NSAC Archives for the 'Farm Bill' Category
Senate Passes 2013 Farm Bill, Attention Turns to the House
Wednesday, June 12th, 2013
On Monday evening, June 10, the Senate passed its version of the 2013 Farm Bill by a vote of 66-27. The bill passed with strong bipartisan support, and only two Democrats (both of the Senators from Rhode Island) voted with 25 Republicans in opposition to the bill. Due in part to bad weather in the Read the Rest…
Senate Sets Path to Pass 2013 Farm Bill
Friday, June 7th, 2013
On Thursday, June 6, the Senate voted 75-22 to limit debate on its version of the 2013 Farm Bill, setting up a final vote on passage of the bill for Monday evening. Fifty-three Democrats and 22 Republicans voted to limit debate — or, to invoke “cloture” — and 22 Republicans voted against. The vote to Read the Rest…
Senate and House Farm Bills by the Numbers
Friday, May 31st, 2013
Note to Readers: With Congress on recess for the week, we are playing catch-up on our farm bill reporting. This post takes a closer look at farm bill funding issues. A second post covers Senate floor action on the farm bill. Earlier, we posted a review of Senate and House Agriculture Committee markups on the Read the Rest…
Farm Bill Floor Action Begins
Friday, May 31st, 2013
Note to Readers: With Congress on recess for the week, we are playing catch-up on our farm bill reporting. This post covers a range of topics, including Senate floor action on the farm bill. A second post takes a closer look at farm bill funding issues. Earlier, we posted a review of Senate and House Read the Rest…
Smithfield Buyout Raises Fair Competition Concerns
Friday, May 31st, 2013
A bid by Shuanghui International, also known as Shineway, to purchase Smithfield Foods for $4.7 billion became national news this week. Shuanghui is the majority shareholder of China’s largest meat processor and, according to the Wall Street Journal, sources most of its products from private farmers – a practice that has been scrutinized in China Read the Rest…
Key Amendments Debated During Farm Bill Markups This Week
Saturday, May 18th, 2013
Both the Senate and House Agriculture Committees held their respective committee “markup” sessions this week. Initial drafts of the 2013 Farm Bill written mainly by the Chairs and Ranking Members of each committee were presented to members and modified through several hours of debate and committee votes through the amendment process. While the Senate markup Read the Rest…
2013 Farm Bill Doubleheader
Friday, May 10th, 2013
Next week is a big week for the 2013 Farm Bill. Both the House and the Senate Agriculture Committees will be debating and voting on their respective versions of the 2013 Farm Bill next week. The Senate Agriculture Committee will markup its farm bill on Tuesday, May 14, at 10 AM. Chairwoman Stabenow (D-MI) released Read the Rest…
Representatives Introduce Bill to Improve Farm Bill Conservation Programs
Thursday, May 9th, 2013
Today, Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), along with eleven additional cosponsors, introduced a bill to improve current farm conservation programs. The Balancing Food, Farm, and the Environment Act (H.R. 1890) aims to help farmers and ranchers improve their environmental performance and reward them for the conservation benefits they produce. The other cosponsors of the bill are Representatives Read the Rest…
Six Former USDA Officials Send Letter on Conservation Accountability
Wednesday, May 8th, 2013
On Tuesday, May 7, six former Chiefs of USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) delivered a letter to the House and Senate Agriculture Committees, urging them to reattach conservation accountability measures to federal crop insurance premium subsidies. In the letter, former NRCS Chiefs Dave White (2009-2012), Arlen Lancaster (2006-2009), Bruce Knight (2002-2006), Pearlie Reed (1998-2002), Paul Read the Rest…
Farmers and Ranchers Awarded Value-Added Grants for New Markets and Products
Thursday, May 2nd, 2013
On May 1, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced Value-Added Producer Grant Program (VAPG) awards to over 110 agricultural producers. The grant awards totaled nearly $16.8 million. The funding came from the $14 million appropriation for VAPG in the FY 2012 Appropriations Bill as well as $2.8 million from earlier years. The Value-Added Producer Grants (VAPG) Read the Rest…
