“It is vitally important that farm policy include programs for farmers and ranchers to manage their risks of bad yields and low incomes, and the current system of crop insurance does a good job of that." -- Roger Johnson, NFU president....More
Voting delegates to the American Farm Bureau Federation’s annual meeting have expressed support for a bipartisan, reform-minded farm bill, crafted around a broad, flexible, crop-insurance-based program, including risk-management protection for peanuts, rice, forage and specialty crops....More
As the farm bill debates heat up, members of Congress and their staff reach out to organizations like the Agriculture and Food Policy Center at Texas A&M University for analyses. That can give the center’s economists insight as to what members might be thinking....More
A number of media pundits seem to think the House and Senate Agriculture Committee versions of the new farm bill would make cotton farmers “well off.” That’s not the case, according to Texas A&M University’s Joe Outlaw....More
During a Jan. 14 address to the American Farm Bureau Federation, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack highlighted the unlimited potential of rural America, and also challenged rural Americans to embrace a proactive message that highlights this opportunity for the rest of the nation....More
In terms of tractor and other farm machinery purchases, “there was a huge windfall in the 2013 tax legislation,” says Roger McEowen, director of Iowa State University’s Center for Agricultural Law and Taxation....More
On Sunday morning (Jan. 13), Bob Stallman, American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) president, took to the podium at the opening of the AFBF annual meeting carrying a long list of farm country issues – both tribulations and triumphs -- to highlight....More
National Cotton Council officials say farmers may see higher cuts in farm program spending now that fiscal cliff has been averted and the 2008 farm bill extended for another year....More
National Corn Growers Association President Pam Johnson, emphasizing the importance of grassroots action, has called on farmers across the country to push for a new, five-year farm bill that protects crop insurance programs....More
In letters to House Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor on Thursday (Jan. 4), Minnesota Rep. Collin Peterson, House Agriculture Committee ranking member, urged the leaders to commit to a farm bill debate....More
Just days after Congress passed a nine-month extension of the 2008 farm bill, agriculture advocacy groups are pushing for a new, comprehensive five-year farm bill....More
While the majority of tax-paying Americans avoided going over the proverbial ‘fiscal cliff’ as 2013 came to life, most farmers are left wondering what the nine-month extension to the 2008 farm bill will really bring for them in the upcoming cropping year....More
A nine-month extension of the 2008 farm bill – tied to legislation allowing Congress to step away from the “fiscal cliff” – was secured following a late-hour House vote on Jan. 1....More
Unable to pass a new five-year farm bill, on Sunday (Dec. 30), lawmakers have moved to the fallback position many predicted: an extension of the 2008 farm bill....More
It may be time for the Speaker of the House to step down if he cannot lead the House to pass legislation needed to avert the fiscal crisis some are forecasting....More
Now, just days away from year’s end and with a new farm bill – or even an extension of the 2008 farm bill – tied up in the “fiscal cliff” budget debates in Washington, D.C., the inability of the major legislative players to strike a deal looms large....More
The National Farmers Union Board of Directors has passed a resolution opposing an extension of the 2008 farm bill, which expired on Sept. 30, in lieu of passage of a new five-year farm bill....More
USA Rice Federation’s Reece Langley says an extension of the 2008 farm bill might be the best option for growers and lenders who will begin a new crop season within a matter of weeks....More
With the government setting a floor on the price of milk, U.S. dairymen are price-takers not price-makers. However, when that bottom-line price doesn’t cover the input and operational costs required to maintain a minimum profit it’s only a matter of time before their bottom lines begin to hemorrhage....More
The Transaction Account Guarantee (TAG) program, which provides coverage for non-interest bearing transaction accounts in community banks, is set to expire on December 31....More
Farm group leaders met with lawmakers in Washington, D.C., to reiterate the critical importance of finishing a new, five-year farm bill before the 112th Congress adjourns....More
In a new study, the USDA’s Economic Research Service has found that, “an abrupt end to the direct payment program could reduce the number of farms with a favorable financial status ... by about 11,000 nationally, or about 2 percent of farms that received direct payments in 2009....More
