Articles by Bill Tomson

Reps. John Garamendi, D-Calif., and Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., today introduced legislation to stop shipping companies from denying U.S. exporters the ability to get their commodities overseas as well as protect against excessive port fees.

As promised, Senate Democrats are going to kick off work on their massive $3.5 trillion spending and tax plan before senators leave for their August recess. On Monday Democrats released a fiscal 2022 budget resolution that is the first step in the budget reconciliation process that will be needed to enact their proposals into law.

The Senate Agriculture Committee is set to hold a vote this morning on the nominations of Robert Bonnie to be USDA’s Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm Production and Conservation and Xochitl Torres Small for Under Secretary of Agriculture for Rural Development.

A dozen major farm groups have jumped into the fray over conservation funding in the estimated $3.5 trillion reconciliation package Democrats plan to introduce in the Senate, calling for “increased investment in climate-smart agricultural practices that sequester carbon or reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

A former chair of the House Agriculture Committee is warning the committee about the potential downside of creating a permanent disaster assistance program for producers. Speaking on a panel at Minnesota’s Farmfest Wednesday, Collin Peterson said it’s important that the program not undermine crop insurance.

The Biden administration is not letting up pressure on Mexico to resume its approvals of genetically modified crops and is continuing to formulate its next steps in addressing the precarious trade relationship with China, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai told Agri-Pulse in a wide-ranging interview Wednesday.

More than 200 groups, including a wide range of environmental organizations, are calling on Democratic congressional leaders today to use their reconciliation package to significantly increase funding for conservation programs.

African Swine Fever was confirmed in the Dominican Republic last Tuesday, marking its first detection in the Western Hemisphere and the closest it has been to the United States in approximately 40 years.

Canada is again using its national dairy pricing program to bolster exports, sidestepping commitments in the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, according to fresh allegations from the U.S. dairy sector. Canada is following the letter of USMCA, but not the spirit, U.S. industry officials say.