Derrick Cain

Thirteen senators sent a letter today to the Senate farm bill conferees calling for provisions that aim to make crop insurance more accessible for a wider range of producers, including beginning farmers and specialty crop growers.

Sixteen bipartisan senators from the Great Lakes states wrote a letter today to the Army Corps of Engineers asking for the remaining steps needed to cut off Asian carp entry points into the Great Lakes.

The Senate announced its conferees tonight for upcoming negotiations with the House over the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (H.R. 3080), moving closer to final congressional approval on the first reauthorization of a water resources development bill in more than five years.

Lawmakers are expected to continue efforts this week to hammer out a myriad of differences over a long-term farm bill, which conferees hope to have done by the end of the year

USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced a final rule today that aims to modernize the agency’s import regulations in relation to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease, that supporters say may allow for more U.S. exports of beef products and critics s

President Obama signed an executive order today to create a Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience while the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its draft Climate Change Adaptation Implementation Plans for public review and comment.

Congress should work with the administration on approval of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) in order to increase agricultural exports, as well as other exports, to the European Union, lawmakers and witnesses told the Senate Finance Committee during an Oct. 30 hearing.

The week will be dominated by the long-anticipated start of the farm bill conference, which is set for Wednesday, as lawmakers formally sit down and try to resolve a myriad of differences between the House package and the Senate bill.

The House approved Wednesday legislation (H.R. 3080), with a 417-3 vote, that seeks to re-authorize the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to develop, maintain, and support the nation’s vital port and waterways infrastructure needs, and support flood protection and environmental restoration needs. 

The top leaders of the House Agriculture Committee said late Wednesday night that next week’s first public meeting of farm bill conferees and constant negotiations throughout could pave the way for completion of a long-term bill by the end of the year.