(Updated Jan. 18, 2019) Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue on Jan. 16 announced that about half of Farm Service Agency (FSA) personnel temporarily will return to work to reopen offices to perform limited services for farmers and ranchers. FSA offices in certain locations reopened on Thursday, Jan. 17; Friday, Jan. 18; and will re-open Tuesday, Jan. 22. Among other things, during these three days, FSA staff is available to release proceeds from the sale of loan security by signing checks jointly payable to FSA that are brought to the county office by producers. The re-opening of FSA ... Read More
Issue Advisory
NGFA Member Alert: Update on Resolving Section 199A Tax Issue
Feb. 9, 2018 By Randy Gordon, NGFA President and CEO As NGFA member companies likely are aware, legislation to correct the unforeseen impacts of Section 199A of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 was not included in the continuing budget resolution that Congress enacted early this morning. Efforts to arrive at an equitable solution were nonstop during the past week, and the NGFA and other stakeholders were very close to reaching an agreement with legislators but just ran out of time to resolve one or two remaining issues. In fact, discussions were occurring late into the evening ... Read More
FDA issues FSMA final rule on intentional adulteration
FDA issues FSMA final rule on intentional adulteration; animal/pet food and grain storage facilities exempt By Jess McCluer, Vice President of Safety and Regulatory Affairs; and Randy Gordon, President The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on May 26 released the final version of its regulations implementing the intentional adulteration provisions of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). Details of the FDA final rule are available online. The final rule’s requirements will take effect 60 days after it is published in the Federal Register, which is expected to occur May 27. But the ... Read More
NGFA Board approves final set of new trucking-related trade rules
On May 20, 2016, the NGFA Board of Directors voted to approve final a version of NGFA’s newest trading rules – related to the transportation of grain and feed products by truck. The new truck-related additions amend NGFA Grain Trade Rule 12 to spell out the responsibilities of both buyers and sellers for grain transported by truck and sold based upon either destination or origin grades. The newly adopted provisions also amend NGFA Feed Trade Rule 18 regarding truck shipments of feed products whose condition is guaranteed upon arrival at destination. These new rules, which are designed ... Read More
USDA announces CRP enrollment
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Thursday that USDA will enroll more than 800,000 acres in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Through CRP, farmers and ranchers enter into 10- to 15-year contracts with USDA to use conservation practices on their land in exchange for rental payments or federal cost-share funding. A nationwide acreage limit was established for CRP in the 2014 Farm Bill, capping the total number of acres that may be enrolled at 24 million for fiscal years 2017 and 2018. As of March 2016, 23.8 million acres were enrolled in CRP, with 1.7 million acres set to ... Read More
Jackie Congress, long-time NGFA staff member, retires
WASHINGTON, Jan. 29, 2016 – We are at once delighted and saddened to announce that Jackie Congress, a member of NGFA’s staff for nearly 27½ years, is retiring effective Jan. 29. She is the voice NGFA members, government officials and others heard when calling the NGFA’s office in her role as our principal telephone receptionist, and was responsible for the operation of the Association’s mailroom and supply ordering. “Jackie has been an important cog in the NGFA’s operations and a consistently dedicated and conscientious part of our team during her career at the Association,” said NGFA ... Read More
NGFA offices closed Monday, Jan. 25
The NGFA offices are closed Monday, Jan. 25 due to limited travel caused by Winter Storm Jonas over the weekend. The blizzard covered Washington, D.C. in about 24 inches of snow, hindering public transportation and other modes of travel throughout the region. NGFA staff plan to be in the office on Tuesday Jan. 26. If you would like to leave a message for NGFA staff, please call 202-289-0873. If you need immediate assistance, email sgonzalez@ngfa.org. ... Read More
NGFA, NAEGA urge Obama administration to examine marketability issues as part of biotech regulatory system review
By Randy Gordon, President The NGFA and North American Export Grain Association (NAEGA) have urged the Obama administration to address the marketability of biotech-enhanced crops in international and domestic commerce as it develops a long-term strategy for modernizing the U.S. regulatory system governing biotech-enhanced products. In a joint statement presented at an Oct. 30 public meeting, the NGFA and NAEGA said that to create a “truly workable biotech regulatory framework for the future,” the U.S. government “needs to address the challenge of achieving regulatory coherence and ... Read More
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