Agri-Pulse staff

WASHINGTON, August 2, 2012 -USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) failed to ensure that the soil rental rates it used for the 2010 Conservation Reserve Program signup were reasonable, the Office of Inspector General said in an audit report released Tuesday.

WASHINGTON, August 2, 2012 -As hot, dry conditions persist across much of the United States, more people are wondering just how severe the damage will be? Will this drought will be as severe as 1988, which continued into 1989 and caused an estimated $60 billion in damages, or potentially worse?

WASHINGTON, August 2, 2012 -In a concession to the difficulties of achieving political consensus during a presidential election year, congressional leaders from both parties reached a deal with the White House to continue funding the federal government through March 2013 at levels established in la

WASHINGTON, August 2, 2012 -The completion of a new, five-year food and farm bill already on a path full of political potholes – got side-tracked again last night in the U.S. House of Representatives.

WASHINGTON, July 11, 2012 -The Codex Alimentarius Commission, the United Nations food standards body, agreed Friday on a set of residue limits for the veterinary drug ractopamine in animal tissues

WASHINGTON, July 11, 2012 -The National Pork Producers Council submitted an appeal of a decision by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Technical Committee to require new sprinkler and smoke detection standards for all domestic animal housing. Fifteen other animal production groups sign

WASHINGTON, July 11, 2012 -The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) made nine petitions for genetically-engineered (GE) plants available for nonregulated status last week.

WASHINGTON, July 11, 2012 -A group of agricultural economists released a series of reports intended to elevate the importance of conservation as a major economic issue during House Agriculture Committee deliberations today on the 2012 Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act (FARRM).

Farm energy advocates are closely watching the House Agriculture Committee mark-up of the 2012 Farm Bill proposal, looking for allies that can revive mandatory funding for the bill’s energy title initiatives.