The NGFA will present a virtual conference – CEC Replay – on June 17 in partnership with Grain Journal. NGFA members gathered almost six months ago in Indianapolis, Ind., for the 48th annual Country Elevator Conference and Tradeshow (“Elevate Your Business”). At this halfway point between last year’s and this year’s CEC, NGFA will offer an afternoon of session rebroadcasts, live Q&A with several session speakers, updates to information presented last December, and a chance to connect with fellow attendees, exhibitors and the CEC experience. The CEC Replay webinar is free to ... Read More
Subject-focused News
STB solicits additional stakeholder input on reforming process for challenging unreasonable rail rates
By Randy Gordon, President and CEO The federal Surface Transportation Board (STB) on May 15 published a decision waiving its general ban on ex parte communications with its commissioners to encourage informal discussions with stakeholders on the agency’s proposal to implement a so-called “final offer rate review” procedure in an effort to streamline and make its rail rate-challenge process more accessible to rail users, particularly smaller shippers. In its decision, the agency also said it was seeking other ideas from stakeholders on ways to improve its rate-challenge process. ... Read More
NGFA submits statement to CFTC on speculative position limits rule
As reported in last week’s NGFA Newsletter, the association on May 15 submitted a formal statement to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) on the agency’s proposed rule implementing speculative position limits. The NGFA statement was filed too late that day to include a link in the newsletter; it can be accessed here. See the May 15 article for a more detailed description of the contents of the NGFA statement. The CFTC now will analyze numerous comments submitted by the public and incorporate changes before proceeding to a vote on a final rule. It is ... Read More
NGFA submits statement to CFTC on speculative position limits rule
WASHINGTON, D.C., May 18, 2020 -- The National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) on May 15 submitted its official statement to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) on the agency’s latest attempt to implement speculative position limits across a range of commodities and futures contracts. The commission has attempted several times previously – during the almost 10 years since the Dodd-Frank financial reform legislation became law – to finalize rules for position limits. The NGFA has worked closely with CFTC over the years to resolve contentious issues that existed in earlier ... Read More
NGFA and Grain Journal to present COVID-19 webinar on workplace safety rules with Eric Conn on May 20
NGFA and Grain Journal on May 20 will present a second webinar focused on the implications of COVID-19 for the grain, feed, processing and export industry. Featuring Eric J. Conn, chair of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) practice group at Conn Maciel Carey LLP, the webinar will examine the workplace safety implications of OSHA’s recently issued “Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19,” which defines risk categories and provides recommendations on how to protect employees. Conn is a widely recognized and respected expert on OSHA and safety and health ... Read More
NGFA’s Fairfield named to FSPCA Executive Advisory Board
David Fairfield, NGFA’s senior vice president of feed, has been elected from a pool of more than 80 candidates to serve as a member of the nine-member Executive Advisory Board (EAB) of the Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance (FSPCA). He is one of only two members from the animal food sector; the other is Chris Lincecum, feed safety director for NGFA-member Cooperative Farmers Elevator in Ocheyedan, Iowa. Created in 2015, the FSCPCA is internationally recognized as the trusted source for curricula, training programs, and outreach for the prevention-oriented standards of the Food ... Read More
STB chairman directs Class I railroads to continue reporting demurrage and accessorial charge revenues through 2020
By Randy Gordon, President and CEO Federal Surface Transportation Board (STB) Chairman Ann Begeman on May 7 wrote to each of the presidents and chief executive officers of the Class I railroads directing that they continue to submit quarterly reports on revenues generated by demurrage and accessorial charges for the remainder of 2020. Originally, Begeman had requested in 2018 that such quarterly reports be submitted on a quarterly basis until the end of 2019. In her most recent directive, she said continued reporting “is important to the (STB) as it works to monitor the fluidity of ... Read More
FMCSA finalizes hours-of-service rules
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) on May 14 issued its long-awaited final rule on changes to driver hours-of-service regulations, which include important reforms that will increase driver flexibility and facilitate the availability of truck transportation, the mode that moves the vast majority of agricultural freight. “FMCSA’s final hours-of-service rule should improve trucking efficiency and expand trucking capacity,” NGFA noted. “The decision to increase the air-mile radius to 150 miles (172.6 statute miles) for the short-haul ... Read More
USDA announces final rule for regulating biotech products
By Sarah Gonzalez, Director of Communications and Digital Media The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced on May 14 its final rule for regulating plant-based agricultural biotechnology products. In a press statement, NGFA noted that it supports the use of agricultural biotechnology and plant breeding innovation to provide farmers with improved technology that can contribute to a sustainable, abundant and affordable food and feed supply. “However, for grain elevators and exporters, as well as farmers and downstream customers they serve, there is a pressing need to provide ... Read More
NGFA submits statement to CFTC on speculative position limits rule
By Todd Kemp, Senior Vice President and Treasurer The NGFA on May 15 will submit an official statement to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) responding to its request for comments on the agency’s latest attempt to implement speculative position limits across a range of commodities and futures contracts. The commission has attempted several times previously – during the almost 10 years since the Dodd-Frank financial reform legislation became law – to finalize rules for position limits, but each effort has fallen short. Of course, the futures contracts for the ... Read More
National Grain and Feed Association
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