Articles by Sarah Gonzalez

Specialty crop and dairy producers testified at a House Agriculture Committee Farm Bill hearing today in Saranac Lake, New York. It was the first of a series to be held throughout March and April to gather input in advance of writing the 2012 Farm Bill.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced a $33 million partnership funded through the Wildlife Habitats Incentives Program (WHIP).

Finalizing stricter regulatory oversight through the Dodd-Frank Act is needed in a world of rapidly changing financial markets, Commodity Futures Trading (CFTC) Commissioner Bart Chilton said in his speech for the Trade Tech 2012 conference today in New York.

The House Agriculture Committee approved its Budget Views and Estimates letter today to House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) regarding the budget for fiscal year 2013. The main focus for this year is on reauthorizing the Farm Bill, which expires on September 30.

During USDA’s Advisory Committee on Biotechnology & 21st Century Agriculture's third physical meeting in Washington DC this week, the committee members listened to diverse views on how the commercial sector is addressing unintended GE presence. Here are the highlights of those views:

If a Farm Bill is written this year, it needs to be about more than just “tinkering with the payment system” by investing in agricultural research and beginning farmers and ranchers, Agriculture Secretary Vilsack said during the 2012 Commodity Classic in Nashville today.

While crop insurance is the top Farm Bill priority for commodity groups at the 2012 Commodity Classic in Nashville, each has its own ideas on how to provide supporting risk management programs.

The U.S. needs to prepare to handle a variety of emerging market systems in developing economies with rapidly growing middle classes, said US Grains Council President Thomas Dorr today at the 2012 Commodity Classic in Nashville

Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Chairman Gary Gensler told the House Agriculture Committee that he expects Dodd-Frank rule-writing to be completed by this summer; however, he noted it’s possible that a handful won’t be finished until later this year.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) will hold a two-day public roundtable to discuss customer collateral protection and “gather public input on a variety of ideas to further protect customers.”