The annual commemoration of the importance of agriculture is traditionally celebrated on the first day of spring to recognize the start of planting season, but the event in the nation’s capitol is held a little earlier in the month when Congress is in session so lawmakers can attend. This year the date was March 8 and the day in DC … Read More
Vilsack Announces CRP Initiative at Commodity Classic
Before heading back to Washington for a White House conservation conference last Friday, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack was in Nashville speaking to corn, soybean, wheat and sorghum farmers and announcing the opportunity for them to enroll a total of 1 million acres of land in a new Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) initiative to preserve grasslands and wetlands. “By focusing 1 … Read More
Organizations Express Support for Conservation Title in the Farm
Today, 643 organizations, representing tens of millions Americans, expressed strong support for the Conservation Title of the U.S. Farm Bill in a letter sent to Chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee Frank Lucas (R-OK), as well as the ranking members of those committees. The letter urges the committees to provide … Read More
Researchers Call for “Redesign” of US Agriculture
As work toward a new Farm Bill officially begins some are calling for a “whole-system redesign” of U.S. agriculture. A recent report from the National Research Council Committee on Twenty-First Century Systems Agriculture has proposed a new direction for farm policy that would “incorporate innovative agricultural systems such as organic farming, grass-fed and other alternative livestock production systems, mixed crop … Read More