Midwestern rivers are overflowing again, causing flood damage across several states. Since March, floodwaters from the Mississippi, Missouri and Illinois Rivers have caused billions of dollars of damage to farmland, homes and businesses. Rivers in many communities have been above flood stage for more than six weeks. The House is set to vote on an updated emergency disaster-assistance funding bill on May 10 totaling $17.2 billion for recent disasters, including an additional $3 billion to address Midwest flooding. Meanwhile, grain handlers have found themselves needing to make ... Read More
Newsletter
ERS employees unionize in effort to fight relocation
By Sarah Gonzalez, Director of Communications and Digital Media Employees of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service (ERS) voted May 9 to unionize, in response to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue’s plan to move ERS and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) out of Washington, D.C. The vote brings ERS into the American Federation of Government Employees, which already represents more than 100,000 USDA workers nationwide. The federation would negotiate on behalf of 214 economists, analysts and other ERS employees as the department continues its ... Read More
House committee approves legislation freeing up billions of dollars to maintain ports
By Bobby Frederick, Director of Legislative Affairs and Public Policy The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on May 8 approved legislation (H.R. 2440) that would require the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to fully utilize funds collected in the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF) for port dredging and maintenance activities. The HMTF was established in 1986 and is funded through a 0.125 percent tax on the value of imported cargo going through U.S. ports. Congress created the fee with the rationale that beneficiaries of properly dredged ports should contribute to that ... Read More
UP joins BNSF in committing to use NGFA arbitration to resolve RR demurrage, accessorial charge disputes
By Randy Gordon, President and CEO In a statement filed on May 1 with the Surface Transportation Board (STB), the Union Pacific Railroad (UP) maintained it has committed to arbitrate commercial disputes involving rail demurrage and accessorial charges through NGFA’s Rail Arbitration System and other venues. In its statement to the STB, UP asserted that it “has agreed to arbitrate contested demurrage and accessorial charges using a number of commodity or mode-specific rules (e.g., the National Grain and Feed Association’s Rail Arbitration Rules, the Association of American Railroads’ ... Read More
NGFA joins ag groups in urging Congress to ratify USMCA
The NGFA joined with 67 other food and agriculture associations and companies in sending a letter on May 6 to the congressional leadership and all 535 members of Congress strongly urging ratification of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). The organizations and companies representing the diverse food and agriculture spectrum underscored that the new agreement includes important improvements that will enhance food and agricultural trade and expand exports of U.S. agricultural products to Canada and Mexico. Further, the letter noted that a recently completed analysis of USMCA conducted ... Read More
U.S. tariffs increase as U.S.-China trade talks continue
By Randy Gordon, President and CEO President Trump at 12:01 a.m. on May 10 proceeded to increase tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports to the United States as the two countries’ trade negotiators convened for a second day of talks this morning in an effort to resolve the impasse. Trump’s decision to proceed with the additional tariffs followed a day of talks between delegations led by U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He – talks that, prior to last weekend, had been anticipated to result in a ... Read More
NGFA publishes new arbitration decisions
The following decisions were published on May 1: Case No. 2815 - Attebury Grain, LLC v. US Commodities, LLC Case No. 2822 - Scoular Canada, Ltd. v. Logan Farms Ltd. For a full listing of arbitration decisions, visit the website. ... Read More
NGFA welcomes new members
We are pleased to welcome the following companies to the NGFA. The newest members represent applicants approved during the first quarter of 2019. Listed are the companies, the principal contact person for each, and the company location. Welcome! CenDak Cooperative ... Read More
AAFCO updates guidelines on hemp in animal food
By David Fairfield, Senior Vice President of Feed Services The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) on May 2 released updated guidelines on the use of hemp and hemp products in animal feed and pet food. Key points from the updated AAFCO guidelines include: “Hemp” as defined by the 2018 farm law — Cannabis sativa L., and any part of the plant, including seeds, extracts, cannabinoids (CBD), isomers, acids, salts, and salts of isomers, with a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) of no more than 0.3% on a dry-weight basis — was removed from the Federal Controlled ... Read More
NGFA publishes updated resources on mycotoxins
By David Fairfield, Senior Vice President of Feed Services The NGFA on May 1 published updated editions of two documents that provide guidance on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) policies for the presence of mycotoxins in grain, grain by-products, animal food (feed), and human food. The updated documents were published in response to recent revisions made to FDA’s Compliance Policy Guide (CPG) for action levels for aflatoxin in animal food. Among the revisions made to the CPG were: A new intended-use category was added for pets (dogs, cats, rabbits, etc.) of all ages ... Read More
National Grain and Feed Association
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