September 26, 2018
As we approach the September 30 expiration date for the current farm bill, the negotiations over a new bill appear to be stalled on many fronts, including big looming issues pertaining to commodity, conservation, and nutrition programs. On the commodity program front, big differences remain, including, for instance, whether or not to penalize farmers who […]
January 3, 2009
THIS WEEK Payment Limitation Loophole Remains: Sadly, after vetoing the 2008 Farm Bill twice under the banner that it did not include enough reform to commodity programs, the Bush Administration punted on its opportunity to administratively enact real reform. As we reported in the December 19 version of the Weekly Update, USDA issued a press […]
December 20, 2008
THIS WEEK Obama Names Vilsack Secretary of Agriculture: On Wednesday, President-elect Barack Obama officially named former Iowa governor Tom Vilsack as the incoming Secretary of Agriculture. Vilsack, who previously served two terms as the governor of Iowa, has worked most recently as a lawyer in Des Moines since ending his brief 2008 presidential bid in […]
December 7, 2008
THIS WEEK Ag Appropriations and Stimulus Bill Timing Problem: As we have often reported, the appropriations process for Fiscal Year 2009 got stuck this summer and has remained stuck through the start of the fiscal year on October 1. Now two months into the fiscal year, the process is beginning to move again. Though the […]