On to New Hampshire. Former President Donald Trump was the runaway winner of the Iowa Republican caucuses yesterday evening, demonstrating he maintains a strong hold on Republicans in that state and in rural areas particularly.
In his victory speech, Trump promised to “seal up the border,” bring down energy prices and “rescue our economy.”
He also had a direct message to farmers: “You just go out and buy larger tractors and more land.”
According to the CNN entrance poll, 57% of rural caucus goers favored Trump. The top two issues for caucus goers statewide were immigration and the economy, and Trump was the runaway favorite on both concerns.
By the way: At a caucus in suburban Des Moines, Trump touted the billions of dollars he had provided to farmers during his administration. He also said, “I stood up for ethanol like nobody has ever stood up for it.”
Next up: The New Hampshire primary next Tuesday.
Lawmakers look to avert USDA shutdown
It looks like Congress will avoid a partial shutdown of USDA and several other departments and agencies this coming weekend. Congressional leaders reached agreement over the weekend on a new continuing resolution that would keep the government funded until March 1 for some departments and agencies and until March 8 for the rest.
The Senate is due to take the first procedural action on the stopgap bill today. The continuing resolution must be passed by Friday in order to avoid a partial shutdown of some departments and agencies, including USDA, FDA and the Transportation Department.
Under a CR enacted in November, departments and agencies covered by the Agriculture, Energy-Water, Transportation-HUD and Military Construction measures are funded through Friday. The new CR would extend their funding to March 1. Departments and agencies covered by the remaining eight FY24 bills would be extended to March 8.
Also today: USDA resumes a hearing process that started in August on possible changes to federal milk marketing orders. If the hearing isn’t completed Friday, it will reconvene again on Jan. 29.
Lawmakers seek to block H-2A wage rate increase
Seventy-five House members are asking congressional appropriators to freeze H-2A wage rates at January 2023 levels, citing the “financial strain” that pay increases for farmworkers pose to producers.
In a letter to the House and Senate Appropriations committees, the bipartisan group of lawmakers say their constituents will be “forced to shutter their businesses, despite good-faith efforts to ensure our national food security and feed families across our nation” if adverse effect wage rates continue to increase. They cite American Farm Bureau Federation estimates that put the national average AEWR rate at $17.55 an hour for 2024.
“While more permanent solutions are needed to address the AEWR’s past impact and its future trajectory, we request that the upcoming government funding vehicle prohibit funds from being used to implement a wage increase or otherwise freeze the H-2A wage rates at January 2023 levels,” the lawmakers write.
House sends No Russian Agriculture Act to Senate
The House has passed a bill that would require the Treasury Department to pressure the World Bank and similar institutions to work to decrease global reliance on Russia for agricultural commodities.
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The No Russian Agriculture Act — originally introduced by Reps. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., and Zach Nunn, R-Iowa in retaliation of Russia’s decision to withdraw from the Black Sea Grain Initiative last year — will now advance to the Senate.
“By passing this legislation, we’re one step closer to not relying on Russia and putting the focus back on supporting America’s farmers,” Nunn says.
FTC, states’ antitrust complaint over loyalty programs advances
A federal judge is allowing the Federal Trade Commission and 12 states to move ahead with their antitrust lawsuit against Syngenta and Corteva, the seed and chemical giants. The judge ruled the complaint “plausibly alleged anticompetitive conduct and injury.”
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In addition, U.S. District Judge Thomas D. Schroeder found that the complaint “plausibly alleges that the loyalty programs leverage the [companies’] monopolist status and the market’s substantial barrier to entry to exclude competition for the [active ingredients].”
The opinion issued Friday cites allegations by generics manufacturers that they were blocked from entry into the market because of the presence of the loyalty programs.
Data gap on foreign farmland purchase sparks concern
Missing data regarding a 200,000-acre purchase of Oregon farmland by a Singapore-based company under the ownership of Chinese billionaire Tianquao Chen is raising new questions about USDA’s tracking of foreign land ownership.
A Jan. 8 article by the Land Report says Shanda Asset Management LLC, an investment company owned by Chen, currently owns 200,000 acres of Oregon forestland. The land was purchased in 2015, the article says.
The company’s holdings aren’t included in 2021 foreign ownership data USDA compiled under the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act. USDA hasn’t published a searchable dataset yet for 2022.
“I expect both of your departments to review this seeming lack of disclosure on the 2015 sale, and look forward to your findings and recommendations to strengthen AFIDA and the Committee on Foreign Investment (CFIUS) and any other systems at your disposal to vet and track these types of sales,” Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., says in a letter to USDA and the Treasury Department.
She said it. “I look forward to quickly passing what is hopefully our last continuing resolution.” — Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, endorsing a new CR that would extend government funding to March 1 and March 8. It would be the third CR enacted for the fiscal year that started Oct. 1.
