The Senate began consideration of S. 954, the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2013. Unlike last year when cloture votes and holds on votes limited farm bill debate to just a few days, this year Senators spent last week making floor statements on amendments with only voting on a total of 12 of the nearly 200 filed so far. The plan from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid appears to be a desire to tackle the majority of the amendments agreed upon by Senate Agriculture Committee…

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Over a hundred amendments were proposed as part of the farm bill markup in each the House and Senate, bringing some discussion on topics to act as place markers for the floor debate, as well as inclusion in the Committees marks. Here are a handful of issues tackled under the leadership of Senate Agriculture Committee chairwoman Debbie Stabenow and House Agriculture Committee chairman Frank Lucas. Nutrition The Senate offers $23 billion in savings, with $4 billion coming from…

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Let the debates begin! The House and Senate Agriculture Committees will give us this year's first full dive into whether any major changes will be acted on from last year's farm bill discussion when they begin markups on their bills. In today's political environment, there isn't always the opportunity for open debate. But that won't be the case May 14 in the Senate Agriculture Committee and May 15 in the House Agriculture Committee when leaders will allow for open…

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The World Trade Organization (WTO) required the USDA to improve its country-of-origin labeling law after a challenge was brought by Canada and Mexico. The proposed rule has already received threats of retaliation measures from the two, however supporters of COOL said those threats are overstated and stand behind the proposed rule. USDA has until May 23 to issue a final rule, and Roger Johnson, National Farmers Union president expects the agency to meet that deadline. The comment period…

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After decades of low prices and farm programs based on low prices, former Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman predicted those days are over. "That doesn't mean we'll have heaven on earth," he said, but it will offer stability to farmers as well as rural communities and businesses. But that too will require new focus on other areas to offer the greatest bang for agriculture's buck, Glickman shared with rural development leaders as he keynoted the Senate…

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House Agriculture Committee chairman Frank Lucas, (R-Okla.), will again spearhead the debate of the next farm bill as he scheduled markup of the farm bill for May 15. General Farm Commodities and Risk Management Subcommittee chairman Rep. Mike Conaway, (R-Texas), told ag journalists that last year's day-long marathon farm bill markup in the House that lasted from 10 a.m. until the early hours of the morning was the "best legislative day" he's ever experienced on the…

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It's no secret in the countryside that the Environmental Protection Agency may not have the best interests of the agricultural community in mind, and its rules and actions continue to confirm the bad stereotype the agency holds. The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works held a hearing Thursday on the nomination of Gina McCarthy to head the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). During questioning from members, she recognized the strain between the agricultural community…

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Buried in this year's continuing resolution was a measure coined the "biotech rider" that has again given the anti-biotech crowd a new battle cry, but in reality protects farmers and helps science determine biotechnology's fate, not activists. Those who oppose the provision - dubbed the "Monsanto Protection Act" – said the action "undermines the independence of judicial review and gives biotech seed companies like Monsanto, DuPont and Dow Chemical a…

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For the first time in four years the full Senate passed its budget, voting on 101 of the over 500 amendments filed. The Democrat's version stands sharply in contrast to the House's previously approved version, setting up for continued debate over how to handle the nation's financial issues. The Democratic-drafted budget calls for almost $1 trillion in new taxes over the next decade to help reduce the deficit while keeping safety-net programs in place. The House budget on the…

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For the last five years the United States has failed to make significant progress in any trade negotiations as the President's Trade Promotion Authority expired in 2007. The result has been our world competitors more quickly enacting bilateral and multilateral agreements while the United States sits back and watches. One of the most promising trade deals underway for the United States is the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Just last week Japan announced it intends to participate in…

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