Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow says there’s no new money to be had for the upcoming farm bill. That means that funding increases in programs are going to require taking money from somewhere else within the bill. “So, we have the baseline, but that’s it,” she told reporters Tuesday.
She reiterated that the newly passed debt ceiling bill claimed savings that could have been used in the farm bill. “We have been asking both in the House and Senate for additional dollars from the Budget Committee. Even a few billion more would have been very helpful. But instead, we really lost all the flexibility that we thought we had,” Stabenow said.
Take note: While speaking at the Nutrition Incentive Hub’s National Convening on Tuesday, Stabenow specifically warned the audience not to expect additional funding for the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program, or GusNIP, which provides fresh produce to low-income people. “We want to increase the dollars, but I’m telling you as someone who cares deeply about this that a win for us this time may look like preserving what we have so we can move forward.”
Stabenow also reiterated to reporters that she won’t allow the conservation funding in the Inflation Reduction Act funding to be redirected. “I mean the farm bill is about mitigating (farmers’) risk. … The biggest risk they have now is the climate crisis. And so, if we want to help them mitigate risk, we need to keep those dollars in the conservation programs that they want to use.”
No surprise: Crop insurance top priority for farmers in survey
The latest monthly survey of farmers by Purdue University and the CME Group found that nearly half, or 48%, believe the crop insurance title is the most important part of the farm bill to their operations. The commodity title came in second, ranking No. 1 by 25% of the respondents.
Take note: Corn and soybean growers were asked specifically what they expect Congress to do about Price Loss Coverage reference prices. Some 45% of those producers say they expect reference prices to be increased.
House committee advances bill to expand whole milk offerings
The House Education and the Workforce Committee approved the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act by voice vote on Tuesday.
House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn Thompson, a Pennsylvania Republican who also serves on the committee, said school kids should have the option to drink whole milk at school with 3.5% milk fat, up from the now permitted 1%, 2% and skim milk options.
Thompson said the bill allows children milk choice options and allows a continued range of choices. He also argued that if more students consumed whole milk instead of heavy-sugar, caffeinated beverages, it would reduce childhood obesity.
Democrats on the committee objected to the expansion of whole milk options, saying it does not follow the federal dietary guidelines or the American Heart Association guidelines. Ranking Member Bobby Scott, D-Va., also said he was discouraged Republicans are “proposing to break our committee’s long bipartisan practice to not consider standalone child nutrition legislation outside of a child nutrition reauthorization.”
Rural co-op CEO tells lawmakers emission rules would be costly
Patrick O’Loughlin, the president and chief executive officer of an Ohio-based rural electric utility co-op, told a panel of lawmakers Tuesday that proposed EPA rules to limit greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel-fired power plants would force his company to shut down four coal-fired plants that provide more than 80% of its energy requirements before 2030.
O’Loughlin, who works for Buckeye Power Inc., and Ohio Rural Electric Cooperatives Inc., told a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee that it would take his company “several billion dollars of investment” to replace this energy with renewable resources. He said replacing the energy output of just one 600-megawatt cardinal unit would require more than 1,500 megawatts of solar, which would take 6,000 acres of land and cost at least $1.5 billion.
“That is to replace just the energy output, and not the other reliability services our coal units provide, and certainly won’t help on the cold winter nights like we experienced this past Christmas,” O’Loughlin said.
Don’t miss a beat! It’s easy to sign up for a FREE month of Agri-Pulse news! For the latest on what’s happening in Washington, D.C. and around the country in agriculture, just click here.
EU extends deal to let countries ban sales of Ukrainian grain
The European Commission has extended by about four months a provision that allows five Eastern European countries to ban the imports of Ukrainian grain, so long as they allow the grain to pass through their borders to other nations.
The EU allowance that resulted from farmer unrest in Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia over cheap Ukrainian grain flooding local markets was scheduled to end on June 5, but will now last through Sept. 15, the commission says.
“These exceptional and temporary measures fully respect the EU's strong commitment to support Ukraine and preserve its capabilities to export its grains, which are critical to feed the world and keep food prices down, in the face of the challenges posed by the unprovoked Russian aggression against Ukraine and its civilians,” the commission said in a statement.
FAS requests members for advisory committees
The Foreign Agricultural Service is seeking members for its Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee and related Agricultural Technical Advisory Committees (ATACs) for Trade.
In a Federal Register notice, FAS said it was renewing charters for the committees to obtain “detailed policy and technical advice, information, and recommendations regarding trade barriers, negotiation of trade agreements, and implementation of existing trade agreements affecting food and agricultural products.”
The ATACs will address animals and animal products; fruits and vegetables; grains, feed, oilseeds, and planting seeds; processed foods; sweeteners and sweetener products, and tobacco, cotton, peanuts and hemp.
Questions, comments, tips? Email bill@agri-pulse.com
