011 farm income tax return, you will find the Internal Revenue Service has made some major changes in the 2011 Form 1040 Schedule F. It is important to understand these changes....More
The estate tax or death tax remains a major concern for the nation’s farmers and ranchers. Unless Congress takes action, the law will revert to provisions that will result in a much higher tax bill for heirs....More
Following uproar in the agriculture sector and pushback from Congress, the Department of Labor (DOL) has decided to revisit the language of a proposed rule regarding children who work their family’s farm. The DOL’s proposal would have changed the parental exemption statute that governs children under 16 years of age who work on a farm owned by their parents or guardian....More
Despite increasingly loud warnings from state governments and federal agencies, the nation’s shipping waterway infrastructure – which handles the bulk of the United States’ agricultural products -- continues to erode. A Wednesday morning hearing by the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Oversight looked into the deteriorating situation....More
The USDA has approved a conditional commitment for a $25 million guaranteed loan to build a biorefinery plant with funding support from USDA's Biorefinery Assistance Program. The plant will be constructed by Fiberight, LLC based in Blairstown, Iowa....More
