The Missouri Farm Bureau has put together interactive maps to give a feel of how the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule that goes into effect this weekend will impact the state. Well over 95% of the state of Missouri will qualify as a water of the U.S. under this rule. I spoke with Blake Hurst, president of the … Read More
Critical! Slam the Breaks on WOTUS
The date for the EPA’s “Waters of the US” ruling is fast approaching. The National Corn Growers Association is demanding the rule be postponed and that Congress act to end it all together. The situation becomes more critical in light of a recent memo from the Army Corps of Engineers. “In July, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy came to our meeting … Read More
Ads to Air Supporting Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act
New ads to support a bill that bars states from enacting mandatory GMO labeling laws will start airing in selected states. This article from Agri-Pulse says the Coalition for Safe Affordable Food (CFSAF) is releasing advertisements in Minnesota and Kansas to encourage support for the federal bill that would protect farmers and consumers alike. The television and radio ads, which … Read More
Senate Committee Stops EPA Pesticide Rule
A U.S. Senate committee has stopped what many see as an overreach by the federal government on pesticide use. The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works today passed S. 1500, the Sensible Environmental Protection Act of 2015, a bipartisan measure that amends the Clean Water Act and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) to clarify Congressional intent … Read More
ASA Praises House GMO Labeling Bill
The American Soybean Association (ASA) is pleased with the bill recently passed by the U.S. House that will bring some sanity to food labeling, in regards to GMOs. The news was welcomed by he American Soybean Association (ASA). “This is important for every bit of agriculture,” said ASA president Wade Cowan of Texas during an interview at last week’s Ag … Read More
Florida Congressman Pleased with Labeling Bill
Congressman Ted Yoho (R-FL), a member of the House Agriculture Committee, addressed the Southern Peanut Growers Conference in Georgia last week, right after the House passed H.R. 1599, the Safe and Affordable Food Labeling Act. “That was something that was needed because there’s so much misinformation about what a GMO is or what it isn’t,” said Rep. Yoho in an … Read More
USDA, Microsoft Team to Address Food Resiliency
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Microsoft are partnering to explore how climate change will impact the United States’ food system with the intent of achieving better food resiliency. This USDA news release says the “Innovation Challenge” is a contest designed to challenge entrants to develop and publish new applications and tools that can analyze multiple sources of information … Read More
Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act Passes House
The Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act has passed the U.S. House on a 275-150 vote, another step to ensuring that farmers will be able to use the safe technology, GMOs. The news was welcomed by a variety of politicians and ag groups. “For the past two years we have worked hard to defend our farmers’ right to use the … Read More
Farmers Fund $14 Billion of Farm Safety Net in 2014
$10 billion were shouldered by farmers who filed crop insurance claims in 2014 as deductible losses, according to the National Crop Insurance Services. That number, combined with the $3.9 billion spent to buy insurance, means farmers absorbed $14 billion, well in excess of the $9 billion in indemnity payments in rural America. NCIS President Tom Zacharias explains how this is … Read More
Setting Record Straight on Anti-GMO Distortions
The House Agriculture Committee is trying to set the record straight after some deliberate distortions by anti-GMO activists. According to the Coalition For Safe Affordable Food, the committee issued guidance on the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act that definitively declares that this bipartisan legislation creates a uniform, science-based labeling standard for foods produced using genetically modified organisms (GMOs) without … Read More