6 years, 2 months ago American Farm Bureau Federation
Jeff Flake, Senate Republican from Arizona, has lifted his hold on the nomination of Gregg Doud as chief agriculture negotiator. Flake had placed his hold on the President Trump nominee because he was upset about a Trump proposal in the North American Free Trade Agreement negotiations. The proposal would have allowed Florida tomato producers to use U.S. trade remedy laws to counter surges in Mexican produce imports. The Hagstrom Report says Flake had secured commitments on NAFTA-related trade priorities from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Senate Finance Committee Chair Orrin Hatch. Flake said Hatch is committed to working with him on NAFTA provisions that benefit all American producers. Lighthizer also committed to meet with Arizona stakeholders who rely on NAFTA and would have been hurt by the proposed provision. Flake says, “Given the importance of U.S. agriculture and what’s at stake for them in the NAFTA negotiations, I’m pleased this nomination can move forward.” Senate Ag Committee Chair Pat Roberts says he is pleased that assurances have been given and the path for Gregg Doud to be confirmed as the chief agriculture negotiator has finally been cleared.
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Cattlemen Release 2018 Policy Priorities
At last week’s Cattle Industry Convention in Phoenix, Arizona, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association released its policy priorities for 2018. The priorities center around five categories, including the 2018 Farm Bill, Trade and Market Access, Regulatory Reform, Antimicrobial Use, and Fake Meat. NCBA will be working to make sure the new farm bill includes funding for a Foot and Mouth vaccine bank. They also want to protect programs like EQIP and prevent market-disrupting policy like COOL. The regulatory-reform efforts will focus on finding a permanent solution to an electronic logging devices mandate, modernizing the Endangered Species Act, and replacing the 2015 Waters of the U.S. Rule. One of the newer priorities involves protecting the industry and consumers from fake meat and false labeling on products that don’t contain real beef. “With tax reform, regulatory rollbacks, and new access to the Chines market, we had some big victories in Washington last year,” says incoming NCBA President Kevin Kester of California, “but now is not the time to take a break. 2018 is going to see a mix of new and familiar challenges.”
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NPPC Reacts to “The Other White Meat” Court Ruling
The U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. issued a ruling that partially denied the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit over the sale of “The Other White Meat” trademarks. The National Pork Producers Council sold “The Other White Meat” trademarks to the National Pork Board in 2006. NPPC President Ken Maschoff says they are conducting a thorough review of the decision and looking at all their options. “We are disappointed that the court partially denied the USDA motion to dismiss this frivolous lawsuit, one that was never based on a legitimate legal challenge to the sale.” He says the suit was brought by an anti-meat activist group intent on eliminating meat consumption and harming the beef industry that employs thousands of Americans and feeds billions around the world. Maschoff adds, “Regardless of the final outcome in this case, we are well positioned to continue fighting for the livelihood of farmers and others in rural America.” The USDA argued in court that the lawsuit, filed by the Humane Society of the U.S. and two other parties, lacked merit, was barred by the statute-of-limitations, and the plaintiffs failed to show how they were harmed by the sale of the trademarks from NPPC to the Pork Board. HSUS claims that the trademarks were sold for an inflated price.
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Court Grants Delay for Air Emissions Reporting Requirements
The U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., granted the Environmental Protection Agency’s request to delay air emissions reporting requirements for farms until May first. Dairy Herd Dot Com says the ruling was issued late Thursday. EPA had requested more time to fine-tune the guidance on who must report and what must be reported. In April of last year, the D.C. Circuit Court had ruled that farmers were required to report air emissions of “hazardous substances” that exceeded certain thresholds set by two specific environmental laws. Attorneys involved in the case say it’s likely that Congress didn’t intend for the laws to apply to farmers. Livestock groups supported the EPA request for the delay while environmental groups and animal rights activists had been pushing the court to apply the requirements to farmers. Last April, the court had overturned EPA exemptions from air emissions reporting requirements that were issued to American farmers. The EPA asked the court for a delay in the requirements last October. Further complicating the issue is there is no scientifically accepted method for monitoring emissions requirements from livestock operations.
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CA Study Says Farm Fields Are Causing Air Pollution
A recent study by the University of California – Davis says farm fields are causing major nitrogen oxide pollution in the state. The study indicates that between 20 and 32 percent of that smog is caused by farm fields with fertilizer applications. The study says recent findings show that agriculture is one of the dominant sources of nitrogen oxide in the U.S. It says the impact is especially large in the Midwest, where fertilizer inputs are substantial. The study took place in California’s central valley, with the authors saying more study is needed around the state before new policies are suggested. If the study is proven, it means a lot of new regulations for farms around the state, with producers and agriculture industry stakeholders not happy about the idea. Renee Pinel of the Western Plant Health Association says it’s just one study that hasn’t even been peer-reviewed yet. A wide range of universities and regulatory agencies have studied this and not found agriculture to be a significant contributor of nitrogen oxide.
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Ag Lending and Interest Expense Increasing for Farmers
Farm lending at commercial banks increased during the fourth quarter of last year. Demand for all types of loans, except for farm machinery and livestock, increased significantly over 2016. Operating expenses continue to make up the majority of loan originations. Loans for livestock made up over a quarter of all new non-real estate loans. The total value of operating and livestock loans increased almost 50 percent over the previous year, but they’re still below 2014 and 2015 levels. Large loans continue to make up the majority of farm loan volumes at commercial banks. Because of high production costs, loans of $100,000 or more continue to make up more than 70 percent of loan volume. After declining through 2016, the average size of farm loans grew in every quarter of 2017. Interest rates on all types of farm loans increased in the fourth quarter of last year. Total farm debt increased in the third quarter of 2017 from the previous year. The slight jump is due to both real estate and non-real estate debt. Delinquincy rates are still low for both real estate and non-real estate loans, staying near two percent in the third quarter of last year.
