legislation

There are a series of campaigns aimed at securing larger government support for smaller farms. Smaller operators believe US agriculture policies do not favor small, independent farmers.

"I think funding is one of the biggest struggles I have encountered," said [Alex] Bryan. "To get funding to play in the game, to purchase equipment or to build infrastructure that follows guidelines that may be more appropriate for a large-scale producer, may be prohibitive to the small producer. We're following a lot of the same regulations."

Rules through the Grain Inspection, Packers & Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) are seen as a way to help smaller farms be on a level playing field with larger operations.

The National Milk Producers Federation is fully supporting H.R. 3062, titled The Dairy Security Act of 2011.  NMPF CEO Jerry Kozak explained the legislation and background on this important initiative to reporters.

The Departments of Justice and Agriculture are holding their final workshop to discuss competition and regulatory issues in the agriculture industry. This final workshop will focus on margins.

According to the DOJ

This workshop will look at the discrepancies between the prices received by farmers and the prices paid by consumers. As a concluding event, discussions from previous workshops will be incorporated into the analysis of agriculture markets nationally.

This all day event wraps up a series of workshops that began in March of 2010. The four previous workshops covered Issues of Concern to Farmers, the Poultry Industry, the Dairy Industry, and the Livestock Industry.

The heat is on again in the U.S. Congress to take action before the end of the year. Next on the list is whether or not to extend the ethanol subsidies.

First up to bat in the debate are Senators Dianne Feinstein and Jon Kyl calling for end end to the ethanol subsidies.

CropVillage 0207 Show Notes:

• Mike Bumgarner from the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation shares his experience in dealing with the Humane Society of the United States as the HSUS worked to eliminate animal confining crates in Ohio.

CropVillage 0197 Show Notes:

• A group of Kansas State researchers evaluated several reviews of the House bill dealing with climate change and carbon credit markets to determine which segments of agriculture could be most affected.  Research assistant Bill Golden shares the results.

CropVillage 0186 Show Notes:

• The climate for Climate Change Legislation in Washington is still stormy, its just hiding behind the health care debate clouds. American Farm Bureau Federation's Senior Director for Congressional Relations Rick Krause provides this update on an important topic.

CropVillage 0168 Show Notes:

• Testifying before a recent committee hearing, AFBF President Bob Stallman lays out the potential for economic disaster under current proposed climate legislation
• The Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) just released their findings on cost to producers should something like H.R. 2454 legislation be enacted.  Link to full report.

CropVillage 0164 Show Notes:

• Congressional Republicans say negotiation process has excluded ag interests and may permanently hamper competitive position worldwide