About Us| NFU News Clips - April 23 |
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| Written by Administrator | |
| Monday, 23 April 2012 09:15 | |
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NFU News Clips April 23, 2012 PLEASE NOTE - Contents in the NFU News Clips are presented from their original sources. National Farmers Union does not have editorial control over the content. NFU does not endorse the views and issues contained in these articles and they do not necessarily represent NFU's official policy and positions. The News Clips are intended to provide news stories as they are presented by the media.
Click on the title of the story to read the full story In this edition: · WTO Talks COOL in Public· Congress Begins Uphill Battle to Pass Farm Bill· Ag Groups Segregate Sustainability From Conservation Compliance· Romney’s Healthcare Plan May Be More Revolutionary Than Obama’s· What is Sustainability?1. WTO Talks COOL in PublicApril 23, 2012FarmFuturesThe dispute over country of origin labeling that has been working its way through the World Trade Organization, takes a significant step forward the week of April 30. And those hearings will be in public. Both the United States and Canada have requested that the Appellate Body Division hearing be open to public observation, and the Geneva, Switzerland group will make that happen. It's uncommon for these hearing to be held in public. Early in this process, the dispute settlement meetings were also opened to the public at the request of both parties. But the Appellate Body Division doesn't open its meetings to public view. The oral hearing is to take place May 2 and 3. Those on hand will view the hearing by closed-circuit television in a room near the hearing room. And apparently seating is limited. Read more…2. Congress Begins Uphill Battle to Pass Farm BillApril 20, 2012Associated PressThe Senate has begun laying the groundwork for a half-trillion-dollar farm and food bill that would end unconditional subsidies to farmers, but House Republicans' resolve to cut its biggest component — food stamps — by $13 billion a year dims its prospects of passing Congress. The current five-year farm bill expires at the end of September, and the Senate Agriculture Committee on Friday released a draft of its plan to redesign safety nets that help farmers weather bad times while achieving some $23 billion in deficit reduction. Read more…3. Ag Groups Segregate Sustainability From Conservation ComplianceApril 23, 2012DTN/The Progressive FarmerI received another news release from the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance's public relations firm on Friday championing efforts in agriculture regarding sustainability, managing water and fertilizer and "green" practices. This morning, I read an article on another website, AgriPulse, that 31 agricultural groups and crop-insurance companies also sent a letter Friday to Senate Ag Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., to "urge you to reject the linkage" of conservation compliance to eligibility for crop insurance. The basic premise is that crop insurance is too valuable to producers to have to tie basic minimum conservation practices to the land. The groups said to do so would risk the ability to get credit from bankers. Read more…4. Romney’s Healthcare Plan May Be More Revolutionary Than Obama’sApril 23, 2012LA TimesAs he pushes to "repeal and replace" President Obama's healthcare law, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has turned to proposals that could alter the way hundreds of millions of Americans get their medical insurance. In public, Romney has only sketched the outlines of a plan, and aides have declined to answer questions about the details. But his public statements and interviews with advisors make clear that Romney has embraced a strategy that in crucial ways is more revolutionary — and potentially more disruptive — than the law Obama signed two years ago. Read more… 5. What is Sustainability?April 23, 2012DTN/The Progressive FarmerA decade ago, the story was nearly the same in every town square across the country. The local hardware store, grocer and shops were closing in rural America because the world's largest retailer was building a box store on the edge of town. The debate continues about Walmart's impact on small towns and cities. But the retailer and its broad reach may reshape rural America again as the company tries to expand and promote more locally-grown foods such as fruits and vegetables. Read more… |