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- Former Ag Secretaries Look Ahead On Policy Feb 21, 2012 - CQ Roll Call Congress is on its Presidents Day recess, and that means this will be the only scheduled Morning Take this week. But we'll continue reporting as news occurs and will resume regular morning reports Feb. 27. More importantly, the recess also means it's Outlook week. The Agriculture Department's annual Agricultural Outlook Forum is Thursday and Friday.
- EDITORIAL: Obama, Democrats in Congress hinder U.S. energy production Feb 21, 2012 - Chattanooga Times/Free Press And even if it somehow passed the Senate, President Obama would veto it. What does the bill seek to accomplish? The average price for a gallon of gas recently passed the $3.50 mark.
- FCC Revokes LightSquared Waiver Feb 17, 2012 - Farm Bureau Newsroom The FCC pulled the waiver after testing by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration indicated that LightSquared’s system would interfere with the effectiveness of GPS receivers. The agency concluded that although a technical fix to the interference issue is possible, the cost and time to correct the millions of GPS receivers in the marketplace would not be possible within LightSquared’s proposed timeline.
- Amendment to Transportation Bill Cuts Red Tape for Farmers Feb 17, 2012 - Farm Bureau Newsroom
- AFBF Applauds House Action on Energy Security Feb 17, 2012 - Farm Bureau Newsroom
- House Panel Scrutinizes USDA Budget Feb 17, 2012 - CQ Roll Call Congress starts work today on the Agriculture Department's 2013 budget. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan are set to testify before the House Appropriations Agriculture Subcommittee this morning. The White House budget that was released Monday gives the subcommittee a number of ideas for trimming USDA, including some whacks at mandatory spending levels set for conservation programs in the 2008 farm bill.
- Obama touts manufacturing at Midwest stop Feb 17, 2012 - The Washington Times Obama outlined his administration's pending plan for corporate tax reform, saying he would end tax breaks for companies that outsource jobs or keep profits overseas. While the focus of his remarks in Wisconsin was restoring manufacturing, Mr. Obama will fare in Wisconsin this year. Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, a native of Wisconsin, called Mr.
- Vilsack Headlines Farm Bill Hearing Feb 15, 2012 - CQ Roll Call The Senate starts the process of writing a new farm bill today, holding the first of four hearings. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will be the leadoff witness and it's a good bet he'll hear about the administration's proposal to cut farm spending by $32 billion. The top Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee, Minnesota's Collin Peterson, says the size of the proposal will give House Republicans a reason to seek deeper cuts than farm-state lawmakers want.
- Agriculture Secretary, Lawmakers Comment on USDA Budget Feb 14, 2012 - Farm Bureau Newsroom President Barack Obama on Monday released his blueprint for the 2013 federal budget. With an emphasis on reducing spending to address a growing federal budget deficit, the budget blueprint addresses all aspects of the federal government’s operations.
- Newsline: How Does Ag Fare in the President’s Budget? Feb 14, 2012 - Farm Bureau Newsroom
- EPA unveils new tool for tracking greenhouse gas Feb 14, 2012 - The Times NIPSCO set a target of reducing its carbon emissions by 7 percent by 2012. U.S. Steel Gary Works had the second-highest emissions in the region with 9,031 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.
- FB Proposal Compatible with Congress’ Farm Bill Priorities Feb 13, 2012 - Farm Bureau Newsroom Senator Stabenow says that farm policy needs to head in the direction of prioritizing crop insurance and other risk management tools over fixed direct payments.
- U.S. Farm Exports Set Record in 2011 Feb 13, 2012 - Farm Bureau Newsroom
- Farm Exports Break Record In 2011 Feb 10, 2012 - CQ Roll Call Exports of U.S. agricultural commodities and food products reached a record $136. 3 billion in 2011, breaking the previous record set in 2010 by $20.5 billion, the Agriculture Department reports.
- California FB’s Wenger Calls for Immigration Solutions Feb 10, 2012 - Farm Bureau Newsroom
- Bill Gates Speaks Out for Ag Research Feb 9, 2012 - Farm Bureau Newsroom Gates noted that the world population is projected to grow to 9.7 billion by 2050, which makes it imperative to help poor farmers sustainably increase their productivity so they can feed themselves and their families. But this will be possible only if agricultural innovation is a priority, he concluded.
- AFBF Newsline: A Better Way to Protect the Bay Feb 8, 2012 - Farm Bureau Newsroom EPA’s approach to improving water quality far overreaches the agency’s authority under the Clean Water Act.
- Farm Bureaus Encouraged to Support Youth Labor Rule Effort Feb 8, 2012 - Farm Bureau Newsroom
- Bloomberg Survey Shows Farmers are Planning Big Feb 8, 2012 - Farm Bureau Newsroom
- Estate tax relief for farmers gains bipartisan support1 Jan 29, 2012 - The Frederick News-Post If the owners convert the land, they would have to repay the full estate tax when they sell the property, according to the proposal. Sen.
