U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow, Wednesday held a business meeting where bipartisan legislation to reauthorize child nutrition programs was favorably reported out of the Agriculture Committee.


The legislation, "Improving Child Nutrition Integrity and Access Act of 2016," reforms and reauthorizes child nutrition programs under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966.


"Folks said we couldn't come to an agreement on child nutrition reauthorization - let alone a bipartisan agreement - but we did. This bipartisan legislation is a true compromise. Not everyone got everything they wanted, but a lot of folks have a lot to be happy about," said Chairman Roberts. "This legislation ensures programs use taxpayer dollars more efficiently, gives local schools more flexibility in meeting standards, and focuses on fraud and error prevention. We have a comprehensive and inclusive product including the concerns of school nutrition professionals, students, producers, and public health groups. Every Committee member played a role in crafting this legislation and I am pleased we could carry on the tradition of bipartisanship on the Agriculture Committee. I appreciate the efforts of Ranking Member Stabenow and thank her for her partnership along the way."  Click or tap here to read more.


"Lifelong healthy eating habits begin with children having healthy choices-and school food programs are pivotal in shaping those healthy dietary habits," American Farm Bureau's letter stated. "This child nutrition legislation will enhance efforts of federal nutrition programs to provide nutritious meals and teach healthy eating behaviors."  Click or tap here to read more about how the legislation includes provisions to boost milk and dairy product consumption and the "Buy American" provision.


The National Council of Farmer Cooperatives (NCFC) Wednesday expressed its support for language included in the Senate's child nutrition reauthorization bill. 

"This provision will help provide schoolchildren in some of the country's poorest school districts with greater access to the important vitamins and minerals found in fruits and vegetables. The science is clear in showing equivalent nutritional benefits of canned, frozen or dried fruits and vegetables when compared to fresh," said Chuck Conner, president and CEO of NCFC. "Since canned, frozen and dried fruits and vegetables are often much more affordable options, this option will give these school districts greater flexibility and empower them to provide healthy food to their students."  Click or tap here to read more from NCFC.

Agriculture groups expressed their disappointment of President Obama's veto of a resolution disapproving of the Environmental Protection Agency's new definition of "Waters of the United States" (WOTUS).  American Farm Bureau Federation, National Cattlemen's Beef Association, National Corn Growers Association all voiced their frustration.

"The president's veto is salt in the wounds of farmers and ranchers," AFBF President Zippy Duvall.  "We remain mystified as to why he continues to support this fatally flawed rule. The Government Accountability Office found the rule was issued with the help of illegal 'covert propaganda' by EPA. Ninety-two members of Congress, 22 states, numerous cities and counties and dozens of industry groups have all stood up and said no to this rule. Courts have ordered the rule temporarily halted because of the harm it will cause. But, somehow, the president and the EPA just keep pushing. But we won't stop either. We will not rest until this rule is gone."

"We are extremely disappointed the President chose to side with the EPA, which has pulled out all the stops and shown an appalling disregard for the law throughout this rulemaking process," said President Philip Ellis.  "In siding with the EPA, the President has ignored the will of Congress, including members of his own party. Moreover, he has taken side against the 32 states, and countless stakeholders who have challenged the WOTUS rule. With Congress clearly showing their disapproval of this rule, the consequences of WOTUS implementation now rest solely with President Obama."  Click or tap here to read more from NCBA and the Public Lands Council.

"We are disappointed in the President's veto, especially in light of the recent GAO report that stated EPA engaged in 'covert propaganda' in an effort to sell the American public on this rule,"

NCGA President Chip Bowling said.  "This administration continues to ignore the will of Congress and the significant impact this will have on our country's farmers at a time when they cannot afford more regulatory confusion and red tape."  Click or tap here to read more from NCGA.

Next week is the 2016 Cattle Industry Convention in San Diego, California. I will be providing coverage from the event. Cattle producers from across the nation will be in attendance. The Cattlemen's Beef Board will be discussing the nation's beef checkoff and how to maximize the $1 per head resources. Policy will be discussed by the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. NCBA Lead Lobbyist Colin Woodall said this meeting is all about grass-roots policy development that sets their legislative priorities for the year.


"This is the place where every NCBA member has the opportunity to come in and hear about the issues, hear from a myriad of speakers from across the industry and to truly understand what it is that we're dealing with right now as an industry," Woodall said. "But, more importantly it's the opportunity to talk about the policy positions of NCBA, to debate those positions and ultimately vote on them, because the one thing that everybody needs to understand is that NCBA truly is a grass-roots organization. The policy that we implement here in Washington D.C. comes from our members, is voted on by our members and we don't actually put it in our policy book until every single member has the opportunity to vote on it."


The cattle industry is facing a lot of big issues. Woodall said the one that will lead the discussions at the meeting in San Diego will be the sharp decline in cattle prices in 2015. This will be brought up in the cattle marketing and international trade committee. The speaker will be Terry Duffy, Executive Chairman for the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME Group). Duffy will discuss high frequency trading and the role high frequency trading plays in market volatility.


Woodall joined us on the Beef Buzz- as heard on great radio stations across the region.  Click or tap here to listen to this Beef Buzz featuring his comments.

The Cato Institute featured a seminar at their headquarters in Washington on Wednesday that was also available online with Robert Fraley, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Monsanto on GMOs. The Seminar that featured Fraley was entitled "GMOs and the Future of the Global Food Supply and Medical Innovations."


The Cato Institute touted the session by saying "For thousands of years, farmers used selective breeding to produce more plentiful harvests and increase the usefulness of domesticated animals. Today, genetic engineering allows businesses to do the same-but more cheaply, precisely and speedily. Unbeknownst to most people, the use of genetically modified organisms is not limited to agriculture. GMO technology is all around us, helping to produce life-enhancing products, such as synthetic insulin, and life-saving medicines, such as cancer-fighting Avastin. Still, controversy surrounding GMOs persists."


Fraley shared his time during the presentation with Jennifer Kuzma, Distinguished Professor, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, and Professor, School of Public and International Affairs, North Carolina State University, who is skeptical about the safety and usefulness of GMOs.


During his presentation, Fraley offered an extensive list of benefits to farmers and to society that have come out of the twenty years of using GMOs.  Click or tap here for the full list those benefits- and for a chance to hear his presentation at Cato on Wednesday.

BY THE WAY- those that are going to San Diego and the Cattle Industry Convention- you will get your chance to hear Robert Fraley as he will be the keynoter at the Wednesday Cattlemen's College.

U.S. Agriculture Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden Tuesday announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will begin offering farm ownership microloans, creating a new financing avenue for farmers to buy and improve property. These microloans will be especially helpful to beginning or underserved farmers, U.S. veterans looking for a career in farming, and those who have small and mid-sized farming operations.


"Many producers, especially new and underserved farmers, tell us that access to land is one of the biggest challenges they face in establishing and growing their own farming operation," said Harden. "USDA is making it easier for new farmers to hit the ground running and get access to the land that they need to establish their farms or improve their property."


Now, microloans will be available to also help with farm land and building purchases, and soil and water conservation improvements. FSA designed the expanded program to simplify the application process, expand eligibility requirements and expedite smaller real estate loans to help farmers strengthen their operations. Microloans provide up to $50,000 to qualified producers, and can be issued to the applicant directly from the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA).  Click or tap here to read more about a microloan program.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack appointed four members to serve on the United States Department of Agriculture Grain Inspection Advisory Committee. Appointees include Oklahoma Farm Service Agency State Executive Director (SED) Terry Peach of Mooreland. He is a third generation farmer and rancher.


The other three newly appointed members include: Jimmy L. Williams, state administrator, Missouri Department of Agriculture, Jefferson City, Mo; Nicholas R. Friant, business unit food safety leader, Cargill, Inc., Mayzata, Minn., and; Kia Mikesh, project manager, North Dakota Grain Inspection, Fargo, N.D. The appointees will serve 3-year terms.


The committee advises the Secretary of Agriculture and the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) on the programs and services it delivers under the U.S. Grain Standards Act. Committee recommendations assist GIPSA in enhancing services for its customers in today's dynamic and changing marketplace. Committee members represent a broad range of agricultural disciplines and interests from grain merchants, official agencies, and producers.

One other note on Terry Peach- I talked yesterday with AFR President Terry Detrick and got confirmation that Peach, who was named the Executive Director of the Oklahoma FSA Office(for the second time), remains on the State Board for the American Farmers and Ranchers.  FSA agreed to allow Peach to continue to serve in that capacity as he took on the FSA position for the next year.  With the Obama Presidency ending next January- Peach may or may not stay on if the Democrats keep control of the White House and Peach will be out if the GOP nominee, whoever it is- wins next November.

 

Cattle on Feed numbers for the new year will be released by USDA on Friday afternoon- you may remember that the December numbers were friendly and actually had the effect of countering the negative attitude with the beef and cattle market complex. 

What will this report show?  Well, Rich Nelson of Allendale offers his expectations via email to us- and we wanted to share those thoughts with you- predictions for both Cattle on Feed as well as the Cold Storage Report for the month as well: