The NGFA’s 2019-2020 class of the Committee Apprentice Program (CAP) spent time in Washington, D.C., this week, where they met with government agencies and officials pertinent to their particular committees’ issues and advocated on behalf of the grain, feed, processing and export industry on Capitol Hill. This is the sixth annual class of CAPs under a program first envisioned in NGFA’s 2012 Long-Range Plan. Twenty-six CAPs discussed the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, waterways infrastructure funding and rail issues with their lawmakers, visiting a total of 21 congressional offices. Rep. ... Read More
News
USDA releases 2017 Census of Agriculture
The number of farms is decreasing as the U.S. farmer ages, according to the results of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) 2017 Census of Agriculture. The census, released on April 11, found the total number of farms in the United States declined 3 percent from 2012 to 2017 and the average age of all producers is 57.5, up 1.2 years from 2012. The Census of Agriculture is conducted every five years by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) with information provided directly by farmers and ranchers. USDA said the number of the largest and smallest operations has ... Read More
USDA criticizes Vietnam ban on glyphosate
By Sarah Gonzalez, Director of Communications and Digital Media Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) announced April 10 the country will ban glyphosate. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue responded in an April 11 statement, saying that the decision “will have devastating impacts on global agricultural production.” “USDA has shared scientific studies with MARD from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other internationally recognized regulatory bodies concluding that glyphosate is unlikely to pose a carcinogenic hazard to humans,” Perdue said. ... Read More
NGFA supports bill to make Section 199A permanent
The NGFA joined 102 other organizations this week to support the so-called “Main Street Tax Certainty Act of 2019” (H.R. 216), which would make permanent the Section 199A 20 percent qualified business income deduction. Led by Reps. Jason Smith, R-Mo., and Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, in the House and Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., in the Senate, the bipartisan legislation would help ensure permanent tax relief for employers organized as S corporations, partnerships and sole proprietorships, as well as preserve Section 199A benefits for cooperatives and their farmer-owners. “Despite the economic ... Read More
NGFA, other ag groups commend STB for focus on RR demurrage, accessorial policies and charges
By Randy Gordon, President and CEO The NGFA joined with 23 other national producer, commodity and agribusiness organizations today in commending the federal Surface Transportation Board (STB) for its actions to examine whether demurrage and accessorial charges being imposed by Class I carriers on rail customers are commercially fair and reciprocal. In a statement filed with the STB, the groups particularly commended the agency for scheduling a May 22 public hearing on the issue. “In the interest of obtaining a factual record, we encourage the (STB) to structure the format of its public ... Read More
Perdue discusses trade, budget and more at appropriations hearings
By Sarah Gonzalez, Director of Communications and Digital Media Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue testified before two appropriations subcommittees this week to discuss the president’s budget request for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, during which lawmakers asked him about a wide range of issues, including trade, farm bill implementation, food stamps, agricultural research and more. During the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Agriculture Subcommittee hearing on April 11, senators repeatedly brought up the president’s trade agenda and its effects on agriculture. Both Republicans ... Read More
OSHA reminds employers to post injury/illness summary through April 30
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires employers to post a copy of OSHA Form 300A from Feb. 1 through April 30. The summary must be displayed in a common area where notices to workers are usually posted. Businesses with 10 or fewer workers are exempt from OSHA recordkeeping and posting requirements. Visit OSHA's Recordkeeping Rule webpage for more information. ... Read More
Register now to save on NGFA’s Trade Rules Seminar
Offered only once every-other-year, NGFA’s 2019 Trading, Trade Rules and Dispute Resolution Seminar (Trade Rules Seminar) will be conducted May 6-7 at the Hilton St. Louis Airport Hotel, St. Louis, Mo. Register here by today – Friday, April 5 – to receive an early bird discount! NGFA’s Trade Rules Seminar provides attendees with a primer on contracting principles and trading practices designed to minimize costly trade disputes and contract non-performance. “[The Trade Rules Seminar] is a great way to really gain exposure to the trade rules and their application to what we use every ... Read More
Did you participate in Stand-Up for Grain Safety Week? Take the NGFA survey!
The NGFA is inviting feedback about the major safety outreach effort it hosted with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) – the “Stand-Up for Grain Safety Week” – from March 25-29 to raise awareness about grain handling and storage hazards and ways to prevent them. Throughout the Stand-Up for Grain Safety Week, companies participated by providing focused activities and/or toolbox talks for employees on any hazard-prevention measure. If your facility participated in this safety effort, please take this brief survey. The NGFA wants to make sure you and your company ... Read More
CFTC chair nomination advances
The Senate Agriculture Committee on April 1 approved Heath Tarbert’s nomination to become chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), bringing him one step closer to leading the agency. A Republican who currently serves as assistant secretary of the treasury for international affairs, Tarbert would succeed fellow Republican Chris Giancarlo if confirmed by the full Senate. During his testimony at the committee’s March 13 confirmation hearing, Tarbert stressed the CFTC’s special obligation to ensure “that our derivatives markets are open, transparent, competitive and ... Read More
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