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Shining Light on Farm & Food Policy for 20 Years.
Friday, December 20, 2024
The USDA on Tuesday rolled out an outline of a $12 billion assistance plan amid growing anger from lawmakers and farm groups over the impacts of foreign tariffs on farm commodities.
The multifront trade war erupting on all sides of the U.S., with allies and others alike, is reaching new heights this week. China is preparing to enact $34 billion worth of tariffs on Friday that have U.S. producers of everything from strawberries to beef bracing for a major disruption in exports.
U.S. farmers are already hurting thanks to Mexico’s retaliatory tariffs for U.S. import taxes on steel and aluminum, but the pain is expected to increase sharply in the weeks and months to come.
The Senate Agriculture Committee’s draft farm bill would make additional improvements for dairy producers and the Agriculture Risk Coverage program while expanding the Conservation Reserve Program and renewing a research foundation and other popular programs that are slated to run out of money when the current farm bill expires.
The Republican chairman and the top Democrat on the Senate Agriculture Committee hope to release a draft of their farm bill this week, and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell promises to move it quickly to the floor.
Dairy farmers are reminded that they have until Friday, June 8, to sign up for the Margin Protection Program. The original deadline was June 1, but it was extended by Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue.
