6 years, 2 months ago AFBF
Presidential budget proposals have been dead on arrival before. However, the Hagstrom Report says no budget outline has been as dead as the one President Trump sent to members of Congress on Monday. No one in the entire American food chain seems happy with what they’ve seen. Everyone, from members of Congress to farm leaders, crop insurance executives, as well as anti-hunger activists and grocery store lobbyists, are denouncing the plan. Trump’s plan calls for cutting the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and making a food package part of the benefits. The budget also proposes eliminating premium subsidies, commodity payments, and conservation program eligibility for farmers with Adjusted Gross Incomes of more than $500,000. It also proposes many other changes designed to reduce payments to farmers. The budget also proposes establishing user fees for many of the programs within the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The proposal says it would save $260 billion over ten years, including $213 billion of those savings from SNAP. Farm program cuts would total $47 billion over ten years, including $25 billion from crop insurance and $13 billion from streamlining conservation payments.
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ASA Welcomes New CEO
The American Soybean Association announced it has hired Ryan Findlay as its new Chief Executive Officer. He replaces Stephen Censky, who is now the Deputy Secretary of Agriculture. ASA President John Heisdorffer, an Iowa soybean farmer, says they are extremely pleased to have found someone of Findlay’s caliber and experience to lead the organization into its next chapter as a first-class commodity organization. “Ryan’s background of growing up on a farm and working for the Michigan Farm Bureau and Syngenta give him the right combination of life and work experience that will serve ASA well in the coming years,” says Heisdorffer. Findlay says, “I’m honored to lead a premier policy organization that I’ve worked with and admired over the years.” The National Biodiesel Board issued a statement congratulating Findlay on his new position. The NBB says, “ASA and its members have been leaders in the advancement of the biodiesel industry since the beginning. We look forward to continuing our strong relationship with ASA as we grow biodiesel use across America.”
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NPPC Wants Congressional Votes on Trump USDA Nominees
The National Pork Producers Council urged Senate leaders to schedule confirmation votes on four long-languishing Trump administration nominees to USDA positions. In a letter, NPPC is urging the leadership to move quickly to schedule votes on the four USDA positions, which are important to U.S. pork producers and for American agriculture. NPPC President Ken Maschoff is asking Congress to fulfill it’s “vital role in ensuring that our federal agencies are adequately staffed and move quickly to schedule confirmation votes.” The organization wants Gregg Doud confirmed as the chief agricultural negotiator for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and Bill Northey confirmed as Undersecretary for Farm Production and Conservation at the USDA. They’re also asking for confirmation of Stephen Vaden as the USDA’s general counsel and Andrew Wheeler as deputy administrator with the Environmental Protection Agency. Maschoff says, “All four candidates are highly qualified, and the positions they’ll fill are extremely important to U.S. pork producers, as well as American agriculture. The nominees will oversee policies and programs that farmers and ranchers depend on.”
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Feeding Minds Press Focuses on Accurate Ag Books for Children
Feeding Minds Press is a new chidren’s book venture from the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture. The goal is to bring children accurate knowledge about how their food is grown. The new publisher’s first book will be titled “Right This Very Minute,” and is scheduled for release in January of 2019, just in time for the American Farm Bureau’s annual convention. The foundation’s announcement says “Right This Very Minute” is the perfect book to launch this exciting new project. They call it a great story and it tells kids that every minute of every day, someone, somewhere, is working to bring the food to their table. Julia Recko, director of education outreach with the Farm Bureau Foundation, says they’ve been working every year to find books that support their mission, but it’s really no longer an option. “It’s become more and more difficult to discover books that meet our specific needs,” she says. “We feel this is the next logical step in educational outreach.” Feeding Minds Press intends to regularly publish new books that show how farmers are using technology to better grow crops and livestock. They plan to also accept submissions for new books that bring modern agriculture to life.
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South Korea Driving Recent Surge in U.S. Beef/Pork Exports
For the past year, South Korea has been one of the top global markets for U.S. beef and pork exports. The South Korean director for the U.S. Meat Export Federation says the American beef industry has been very successful in restoring consumer confidence in U.S. beef. Many Korean restaurants and retailers that were once reluctant to carry U.S. beef now feature a good-sized supply of it without any hesitation. A good example of this would be Costco-Korea. Over the last year, they’ve converted the chilled beef selection in their warehouses from Australian to U.S. beef. U.S. beef exports to Korea pushed three percent higher year-over-year in volume to 184,152 metric tons last year. Those exports jumped 15 percent higher in value to a record $1.2 billion dollars. U.S. pork exports to Korea have also been successful. They’ve jumped 28 percent in volume to 173,182 metric tons in 2017. Those pork exports were valued at $475 million, up 30 percent year-over-year and the second-highest on record.
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McKinney Updates U.S. Grains Council on Trade Negotiations
USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Affairs, Ted McKinney, addressed the delegates and members of the U.S. Grains Council early this week. He gave them updates on ongoing trade negotiations that will affect global grains market access. McKinney also announced a $1.3 million-dollar grant for Council feed industry training programs in North Africa and the Middle East. The U.S. Grains Council’s 58th annual meeting is going on in Houston, Texas. McKinney leads the development and implementation of the Department’s policy. He also oversees and facilitates foreign market access and promotes opportunities for U.S. agriculture through various trade programs and high-level government negotiations. Some of the topics he touched on in Houston included the North American Free Trade Agreement negotiations, the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement, potential bilateral trade deals, and ethanol exports. “USDA is in it for all of you,” he said to the members. “We have not missed an opportunity to promote your products at the highest levels.” Deb Keller is USGC chair and an Iowa farmer, who says “McKinney’s role and efforts are evidence of the USDA’s sharp focus on trade, which is shared by the Council’s members, delegates, and staff in attendance.”
