WASHINGTON, Dec. 5, 2016 - Next year is going to be a big
year for a new farm bill. Farm groups and lawmakers are getting an early start
and the dairy industry is making good headway. Minnesota Rep. Collin Peterson,
the top Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee and key farm bill
architect, told Agri-Pulse he sat down with representatives of the
National Milk Producers Federation Thursday morning to continue crafting a
revamp for the Margin Protection Program.
Peterson confirmed that he’s working on adjusting the program so that it pays
out more to farmers who sign up for coverage under the subsidized insurance
program. That, he said, will make it more expensive, but expressed optimism for
success.
USDA data shows that only about 19 percent of the 25,663 farmers that enrolled
in MPP this year received payments. The program paid out $11.2 million in
August, but that money only went to farmers who paid extra premiums for higher
coverage.
The National Milk Producers Federation, in a statement given to Agri-Pulse on
Saturday, said: “Our members are currently examining changes that will make the
dairy Margin Protection Program more reliable and effective. We are also
engaging in bipartisan discussions with congressional agriculture leaders on
our desire to make changes in the near term, instead of waiting for the current
farm bill to expire at the end of 2018. Fixing the dairy margin program
to improve its ability to help farmers better deal with volatility must be a
priority for our industry, Congress and the new USDA.”
Heitkamp reveals little about meeting with Trump. North Dakota Democratic
Senator Heidi Heitkamp met for an hour Friday with President-elect Donald
Trump, but she didn’t give away much on the purpose of the meeting and did not
address speculation that she was being considered for a cabinet post.
“President-elect Trump and I had a thoughtful and wide ranging discussion on a
variety of issues important to North Dakota and the country,” she said in a
statement. “We talked about finding a realistic path forward for coal and
combating human trafficking, as well as the Export-Import Bank and keeping jobs
in the U.S., energy infrastructure including the complexities of the Dakota
Access pipeline and the challenges for law enforcement as well as the Keystone
pipeline, and the issues facing small community banks that help support rural
towns.”
Heitkamp, who sits on the Senate Agriculture Committee, did not mention farming
in the statement or address speculation that she was being considered to lead
USDA.
CropLife petitions EPA on use of epidemiology studies. CropLife America
has petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency to establish clear criteria
for how it determines which epidemiological studies to include in pesticide
risk assessments.
CLA, the trade organization that represents pesticide manufacturers, has asked
EPA to suspend regulatory decision making, specifically for organophosphate
pesticides, until it has come up with criteria and guidance.
“CLA recognizes that epidemiological studies can provide important data
for risk assessment, but this does not mean that such studies are equally
relevant or reliable,” said Janet Collins, CLA’s executive vice president for
science and regulatory affairs.
The group is particularly concerned about EPA’s decision to use the Food
Quality Protection Act’s safety factor in evaluating organophosphates. EPA
recently proposed revoking food tolerances for chlorpyrifos, a widely used
organophosphate, relying in part on an epidemiological study from Columbia
University. But "neither EPA nor the registrant have access to the
data" underlying that study, CLA said.
Vilsack wants more women leaders at USDA and ag sector. It’s not good
enough to just have more women working at USDA and in the ag sector, USDA
Secretary Tom Vilsack said Friday in an event to highlight the department’s “Women
in Ag” initiative. There needs to be more women leaders in the government,
farm groups and agribusinesses, he stressed.
Just a day after his official portrait was unveiled, Vilsack lamented that
there was only one painting of a female secretary on USDA’s walls. Ann Veneman,
the first and only female agriculture secretary who was appointed by President
George W. Bush, traveled from her home in New York to attend the unveiling of
Vilsack’s portrait.
Vilsack spoke after Alexis Taylor, the third most powerful official at USDA and
Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services. Friday was Taylor’s
last day on the job at USDA. She has been chosen as Oregon’s next agriculture
secretary.
A big piece of USDA up for sale. If you have a minimum of $5 million you
can put a bid on the USDA’s historic Cotton Annex building. The six-story, 118,000-square-foot
building sits on 1.4 acres just across the street from USDA’s Washington
headquarters. It’s been empty for years, but was once used for the Food Safety
and Inspection Service’s docket clerk, public meetings and other events.
The auction began Dec. 1 and runs through Jan. 31. The minimum bid is $5
million and the minimum bid deposit is $1 million. So far there are no bidders,
according to the Government Services Administration auction
site.
He said it: “Like Henry VIII said to one of his wives, I won’t keep you
long.” That was Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts, promising he
would speak as long as Rep. Collin Peterson did at the unveiling ceremony for
USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack’s portrait last week.
Steve Davies contributed to this report.
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