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Five-year Farm Bill is a necessity

May 22, 2013 By Leave a Comment

The full Senate began debate on the Farm Bill earlier this week.  Indiana Senator Joe Donnelly says it is moving along well.  “It has momentum,” he says.  “We had a strong vote coming out of the committee itself so I’m looking for a five-year farm bill.”

Yesterday the Senate voted on the amount of cuts to the nutrition programs.  “There were some amendments to take cuts out of crop insurance instead,” he says. “You know what on the nutrition cuts – we’re working really hard make sure those cuts are ones that are sensible, that won’t eliminate any nutrition for our children and others.  But at the same time, we have to make sure we have crop insurance.”

Donnelly tells Brownfield he’s thinks this Farm Bill will be good for Indiana’s farmers.  “We were able to work through what we call Farm Flex, which provides planting flexibility for all of our farmers,” he says.  “I kind of held the line on that and said, ‘look we have to make sure this program continues’ so we were able to keep that in place.”

He thinks a vote on the Farm Bill is not too far away.  “I’d like to tell you today – but you never know,” he says.  “We’re ready to go.  We’re ready to move forward and I’m hoping to have a vote here really soon.”

AUDIO: Senator Joe Donnelly, Farm Bill (3:50mp3)

Filed Under: Events/Organizations, Human Interest, News, Top Stories, USDA/Government Tagged With: , , , , ,

Ohio Senator Brown on WRDA

May 21, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Senator Sherrod Brown_webLast week the Senate passed the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). In an interview with Brownfield, Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown describes WRDA as being as important as other government supported programs.

“Because it is clear, as important as the government is in Medicare and Social Security and food safety it’s equally important in infrastructures so we can move goods and services around the state, the country and around the world,” said Senator Brown. “Helping Ohio farmers export going from the Maumee River, to Lake Erie, to the St. Lawrence Seaway, to overseas.”

The plan approved by the Senate includes more than 20 new projects for the Army Corps of Engineers including making ports more accessible, harbor maintenance and dredging of inland waterways, 20 percent of which would be in the Great Lakes region.

Audio: Senator Sherrod Brown, (D) Ohio (1:40 mp3)

Filed Under: News, USDA/Government Tagged With: , ,

Nutrition debate could take center stage

May 16, 2013 By Leave a Comment

The full Senate begins deliberation on the Farm Bill next week. 

During a conference call with reporters on Thursday, Senate Ag Chair Debbie Stabenow said she’s anticipating a lot of emotional arguments on the nutrition title. 

But, the Chairwoman says she looks at the nutrition title like she does any other part of the farm bill.  “This is about providing help when it’s needed,” she says.  “Crop insurance is available for farmers when they have a disaster.  The cost goes up when there is a disaster and goes down during good years.  The same thing should be true for SNAP (the nutrition program).”

Late Wednesday evening the House passed their version of the Farm Bill which contains much larger cuts to the nutrition title. 

Looking ahead to a potential conference of the two bills, Stabenow says there are some major differences between the House and Senate versions – especially when it comes to the nutrition title.  “I absolutely reject the level of cuts and the way this is done in the House,” she says.  “They eliminate something called categorical eligibility, which we’ve now voted down two or three times on the Senate floor on a bipartisan basis.”

The Senate is scheduled to take up the Farm Bill on Monday.

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WRDA debate continues in Senate

May 8, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Debate is underway on the 2013 version of the Water Resources Development Act.  Environment and Public Works Committee Chairwoman Barbra Boxer says this legislation is vitally important.  “It protects jobs, it protects people from flooding, it enables commerce to move through our ports, it encourages innovative financing even more jobs, and it prepares us for responding to extreme weather,” she says. 

Ranking committee member Senator David Vitter of Louisiana says not only does the bill reinvest in infrastructure – but also creates jobs.  “Almost 24,000 jobs will be created for every billion dollars invested into levies, inland waterways, and dams,” he says.  “This bill does several billion dollars of that.  It produces jobs because it is building the necessary infrastructure we need for water-borne commerce.”

The proposed legislation passed out of the EPW committee unanimously. 

American Farm Bureau along with 20 other agricultural groups sent a letter to members of the Senate urging the passage of WRDA.  The letter points out that inland waterway transportation is the lowest cost and most environmentally sustainable mode of transportation, providing annual savings of $7 billion.

Debate continues today.

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WRDA to hit full Senate today

May 6, 2013 By Leave a Comment

The latest version of the Water Resources Development Act is up for a procedural vote later today.  According to POLITICO, WRDA is scheduled to hit the full Senate floor this evening.  The bill sailed through the Environment and Public Works Committee last month, but there are some groups that object the measure.

In a recent statement EPW ranking member David Vitter says, “This WRDA bill brings major changes and reforms to the Corps of Engineers that will better protect folks from flooding and jumpstart projects to increase commerce.” 

Vitter says he’s looking forward bringing the “major bipartisan legislation to the floor.”

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Iowa ag secretary to stay put

May 2, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey says he will not be running for the U.S. Senate in 2014.

Northey had indicated interest in the seat being vacated by Senator Tom Harkin.  But in a statement issued today, Northey says he has decided against a Senate run.

Here is Northey’s statement on the 2014 U.S. Senate race:

“After talking with my family and thoughtful consideration, I have decided that I will not seek the nomination for our open U.S. Senate seat.  I am humbled to have heard so many kind words from Iowans encouraging me to run.  Our state and nation are facing great challenges and we need strong leaders in Washington, but we also need strong leaders here in Iowa.  I feel at this time I can be more effective serving Iowans as Secretary of Agriculture rather than engaging in a Senate campaign.  

“Congressman Steve King has been a strong conservative leader in Washington and would serve our state well in the Senate.  Should he decide to run, he would have my full support.  If he decides against running, our state is fortunate to have many qualified and exciting candidates and I look forward to working with our party’s nominee to win this important election.”

Filed Under: Events/Organizations, News Tagged With: , ,

Looking at WRDA in 2013

April 9, 2013 By Leave a Comment

With the nation’s deteriorating infrastructure there is concern that a lock and dam failure would be catastrophic to the agriculture industry.  In 2007 Congress reauthorized The Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) – that would have allowed for rehabilitation to the nation’s inland waterways system – but funding was never appropriated.   

Paul Rohde, Waterways Council, Inc. vice-president says Congress is working on another WRDA bill this year.  “On the Senate side we had a WRDA bill come out of Committee fairly quickly,” he says.  “However, it didn’t include all of the provisions we would like to see – like the Capital Development Plan.”

That Capital Development Plan is actually included in legislation introduce by Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey known as the River Act.  The River Act would increase the federal government’s investment in the region’s waterways and would also increase overall investment through the creation of additional revenue streams financed by the systems users. 

“We’re hopeful that if we do get a WRDA bill on the floor, which could be as early as Wednesday of this week, that we can get enough support from our Senate friends to include that Casey bill language into a WRDA bill,” he says. 

As Rohde said – they could see debate on the Senate floor as early as Wednesday.

AUDIO: Paul Rohde, Waterways Council (2:30mp3)

Filed Under: Events/Organizations, Human Interest, News Tagged With: , , , ,

Senators seek answers from EPA

April 8, 2013 By Leave a Comment

A group of U.S. senators is pressing the EPA for answers on its recent decision to release detailed information on concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) to environmental groups.

Senate Republicans on the Environment and Public Works Committee have sent a letter to the acting EPA administrator asking him to detail steps EPA is taking to investigate the matter.  Specifically, the senators want the agency to examine possible conflicts of interest or what the senators call “inappropriate relationships” between EPA employees and the groups that requested the information.

In February, the EPA disclosed that it had released information on CAFOs to environmental activist organizations through the Freedom of Information Act.  Those groups include the Pew Charitable Trust, Earth Justice and the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Livestock groups have been critical of the action.  They say the information included personal data, including specific locations, addresses and phone numbers.  Kristen Hassebrook of Nebraska Cattlemen tells the Lincoln Journal-Star that what the EPA provided amounts to “a one-stop shopping database” for organizations that might represent a security threat.

Filed Under: Events/Organizations, Livestock, News, USDA/Government Tagged With: , , ,

Iowa’s ag secretary considering Senate run

March 1, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Iowa secretary of agriculture Bill Northey tells the Des Moines Register that he is strongly considering a run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Tom Harkin in 2014.

Northey, who also farms near Spirit Lake, has served as secretary of agriculture since 2006.  He is a Republican.

Filed Under: Events/Organizations, News Tagged With: , ,

Johanns will not seek re-election

February 18, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Nebraska U.S. Senator Mike Johanns has announced he will not seek re-election when his term expires in 2014.

Johanns, who served as Secretary of Agriculture under President George W. Bush, said in a statement that he wants a “quieter time” to focus on his family and his faith.

Johanns, a Republican, is 63 and grew up on an Iowa dairy farm. He’s held several offices, including serving as mayor of Lincoln in the 1990s, Nebraska’s governor from 1999 to 2005, and as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture from 2005 to 2007.  Nebraskans sent him to the U.S. Senate in 2009.

Johanns serves on the Senate Agriculture Committee.

 

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