Sarah Gonzalez

President Obama suspended Argentina from the U.S. Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program

Commissioner Scott O’Malia said the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has taken too many liberties when it comes to cost-benefit analyses of its actions and explaining its rationale behind some of the rulemakings under the Dodd-Frank Act.

Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Chairman Gary Gensler defended his agency’s is request for a 50 percent funding increase in fiscal year 2013 this week and testified in front of Congress members representing heavily agricultural districts during today’s House Appropriations Subcommittee

The House Appropriations Committee hosted the hearing Wednesday morning over the Research, Education and Economics mission area of USDA. Research is one of the few areas that received an increase in funding under the Obama Administration’s 2013 budget proposal.

Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., unveiled the “Path to Prosperity” budget proposal today, which instructs the House Committee on Agriculture to draft more than $33 billion in reductions over 10 years.

Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is leading an effort to pass a bipartisan proposal for a two-year extension of the wind energy production tax credit scheduled to expire at the end of the year.

The Senate Committee on Agriculture needs to balance several Farm Bill proposals and revenue protection plans before it begins marking up a Farm Bill to be optimistically passed this year.

American Farm Bureau (AFBF) President Bob Stallman said a deep loss revenue protection plan is still the best long term Farm Bill policy, but that AFBF would be willing to discuss alternative shallow loss programs if it means getting a Farm Bill done this year.

The Center for Rural Affairs conducted a small survey of Midwestern Latino farmers found that language barriers prevent them from knowing how USDA can play a helpful role in their farming operations.

Chief Veterinary Officer for the USDA, Dr. John Clifford, said a proposed rule to bring U.S. import regulations for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in line with science-based, international animal health standards will open markets for U.S. beef.