Next Board Meeting| NFU News Clips - April 24 |
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| Written by Administrator | |
| Tuesday, 24 April 2012 07:29 | |
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NFU News Clips April 24, 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: · Some Groups Balk at Farm Bill· IFPRI launches annual Global Food Policy Report· Conrad-Lugar amendment would give energy programs $800 million· Think long-term with wild land prices· Dow’s New Corn: Time Bomb or Farmers’ Dream?1. Some Groups Balk at Farm BillApril 24, 2012DTN/The Progressive FarmerA coalition of southern farm groups and Minnesota and Colorado corn growers late Monday asked Senate Agriculture Committee leaders to postpone Wednesday's scheduled farm bill markup until at least after the week-long recess that begins Friday. "Our first blush impression is that the mark raises serious equity issues and grave concerns over planting distortions," the groups said, adding that they want more time to consider the bill. The letter was signed by the Southern Peanut Farmers Federation, the Western Peanut Growers Association, the National Cotton Council, the National Sorghum Producers, the U.S. Rice Producers Association, the USA Rice Federation and the Oklahoma Wheat Growers Association. It was also signed by the Minnesota and Colorado corn growers. Read more… 2. IFPRI launches annual Global Food Policy ReportApril 23, 2012AgriPulseThe International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) launched the Global Food Policy Report, the first in a new annual series. The Report provides a comprehensive overview of major policy changes at the global, regional, national, and local levels in the last year, as well as their significance for food and nutrition security. “It is based on research, it is evidence-based, however; it is non-technical,” said IFPRI Director General Shenggen Fan. “So the non-technical person such as politicians, policymakers, practitioners or anybody else who is interested in food security can use it as a comprehensive handbook.” Read more…3. Conrad-Lugar amendment would give energy programs $800 MillionApril 24, 2012E&ESens. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) and Dick Lugar (R-Ind.) plan to offer a bipartisan amendment to the proposed Senate farm bill that would provide mandatory funding for rural energy programs. The amendment seeks to provide $800 million for the programs over five years, Conrad's office said yesterday. It will likely be debated tomorrow at a markup on the farm bill, which Senate agriculture leaders released Friday afternoon. "We think it's an amendment that should have broad support in the committee. It's very heartening to see the bipartisan cooperation in here," said Andy Olsen, a senior policy advocate at the Environmental Law and Policy Center, which is working to get more sponsors aboard. Read more…4. Think long-term with wild land pricesApril 23, 2012Agriculture OnlineSome Corn Belt values have seen their sharpest price jumps ever. Crop prices have been good. Interest rates have been low. Farm incomes have been healthy. Makes for a healthy outlook for farm land values, right? There is bad news, though. Interest rates can't get much lower. There's a lot of uncertainty about this year's crop yield potential. And, both fixed and variable costs to raise corn and soybeans continue rising. Add it all up and it's certainly not the end of the bull run for farm land prices, but it's reason for more caution in pricing new land than in recent years, says director of the Purdue University Center for Commercial Agriculture and ag economist Brent Gloy. Read more… 5. Dow’s New Corn: Time Bomb of Farmers’ Dream?April 24, 2012ReutersA new biotech corn developed by Dow AgroSciences could answer the prayers of U.S. farmers plagued by a fierce epidemic of super-weeds. Or it could trigger a flood of dangerous chemicals that may make weeds even more resistant and damage other important U.S. crops. Or, it could do both. "Enlist," entering the final stages of regulatory approval, has become the latest flashpoint in the debate about the risks and rewards about farm technology. With a deadline to submit public comments on Dow's proposal at the end of this week, more than 5,000 individuals and groups have already weighed in. Dow Agrosciences, a unit of Dow Chemical Co, hopes to have the product approved this year and released by the 2013 crop. Read more… |