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While many farmers and ranchers have been successful in reducing their carbon footprint, making significant new progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions will require government assistance and new financial incentives, especially now that farmers are struggling to cope with depressed commodity prices, senators were told Tuesday.

Dairy farmers considering whether to sign up for the new farm bill benefits should consider this: Milk prices are likely to remain relatively stagnant for several years due in part to consolidation that has made many farms less responsive to market signals.

The moderate Democrat chairing the House ag committee wants to reconsider, and perhaps reform, permanent conservation easements.

Producers will be allowed to import hemp seeds after a procedural correction from the Department of Agriculture corrected a state of limbo for the industry.

The delay in passing and implementing the 2018 farm bill has left hemp producers and state departments of agriculture dealing with a world of uncertainty regarding everything from importing seed to providing guidance to law enforcement about how to regulate the transportation of hemp across state lines.

In an analysis of dairy supply management policy, American Farm Bureau Chief Economist John Newton says industry coordination to manage the dairy supply “could prove beneficial in the short-run, some reflection should be given on the long-run.”

Producers in the Southern U.S. hope a new 2018 farm bill pilot program will help reduce feral swine populations, which cause an estimated $1.5 billion in damage every year in over 30 states.