NGFA urged the Department of Defense this week to reinstate the Inland Waterways Users Board (IWUB) as soon as possible. In an April 7 letter to DoD leaders, NGFA President and CEO Mike Seyfert noted that the U.S. inland waterways system is financed in part by a diesel fuel tax that commercial users pay, deposited into the Inland Waterways Trust Fund (IWTF). “The users who help pay for the maintenance and modernization of this system should continue to have their voice heard through the IWUB,” he noted. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered a “zero-based review” of all DoD ... Read More
Newsletter
Purdue University releases grain entrapment statistics for 2020
By Jess McCluer, Vice President of Safety and Regulatory Affairs Purdue University’s Agricultural Safety and Health Program last month released its “2020 Summary of U.S. Agricultural and Confined-Space Related Injuries and Fatalities” report, which documents 35 grain entrapment cases that occurred in 2020. The 35 cases represent an almost 8 percent decline in grain entrapments from 2019, when 38 entrapments were recorded. The total number of fatal and non-fatal entrapments is the second highest in the past six years. In 2020, the state with the most documented grain entrapments — fatal ... Read More
NGFA 2020-21 Annual Report now available
NGFA’s 2020-21 Annual Report covers the time between the start of the association’s fiscal year in February 2020 and the start of 2021. The Annual Report, which documents challenges and accomplishments that encompass multiple facets of NGFA’s wide-ranging portfolio, now is available to read and download on ngfa.org. The National Grain and Feed Foundation has its own 2020-21 Annual Report, which highlights featured and ongoing projects and donors. The Foundation 2020-21 Annual Report can be found at ngfa.org/foundation. ... Read More
CME Group announces plans to increase speculative position limits
By Todd Kemp, Senior Vice President, Treasurer The CME Group on Jan. 27 notified the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) that it intends to increase both spot-month and all-months-combined speculative position limits effective March 15. The change is intended to coincide with the effective date of CFTC’s final rule that revises speculative position limits for corn, wheat, soybeans and other agricultural commodities, and imposes such limits on some energy, metals and financial futures contracts for the first time. For corn, wheat and soybean contracts, and subject ... Read More
CFTC publishes final rule on speculative position limits
By Todd Kemp, Senior Vice President, Treasurer At the culmination of a 10-year process and after several false starts, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) on Jan. 14 published its 258-page final rule on speculative position limits in the Federal Register. The CFTC approved the final rule last year on Oct. 15, completing one of the last unfinished pieces of regulatory business to implement under the 2008 Dodd-Frank Act. The vote split along party lines, with Republican Chairman Heath Tarbert and Commissioners Brian Quintenz and Dawn Stump in favor; and Democratic ... Read More
FDA seeks comment on approach for defining durations of use for certain antimicrobial drugs for food animals
By David Fairfield, Senior Vice President, Feed The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Jan. 8 published a concept paper to obtain input from stakeholders on a potential framework for how animal drug sponsors could voluntarily make changes to the approved conditions of use for certain medically important animal antimicrobial drugs to establish a defined duration of use for those indications that currently lack a defined duration of use. The concept paper focuses on medically important animal antimicrobial drugs – drugs important in human medicine – administered through ... Read More
NGFA urges California Department of Public Health to adopt pertinent pet food model regulations
By David Fairfield, Senior Vice President, Feed NGFA joined with the California Grain and Feed Association, Pet Food Institute, American Feed Industry Association and North American Renderers Association to submit a statement on Dec. 31 to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) regarding potential amendments to California’s processed pet food regulations. CDPH on Dec. 1 provided a 30-day notice of informal stakeholder engagement that invited interested parties to submit comments related to amending its existing processed pet food regulations. To facilitate comments, CDPH ... Read More
Latest COVID-19 relief law provides additional support for ag, biofuels
By Randy Gordon, President and CEO; and Max Fisher, Vice President, Economics and Government Relations The latest round of approximately $900 billion in COVID-19 economic relief enacted late last year as part of a total $2.3 trillion bill that also funded the federal government for the remainder of the 2021 fiscal year (which ends Sept. 30) provided approximately $13 billion for agriculture and food programs, as well as recharged and streamlined rules governing the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Congress approved the legislation on Dec. 21 but it wasn’t signed into law by President ... Read More
NGFA, food and ag groups, outline transportation priorities to incoming Biden administration
By Max Fisher, Vice President of Economics and Government Relations NGFA and a coalition of food and agricultural organizations on Jan. 7 sent the transition team of President-elect Joe Biden a statement outlining major transportation policies and initiatives that would enhance the efficient and cost-effective transport of agricultural and food products. The letter provided recommendations for each of the three primary freight transportation modes: motor, rail and waterborne. Motor Carrier: For motor carrier transportation, NGFA and its coalition partners said exemptions to ... Read More
NGFA’s McCluer named 2021 ‘Leader in the Field’ by Journal of Agromedicine
The Journal of Agromedicine announced Jan. 8 that it has selected Jess McCluer, NGFA’s vice president of safety and regulatory affairs, as its 2021 “Leader in the Field.” McCluer “instills agricultural safety and health across the industry by leveraging his unique blend of analytical skills, creativity and relationship management,” the Journal said in its announcement. Since March 2019, McCluer also has served as Board Chair of the Agricultural Safety and Health Council of America (ASHCA), a coalition of agricultural business leaders, producer associations, risk managers and others ... Read More
Lacy Holleman
National Grain and Feed Association
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