In a letter submitted on Oct. 1 to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the NGFA recommended the agency should clarify a recently proposed rule to ensure agribusiness firms like grain elevators, feed manufacturers and grain processors qualify for the pass-through deduction under Section 199A of the tax code. Read story (requires member log-in) ... Read More
Agriculture Policy
Congress acts on water infrastructure legislation
By Sarah Gonzalez, Director of Communications and Digital Media Congress this week passed a “minibus” spending bill, including appropriations for energy and water, the legislative branch, and military construction and veterans’ affairs before the start of the new fiscal year on Oct. 1. This means the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) will receive its full funding rather than operate under a continuing resolution. The act bundles three of the 12 fiscal year 2019 appropriations bills, with the energy and water development appropriation allocating funds to the Corps’ navigation ... Read More
Farm bill conference continues while Sept. 30 deadline looms
By Bobby Frederick, Director of Legislative Affairs and Public Policy While farm bill conference negotiations between House and Senate Agriculture Committee leaders and staff have been going on for weeks, the first — and likely only — meeting of all 56 farm bill conferees took place on Wednesday (Sept. 5). During the three-hour meeting, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kan., and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich.; as well as House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway, R-Texas, and Ranking Member Collin Peterson, D-Minn., joined the other House and Senate ... Read More
Agriculture groups appeal WOTUS ruling
Agricultural groups led by the American Farm Bureau Federation will appeal a South Carolina district court ruling that reinstated the controversial 2015 “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) rule in several states. Judge David Norton of the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina ruled on Aug. 16 that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) did not follow the Administrative Procedures Act in finalizing its rule to delay the 2015 WOTUS by two years until 2020. The 2015 WOTUS rule expanded EPA’s jurisdiction over the nation’s bodies of water, leading many industries ... Read More
NGFA pushes for farm bill priorities as conferees prepare to meet
As House and Senate lawmakers prepare for the first farm bill conference meeting on Sept. 5, NGFA is advocating for certain policy priorities, including conservation program reforms and official inspection exception provisions. The Farm Bill Conference Committee is composed of 56 members, including nine senators and 47 representatives. “We are committed to working together on a farm bill that delivers certainty and predictability to our farmers and families as quickly as possible,” the leaders of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees said in a joint statement. Conservation: ... Read More
NGFA joins more than 100 animal ag groups in urging Senate farm bill conferees to adequately fund animal disease response plan
The NGFA this week joined 119 other agricultural groups in urging Senate farm bill conferees to fully fund a new national animal disease preparedness and response program that is included in both the House and Senate versions of the 2018 farm bill. In an Aug. 15 letter to Senate conferees, the NGFA and other groups said that the uncontrolled outbreak of a foreign animal disease like foot and mouth disease (FMD) and avian influence (AI) “has the ability to cripple the entire agricultural sector and create long-lasting ramifications for the economic viability of U.S. aquaculture, ... Read More
Farm bill conference meetings expected to start after Labor Day
By Sarah Gonzalez, Director of Communications and Digital Media Senate Agriculture Chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kan., plans to call the first formal meeting of the farm bill conference committee shortly after the Labor Day recess. Roberts is speaking with Senate Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich.; House Agriculture Chairman Mike Conaway, R-Texas; and the House Agriculture Ranking Member Collin Peterson, D-Minn., this week as staffs for both committees meet during the recess to identify and make recommendations on how to resolve differences, where possible, between the ... Read More
IRS publishes proposed rules to implement Section 199A
The Internal Revenue Service on Aug. 8 issued proposed regulations to implement the Section 199A tax provision allowing owners of sole proprietorships, partnerships, trusts and S corporations to deduct 20 percent of their qualified business income. The Section 199A deduction, or the deduction for qualified business income, was created by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 and is available for tax years beginning after Dec. 31, 2017. Eligible taxpayers can claim it for the first time on the 2018 federal income tax return they file next year. The NGFA will be reviewing the proposed rule ... Read More
Senate names farm bill conferees; NGFA publishes farm bill comparison document
The Senate voted to move to conference with the House on the 2018 farm bill and announced its conferees this week. A total of 56 lawmakers have been assigned to the joint House-Senate Conference Committee, which will continue discussions during the House’s August recess. The Senate is remaining in session for most of the month to continue work on appropriations bills and nominations of Trump judicial and administration appointees. The Senate's nine farm bill negotiators include Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., as well as four other Republican conferees: Senate Agriculture Committee ... Read More
NGFA Hill Briefing: Grain inspection exceptions and appropriations
By Bobby Frederick, Director of Legislative Affairs and Public Policy Before embarking on the five-week August district work period, the House passed a medical device tax repeal and the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) outlining defense programs for the year. Meanwhile, the Senate confirmed a new Veterans Administration secretary and began work on an appropriations bill (H.R. 6147) that includes funding for agriculture, transportation, interior and financial services programs. Earlier this year, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., announced that the Senate ... Read More
National Grain and Feed Association
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