Peterson Calls for House Leaders to Commit to Farm Bill Debate Before Work Begins on 2013 Bill 

In harsh letters to House Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor Thursday, House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Collin C. Peterson, D-Minn., said that absent an assurance from Leadership, he does not see any reason for the House Agriculture Committee to again go through the process of writing a new five-year farm bill in the 113th Congress.

Peterson's letters follow repeated refusals by Republican Leadership to consider the House Agriculture Committee's bipartisan five-year farm bill during the last Congress and a last-minute, backroom nine-month farm bill extension that ignored the will of the Agriculture Committees.

In his letter to Boehner, Peterson was critical of the Speaker's public comments supporting the work of committees in writing legislation, but then refusing to bring their bills to the floor.  Peterson wrote that he had lost trust in the Speaker.

"Given the behavior of the Republican Leadership and their treatment of the House Agriculture Committee in the previous Congress, I believe it is only fair for me to ask for a written commitment that your Leadership team will find floor time during this Congress if the Committee marks-up a new five-year farm bill. I would also expect it should not take more than a month for your team to determine the appropriate time for floor consideration and to announce that date publicly."

"At this point, however, I see no reason why the House Agriculture Committee should undertake the fool's errand to craft another long-term farm bill if the Republican Leadership refuses to give any assurances that our bipartisan work will be considered. You and your Leadership team seem very content with simply extending the 2008 Farm Bill year after year without making any effort at reform, achieving savings and efficiencies, or improving the farm safety net for rural America. If that is your goal, I will certainly accommodate you." 

You'll find more on our webpage, including the text of Collin Peterson's letters.  Click here to go there.  

Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program Now Accepting Proposals 

Urban sprawl continues to threaten the Nation's farm and ranch land, as social and economic changes over the past three decades have influenced the rate at which land is converted to non-agricultural uses. Population growth, demographic changes, preferences for larger lots, expansion of transportation systems, and economic prosperity have contributed to increases in agricultural land conversion rates. The amount of farm and ranch land lost to development and the quality of farmland being converted are significant concerns. In most States, prime farmland is being converted at two to four times the rate of other, less-productive agricultural land. There continues to be an important national interest in the protection of farm and ranch land. Land use devoted to agriculture provides an important contribution to environmental quality, protection of the Nation's historical and archaeological resources, and scenic beauty.

The Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP) administered by the USDA-NRCS, is accepting applications for funding on a continuous basis. The 2008 Farm Bill provided for a continuous signup to allow eligible entities more opportunities to sign up eligible parcels. Landowners must meet the Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) provisions of the 2008 Farm Bill.

Click here to learn more about this program and how to apply.

 

Environmental Activist Apologizes for 'Demonizing' GM Crops; Backs Scientific Evidence

British author and environmental activist Mark Lynas has publicly apologized for his past role in "demonizing" genetically modified (GM) crops, saying that he has come to realize that they are safe to eat and are essential to feeding a growing world population.

"For the record, here and upfront, I apologize for having spent several years ripping up GM crops," Lynas told the Oxford Farming Conference in England Thursday. "I am also sorry that I helped to start the anti-GM movement back in the mid 1990s, and that I thereby assisted in demonizing an important technological option which can be used to benefit the environment."

Lynas is the author of "The God Species: Saving the Planet in the Age of Humans" (published by National Geographic) and other highly acclaimed books on environmental challenges. Lynas was previously associated with anti-biotech organizations such as Greenpeace, but said he educated himself on science as part of his study of climate change and came to realize that the arguments against GM crops are mainly "green urban myths."

Click here for more.

 

Farm Bureau Members Set to Begin Working with Legislators on New Farm Bill, Mike Spradling Says

Now that the debate over the 'fiscal cliff' is over and Congress has passed a one year extension to the 2008 Farm Bill, Mike Spradling, president of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau, says his members will begin the process of working with legislators on crafting a new farm bill. He recently spoke with us about how they will proceed.

"I don't know that there's going to be too many changes. The main things we're going to continue to push for are the crop insurance programs, the crop protection. Price protection and support, things of that nature, risk management, those things are all important. Certainly, we realize that here in the state of Oklahoma. We've had two years of severe drought. Of course we'd like to see a disaster part of the farm bill and put permanent disaster in it as well instead of ad hoc. That didn't happen this time so there are some things we can continue to work on."

Spradling said that while the agricultural sector would much rather have seen the 2012 Farm Bill passed and signed into law, the fiscal cliff deal did give farmers and ranchers some of what they wanted regarding the estate tax issue.

You can read more and listen to our full interview by clicking here.

 

Wheat Improvement Committee Separates Fact From Fiction

A new article written and distributed by the National Wheat Improvement Committee seeks to dispel some of the myths and false information being promoted in books and on the internet about the supposed harmful effects of eating wheat.

"From wheat farmers to wheat scientists, we know consumers are yearning for more transparency and trust within their food "system." We understand those concerns as consumers ourselves. In an effort to give consumers full scientific knowledge of how wheat has been improved over the years, we have worked together to publish a concise response to recent claims made by Dr. William Davis (in his book Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight, and Find Your Path Back to Health). The National Wheat Improvement Committee has compiled the following responses to Davis' slander attack on wheat's breeding and science improvements. Responses were developed with a scientific and historical perspective, utilizing references from peer-reviewed research and input from U.S. and international wheat scientists."

The article examines misperceptions regarding wheat's connection to celiac disease, gluten-free diets, genetic engineering, and protein changes to name just a few.

The article concludes that, overall, wheat is an essential, safe, healthy and wholesome source of energy and essential nutrients. Globally, 21 percent of the world's calories come from foods made with wheat. Wheat provides an estimated 4.5 billion people in 94 developing countries 20 percent of their protein intake.

Click here to read the full article.

 

Chairman Lucas Announces GOP Roster for Agriculture Committee

Chairman Frank Lucas announced the complete list of Republican members who will serve on the House Agriculture Committee in the 113th Congress:

Rep. Bob Goodlatte (VA) 
Rep. Steve King (IA) 
Rep. Randy Neugebauer (TX) 
Rep. Mike Rogers (AL) 
Rep. K. Michael Conaway (TX) 
Rep. Glenn Thompson (PA) 
Rep. Bob Gibbs (OH) 
Rep. Austin Scott (GA) 
Rep. Scott Tipton (CO) 
Rep. Steve Southerland (FL)
Rep. Rick Crawford (AR)
Rep. Martha Roby (AL) 
Rep. Scott DesJarlais (TN) 
Rep. Chris Gibson (NY)
Rep. Vicky Hartzler (MO)
Rep. Reid Ribble (WI) 
Rep. Kristi Noem (SD)
Rep. Dan Benishek (MI) 
Rep. Jeff Denham (CA) 
Rep. Doug LaMalfa (CA) 
Rep. Richard Hudson (NC) 
Rep. Rodney Davis (IL) 
Rep. Chris Collins (NY) 
Rep. Ted Yoho (FL) 

 

Retail Food Prices Decline Slightly in Fourth Quarter 2012

Shoppers paid a bit less for food at the grocery store during the fourth quarter of 2012, with some popular fruits and veggies showing a decline in retail price. Lower retail prices for Russet potatoes, bagged salad and apples, among other foods, resulted in a slight decrease in the latest American Farm Bureau Federation Quarterly Marketbasket Survey.

The informal survey shows the total cost of 16 food items that can be used to prepare one or more meals was $50.54, down $1.36 or about 3 percent compared to the third quarter of 2012. Of the 16 items surveyed, 10 decreased and six increased in average price compared to the prior quarter.

"While prices were down from the third quarter, compared to a year ago, the marketbasket price was actually higher compared to a year ago, by about 3 percent," said John Anderson, AFBF's deputy chief economist. "Throughout 2012, food prices were relatively stable, thanks to very slow but steady growth in the general economy coupled with fairly stable energy prices. For this year, we expect food prices to rise by 3 to 4 percent, which is slightly higher than the average rate of inflation over the past 10 years." 

To read more of this article, please click here.