Agriculture Policy

Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Steve Censky this week said the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will complete “general timelines” within a few weeks for implementing the 2018 farm law. He noted that some of the law’s provisions “are almost self-implementing, with clear provisions,” while others spell out actions to be taken but provide latitude on how to achieve them.  USDA has formed a farm bill task force – which met Dec. 21, the day after President Trump signed the bill into law – that is reviewing every provision of the law and assigning agency and staff responsibility ... Read More

By Sarah Gonzalez, Director of Communications and Digital Media; and Randy Gordon, President and CEO President Donald Trump briefly mentioned the 2018 farm law and infrastructure investment as areas of bipartisan opportunity during his State of the Union address on Feb. 5. Trump also called on Congress to approve the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and discussed his trade negotiations with China, but he devoted most of his speech to advocating a U.S-Mexico border wall before the stopgap federal spending bill expires next week.  After citing the 2018 farm law – which he signed ... Read More

By Jess McCluer, Vice President of Safety and Regulatory Affairs The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS) announced a reduction in inspection and weighing service fees by 5 percent effective Jan. 1, 2019. The U.S. Grain Standards Act (USGSA) provides FGIS with the authority to charge and collect reasonable fees to cover the cost of performing official services. In 2015, the Agriculture Reauthorizations Act of 2015 (Reauthorization) amended the USGSA to require FGIS to adjust annually the export official grain inspection and weighing fees based on ... Read More

By Sarah Gonzalez, Director of Communications and Digital Media President Donald Trump signed the bipartisan farm bill on Dec. 20, enacting into law several important provisions for the grain, feed, processing and export industry and its farmer-customers. “[The farm bill] was a bipartisan success — something you don’t hear too much about,” Trump said during the signing ceremony, where Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, Democrat and Republican lawmakers and several representatives of agricultural groups, including NGFA President and CEO Randy Gordon, gathered. “I want to thank all of the ... Read More

By Sarah Gonzalez, Director of Communications and Digital Media Agricultural and business groups this week welcomed the Trump administration’s move to reduce the federal government’s jurisdiction over navigable waters under the Clean Water Act. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced their new “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) proposal during a Dec. 11 event at EPA headquarters in Washington, D.C. EPA Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler said the rule is designed to help landowners easily determine which areas of their property are covered ... Read More

By Sarah Gonzalez, Director of Communications and Digital Media After eight months of mark-ups, negotiations and debate, Congress passed the farm bill this week, sending the nation’s major food and agriculture policy — including positive reforms to federal conservation programs — to President Donald Trump for signature. The House approved the final bill by a 369-47 vote on Dec. 12, following the Senate’s 87-13 passage on Dec. 11. The compromise bill released late on Dec. 10 did not include the most controversial House Republican proposals regarding the Supplemental Nutrition ... Read More

By Bobby Frederick, Director of Legislative Affairs and Public Policy On the legislative front, this week was supposed to feature a critical vote over government funding and potential action on a farm bill compromise. However, the death of America’s 41st president, George H. W. Bush, left Congress eager to pay its respects and avoid a partisan showdown. Congress on Dec. 5 quietly passed a two-week continuing resolution that keeps federal government agencies open through Dec. 21. Both the House and Senate are in session next week and a vote on the farm bill is possible if not likely. The ... Read More

In a letter submitted Nov. 21, the NGFA urged the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) to withdraw its information request and suspend further rulemaking on potential changes to the official U.S. grain standards for soybeans.  The American Soybean Association, North American Export Grain Association, National Oilseed Processors Association and U.S. Soybean Export Council all joined in signing the statement. AMS made its request for information regarding the official U.S. standards for soybeans on June 29. The letter cited “the atypical ... Read More