Author: VFB Governmental Relations
Young Farmers Talk ELDs, Broadband with DC Representatives
By Emmalee Edwards, Craig County Young Farmers
On July 10-12, a group of Farm Bureau Young Farmers from Southwest Virginia took on Washington, D.C. to meet with Congressmen and organizations such as National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, Animal Ag Alliance, and BIO. We spent July 11th on Capitol Hill, meeting with Congressman Garrett and Congressman Griffith.
We divided the group between the two congressmen; those in Congressman Garrett’s district met with him, and those of us in the 9th District met with Congressman Griffith. We had four key issues to bring to Griffith’s attention: electronic logging devices (ELDs), rural broadband access, trade tariffs, and the Farm Bill. Our time with our Congressman was limited as he had been called into an important meeting (top secret, of course), so we had only five minutes to discuss the first issue – the effect of ELDs on livestock transportation. The requirement for livestock haulers to use ELDs would be detrimental to beef cattle operations in the district, where the best option for feeder calves is to ship them via trucks from Virginia to Midwest feedlots. Griffith agreed that livestock haulers should be exempt from using ELDs, and is currently pushing for further reprieve from compliance for those transporting animals.
Grain Prices Reflect Stockpiled Commodity
National grain supplies are stockpiled, which means lower profits for Virginia grain producers.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture released a quarterly grain stockpile report June 29 that showed the nation’s corn inventory at approximately 5.31 billion bushels as of June 1, an increase of 77 million bushels from a year earlier. The national soybean inventory reached 1.22 billion bushels, which is 256 million bushels higher than in 2017.
Virginia Laboratory Gets New Tool in Protecting State’s Animals from Catastrophic Disease
The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) Regional Animal Health Laboratory in Harrisonburg recently was certified to perform screening testing for the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) virus in animals. Because of this new capability, the lab, which is part of a network operated by VDACS, will perform a valuable early warning function for the detection of Foreign Animal Diseases, including FMD.
Comments Needed- Two FDA Proposals Could Have Negative Impact on Tobacco Production
Below are two Action Alerts concerning FDA proposals, which if ever enacted, would have major negative implications on tobacco production here. At the very least, the manner in which tobacco is grown and marketed would change significantly.
We ask you to comment on each proposal and personalize the comments to your farm and situation. Virginia Farm Bureau will submit additional comments.
Farm Bill Ready for Conference
With passage last week of the Senate farm bill, the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (S. 3042), congressional lawmakers are expected to soon head to conference to iron out the differences between the House and Senate legislation. The House passed its version of the bill, the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018 (H.R. 2), on June 21.
Noting the tough circumstances farmers and ranchers are up against, American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall said progress on the farm bill is very timely.
Week 1: Check out “Merchandiser Minute with Robert Harper,” weekly updates from the Farm Bureau Commodities Department
GR Welcomes Emily Dunne and Ben Rowe
We have two new additions to the Governmental Relations team after departures from Jessica Walton in April and Arielle Brown in May. Jessica pursued an opportunity at William & Mary in Williamsburg to shorten her long commute. Arielle decided to pursue an opportunity with a law firm back in Washington D.C. We wish them well in their new jobs.
I am pleased to announce that Emily Dunne joined our department on June 4th. Emily is a recent graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University with a degree in political science. During her academic career, she gained some valuable experience through internships with a non-profit group lobbying on behalf of college students as well as the Richmond office of Senator Mark Warner. In addition, she provided administrative support at the Federal Aviation Administration during some of her breaks. She will be serving as the Administrative Assistant supporting the Governmental Relations team and taking on numerous projects such as providing support for the Resolutions process.
On July 9th, Ben Rowe will be joining our department as National Affairs Coordinator/Legislative Specialist. He will be coordinating our efforts at the national level with Virginia’s congressional offices. In fact, his first day he will be heading to the AFBF Public Policy Conference in Washington D.C. and provide support to other Farm Bureau staff bringing a group of young farmers visiting D.C. that week. In addition, he will handle issues surrounding labor, energy, plant-based commodities and providing back-up to me on environmental issues. Ben has a degree in Biology and Environmental Studies from Randolph Macon College. Ben is currently finishing up his duties as Vice President of Association Management with the Alliance Group. In this role, he served several agricultural and forestry clients including Executive Director for the Virginia Grain Producers Association, President of Virginia Forest Products Association and previously as Assistant Director to the Virginia Wine Council.
American Farm Bureau: Senate Farm Bill Timely, Needed
The following statement regarding Senate passage of the 2018 Farm Bill may be attributed to American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall.
“The Senate pushed the farm bill one big step closer to the finish line today and it could not have come at a better time. America’s farmers and ranchers continue to face a challenging agricultural economy, a shaky outlook for our export markets and a dire ag labor shortage. It was time for some good news and the Senate delivered it in bipartisan fashion.
“Chairman Roberts and Ranking Member Stabenow worked with other members of the Senate Agriculture Committee to deliver a bill that will continue to provide the risk management tools that America’s farmers need more than ever before. And the fact that Leader McConnell agreed this should be a legislative priority helped move this very important bill forward in the Senate.
“Of course, no bill is ever perfect, but this bipartisan effort gives us a solid framework for progress. We do have concerns about some of the provisions that were added to the bill that make it harder for farmers to manage risk, but we are confident that those issues can be satisfactorily addressed by the House/Senate conference committee. We look forward to working with conferees from both houses to get the best possible farm bill done for rural America.”
House Farm Bill Passage a Win for Farmers
The House passed its version of the farm bill today by a vote of 213-211. American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall released the following statement regarding its passage:
“Passage of the House farm bill today is a big win for America’s farmers and ranchers. Our grassroots Farm Bureau members clearly made their voices heard. By approving the 2018 Farm Bill today, members of the House recognized the serious economic challenges facing farmers and ranchers across the country.
“As crafted by Chairman Conaway, this bill recognizes what is working well, but it also makes much-needed improvements in risk management and crop insurance programs at a time when farm-income levels have slumped to decade lows. This would not have been possible had it not been for Speaker Ryan making the farm bill a congressional priority, and for all the hard work invested in the process by Chairman Conaway and other members of the House Agriculture Committee.
“We look forward to continuing our work with Senate Agriculture Committee leaders Roberts and Stabenow as they move forward. The Senate bill also addresses the challenges our farmers and ranchers are facing today. We will also continue to focus our attention on other areas important to farmers, such as finding a solution for the very serious ag labor shortage, increasing market opportunities through trade and cutting the burdens of regulations that have piled up during previous administrations.”
Plows and Politics 