Agri-Pulse staff

In a letter to House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) and Ranking Member Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) this week, several agriculture industry organizations urged the House Agriculture Committee to include a provision establishing a Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR

Senate Majority Leader Senator Harry Reid, D-Nev., spoke on the Senate floor today regarding the Senate Committee-passed Farm Bill, the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2012, calling it “a strong, bipartisan agriculture bill.”

The American Farm Bureau Federation sent a letter to the Senate Monday outlining the organization’s priorities and concerns regarding the Senate Agriculture Committee’s proposed 2012 farm bill, S. 3240

The American Sugar Alliance Young Farmer Advisory Board sent a letter to Congress today, stating that if no-cost U.S. sugar policy were weakened or eliminated during Senate consideration of the Farm Bill, young sugar producers would exit the business and jeopardize future domestic supplies.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., announced today that she will introduce an amendment to the Farm Bill to restore proposed Nutrition Title cuts by reducing federal subsidies for crop insurance companies.

The USDA announced today that organic products certified in the United States or European Union may now be sold as organic in either market, as trade opened up on Friday, June 1, under a new U.S.-EU equivalency partnership.

USDA opened the 17th season of the summer farmers market on the Washington Mall today with guests including Hip Hop Public Health, NFL Athlete Reed Doughty, Fuel Up to Play 60 and employee appearances, including a dancing cow.

USDA Chief Economist Joseph Glauber today announced the selection of Robert Johansson as USDA Deputy Chief Economist.

USDA’s third-quarter forecast released today showed the U.S. farm exports reaching the second-highest level on record at $134.5 billion in fiscal year 2012.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) today revealed its data analysis on crop insurance payments for individual policyholders in each U.S. state and county. EWG obtained the data through the Freedom of Information Act from USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) on the system of government-backed pre