The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service announced in the Federal Register today that it intends to approve a license for Zoetis, Inc., to market its vaccine for the African Swine Fever (ASF) virus, a product produced with gene editing. Comments must be received by Nov. 14, 2018. The ASF virus is deadly for pigs but not dangerous to humans. The virus, once confined to Africa, has spread through Russia and Eastern Europe and is now killing swine in China, the world’s largest pork-producing country. While the science on the viral transmission of ASF through feed ... Read More
News
NGFA Rail Arbitration celebrates 20th anniversary
By Charlie Delacruz, Senior Vice President and Counsel NGFA is pleased this month to commemorate the 20th anniversary of its widely acclaimed Rail Arbitration System. In October 1998, the Class I railroads and rail shipper members of NGFA reached an agreement to arbitrate various types of rail-related disputes. The regional and shortline railroads, which are also NGFA members, later joined. This was a one-of-a-kind and unprecedented step at the time to provide for a voluntary industry-based means for formal dispute-resolution between rail carriers and their customers. As we look ... Read More
Pork organizations suggest holding of feed ingredients to reduce potential for virus transmission
By Dave Fairfield, Senior Vice President of Feed Services A National Pork Board (NPB)-issued joint paper, authored by its Swine Health Information Center, as well as the National Pork Producers Council, and American Association of Swine Veterinarians, indicates that observing a holding time period for feed ingredients may reduce the potential transmission of African Swine Fever (ASF) and other pathogenic diseases by feed. The “holding paper” states that the information provided is for general informational and educational purposes only and is not to be construed as recommending or ... Read More
NGFA urges FMCSA to adjust commercial trucking capacity rules
The NGFA outlined priorities to alleviate trucking capacity constraints and improve efficiency within the motor carrier industry in a statement submitted Oct. 10 to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) regarding its hours-of-service rules for commercial motor carriers. In its comments, NGFA said its primary concern for the agricultural industry is the “significantly constrained commercial trucking capacity,” particularly the shortage of available truck drivers, and urged the agency to explore ways to modify its hours-of-service rules ... Read More
USMCA expected to arrive in Congress by second half of 2019
By Sarah Gonzalez, Director of Communications and Digital Media The new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which will replace the North American Free Trade Agreement, is expected to be introduced in the U.S. Congress during the first or second quarter of 2019. Under the Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) law, which requires Congress to approve or reject a trade accord without amendment, President Donald Trump may sign the USMCA after 60 days, or on Nov. 29. Following this, 60 days are provided for legal review and 105 days for the completion of an economic impact study by the U.S. ... Read More
USDA says soybean damage eligible for crop insurance quality adjustments
By Max Fisher, Director of Economics and Government Relations In response to reports of weather-induced damage to portions of this year’s U.S. soybean crop, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) has issued a new Fact Sheet to help affected producers more fully understand the process for filing quality adjustment claims for soybean damage under the federal crop insurance program. To be eligible for quality adjustment payments, soybeans must grade sample grade or worse. Kernel damage exceeding 8 percent damage is one of the factors that causes soybeans to be ... Read More
Senate approves water infrastructure bill
The Senate on Oct. 1 voted 99-1 to approve the “America's Water Infrastructure Act,” which includes the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2018 that authorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ water resources projects. In a victory for the NGFA and other organizations whose members are commercial users of the inland waterway users, the bill does not include any authorization language that would allow for lockage fees or tolls on the inland waterways system. Among other things, WRDA 2018 includes funding for the deepening of Savannah Harbor in Georgia and replacement for the ... Read More
NGFA, NAEGA commend Trump administration and counterparts for achieving trilateral trade agreement with Mexico, Canada
By Randy Gordon, President The NGFA and North American Export Grain Association (NAEGA) commended the Trump administration and its counterparts in Mexico and Canada for reaching a trilateral trade agreement, which the nations announced late Sept. 30. Read more (member log-in required). ... Read More
CEC guest panelist Indigo Ag launches digital marketplace
Indigo Ag Inc. an agricultural startup specializing in microbial and digital technologies, officially announced in September its launch of Indigo Marketplace™, a digital platform for buying and selling grain. Indigo, which first launched in 2014 to help farmers improve crop health, made its online grain marketplace available to its network of farmers in June. Since then, growers have entered more than $6 billion in grain inventory and buyers have entered more than 4,000 bids representing over $2 billion in demand, the company said in a September press release. “Directly connecting ... Read More
NGFA joins Coalition for Workplace Safety to outline concerns about OSHA’s injury and illness reporting rules
By Jess McCluer, Vice President of Safety and Regulatory Affairs; and Sarah Gonzalez, Director of Communications and Digital Media The Coalition for Workplace Safety (CWS), a group of companies and trade associations including the NGFA that focuses on improving workplace safety, issued comments Sept. 28 to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) on the agency’s proposal to revise the injury and illness reporting regulation known as Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses. In its proposal, OSHA eliminated the final rule’s requirement for establishments with 250 or ... Read More
National Grain and Feed Association
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