Johanns Resigns From USDA, Conner Named Acting Secretary
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 Chuck Conner, the Deputy Secretary of Agriculture the past two years, was named Acting Secretary last month following the resignation of Mike Johanns. Johanns, who came to Washington to head the USDA in early 2005, is returning to Nebraska, where he is expected to run for Senate next year. After being named Acting Secretary on Sept. 20th, Conner told reporters that passing a farm bill remains a key priority for him and the Bush Administration. More ...
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Farm Bill Markup Pushed Into October In Senate
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 The timeframe for writing a Farm Bill in the Senate continues to slip, although indications are that the Agriculture Committee may hold a markup the first week of October, according to Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA). The big reason for delays is the matter of how to obtain funding for certain programs. More ...
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Free Trade Agreements Gain Momentum
 Congress has begun to tackle the free trade agreements that have been negotiated, but are awaiting approval on Capitol Hill.Over the past two weeks, the Senate Finance Committee voted 18 to 3 in favor of the Peru FTA, while the House Ways & Means Committee unanimously approved the Peru pact in its mock markups of the trade deal. More .. |
WTO Talks Continue
| World Trade Organization members continue to work diligently towards achieving a global trade agreement in the coming months. Negotiators recently wrapped up a lengthy session of discussions that went on throughout the first three weeks of September. Those discussions have focused on examining the paper released by Ag Negotiations Chairman Crawford Falconer in July, and exploring avenues for consensus. More ... |
NMPF YCs Return to Capitol Hill to Lobbying for Immigration Reform
| NMPF conducted its second Young Cooperator Fly-in of 2007 last month, when dairy producers from 19 different states and 10 different co-ops left their mark on Capitol Hill. The hot issues this fall, as they were earlier in the summer during the first YC meeting in Washington, were immigration and the farm bill. More ... |
USDA to Offer Livestock Gross Margin for Dairy Farmers
| On July 27, the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation approved a USDA pilot program to provide Livestock Gross Margin insurance for dairy farmers. This program would, in effect, repackage Class III milk futures options and corn and soybean options, in order to help farmers lock in their margin between feed costs and milk prices. More ... |
Livestock Compensation Program Sign Up Dates Announced
| The USDA’s Farm Service Agency has released a fact sheet on the Livestock Indemnity Program which compensates livestock owners for livestock losses between Jan.1, 2005 and Feb. 28, 2007 that resulted from natural disasters. To be eligible, livestock owners must have been located in a county or contiguous county designated a natural disaster and sign up beginning Sept. 10, 2007. More ... |
CWT Launches Ambassador Program
| Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) is making a concerted effort to increase the number of dairy farmers supporting CWT.Based on the success of dairy-farmer-to-dairy-farmer membership efforts in Idaho, CWT is launching the CWT Ambassadors program. CWT cooperative and individual members have been asked to nominate dairy farmers to serve as Ambassadors. More ... |
NMPF Disappointed with USDA Decision to Reopen Canadian Border in November to Dairy Animal Exports
| NMPF has expressed its "serious reservations" about the impact of a renewal in Canadian dairy animal exports to the United States.The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced last month it will reopen the U.S. border on Nov. 19 to all types of Canadian cattle, including those intended for slaughter, as well as those for breeding purposes, which would include dairy heifers. More ... |
Building A Better Future Meeting Deadlines & Sponsorship Opportunities Coming
| The 2007 Joint Annual Meeting with NMPF and DMI will be held November 12 - 14 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida at the Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel. Don't delay; make your room reservations now to secure your place before the October 5th cut-off date. More ... |
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