6 years, 6 months ago American Farm Bureau Federation
Senate Ag Sets Northey, Ibach Confirmation Hearing
The Senate Agriculture Committee will consider the nomination of Bill Northey and Greg Ibach (eye-bah) Thursday. Northey was nominated by the Trump administration to be the Department of Agriculture undersecretary for farm and foreign agricultural services. Meanwhile, Ibach was nominated to be undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs. Northey is the current Iowa agriculture secretary, and Ibach is the Nebraska director of agriculture. The Senate Agriculture Committee confirmation for the two is Thursday, October 5th, at 9:30 am Eastern. The Committee has yet to vote on two other nominees, Steve Censky, the American Soybean Association CEO tapped to be deputy secretary and Indiana Agriculture Director Ted McKinney, nominated to be the first USDA undersecretary for trade and foreign agricultural affairs.
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House Member Outlines Need for Farm Bill
Kansas Republican Representative Roger Marshall says families across the U.S. need the next farm bill. As part of a House Agriculture Committee video series, Marshall says there is “no single piece of legislation more important” to his district than the farm bill. Marshal represents District One of Kansas, one of the largest agricultural-driven districts in the nation. He says the farm bill helps in maintaining a safe and affordable food supply for all Americans. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway indicated at the beginning of August, that work on the 2018 Farm Bill would start within the next eight weeks, meaning that work should start early this month (October). Conaway has previously said that he wants to get the next farm bill on the House floor this year.
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U.S. Dairy Says Japan, EU Trade Deal Must Carefully Consider Geographical Indications
The U.S. dairy industry is telling Japan to “proceed with great diligence” as it prepares a list of protected foods under geographic names as part of a trade agreement with the European Union. Politico reports Japan and the EU reached political agreement on a massive trade deal earlier this year which included protections for food products with geographical place names. U.S. dairy producers have long fought the EU’s efforts to get other countries to restrict generic product names as so-called geographical indications. In a letter to the Japanese minister of agriculture, leaders from the National Milk Producers Federation, the U.S. Dairy Export Council, and the International Dairy Foods Association, said it is imperative that Japan "not overlook the enormous significance of the EU food name list for Japanese consumers and producers,” and for “lasting relationships with key international trading partners."
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Canada Better Positioned for NAFTA Talks Than 23 Years Ago
Canada’s Prime Minister during the original North American Free Trade Agreement negotiations says the nation is in a better position now than it was 23 years ago to negotiate the agreement. Former Prime Minister Jean Chretien (John Kray-te-an) served in office between 1993 and 2003. He said back in 1994, Canada had a surplus of $50 billion a year in trade. But now, he says, the U.S. has no surplus. He told Canada's Global News that both sides would benefit in the end even though some sectors will win and others will lose. He also added that Americans have always been difficult to negotiate with for softwood lumber and dairy and that it's not uncommon in such negotiations for agreements to be signed on the last day. The U.S. want's Canada to change its dairy supply management system that the U.S. dairy industry says is harming U.S. producers.
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USDA Releases Grain Stocks Estimates
Current corn storage has swelled to levels not seen since the 1980’s, according to new data released by the Department of Agriculture. USDA released its quarterly Grain Stocks report Friday. The report shows that old-crop corn stocks have reached a 30-year record at 2.2 billion bushels. That number was 32 percent higher than last year, but still below the pre-report expectations from market analyst, according to DTN. USDA reports old-crop soybean ending stocks at 301 million bushels and wheat ending stocks at 2.2 billion bushels. The numbers are estimates by USDA of grain supplies as of September first, which marks the end of the 2016-17 marketing year. USDA also released its Small Grains Summary Friday, with the latest estimates of the 2017 wheat crop, which was pegged at 1.7 billion bushels.
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Gluten Free Wheat Near Reality
Researchers in Europe are close to creating a gluten-free bread. A team of scientists using CRISPR gene-editing technology has found a way to reduce the number of gluten proteins in an individual wheat kernel. In doing so, they were able to create a plant that could be used in the future to make flour for bread that can be considered gluten-free. The process discovered in Spain removes almost all proteins in wheat that create gluten. Using the CRISPR technology they have managed to knock out 35 of the 45 genes that create gluten in wheat. More genes will still need to be removed before the wheat is ready for testing. It’s estimated that seven percent of the global population suffers from a gluten allergy, known as celiac disease, which when paired with gluten can induce severe illness. Details of the research were published recently in the Plant Biotechnology Journal.
