President Donald Trump gave Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue a happy birthday Thursday when he signed the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 with many members of the agricultural community in attendance. “Mr. President, it is a great birthday present not only for me, but for all of agriculture, to give the producers, the ranchers, and farmers across America the peace of …
Conaway Pleased with Final Farm Bill
Passage of the 2018 Farm Bill is a “big deal for rural America” and for House Agriculture Committee chairman Rep. Mike Conaway (R-TX), who loses his chairmanship next month when the Democrats take the majority in the House. After the House voted 386-47 to pass the conference report and send the bill to the president, Conaway released a video talking …
Farm Bill Poised for Passage
The Senate voted 87-13 yesterday to pass the 2018 Farm Bill approved by the conference committee this week and the House is expected to do so soon. “We think the farm bill’s in very good shape,” said President Trump as he sat down with Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), just before getting into a spat with …
Ethanol Interests Testify on Proposed Fuels Act
Ethanol stakeholder groups were among those testifying Tuesday at a House Energy and Commerce Environment Subcommittee hearing to review a discussion draft of the 21st Century Transportation Fuels Act, which would effectively repeal the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Geoff Cooper said that while the draft legislation is “an important first step in the debate …
House Bill Would Replace RFS
Congressman John Shimkus (R-IL) and Congressman Bill Flores (R-TX) are proposing new legislation that would replace the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) with the 21st Century Transportation Fuels Act. In a discussion draft released last week, the congressmen proposed a “transition from the RFS beginning in 2023 to a national octane specification” which they say would create “new market opportunities for …
Latest Agri-Pulse Poll Shows Strong Support for Trump
It’s probably safe to say that no president in recent history has talked about agriculture as much as President Donald J. Trump, who has managed to mention farmers in nearly every campaign stop he has made in the past week. That “I love farmers” strategy continues to pay off, despite trade policy strategies that have impacted agricultural exports. A new …
Democrat Reps Ask EPA to Uphold RFS
Nearly 20 members of Congress are sounding the alarm about how small refinery waivers causing less ethanol to be blended into gasoline disproportionately impacts communities of color. Reps. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Danny Davis (D-IL) and 17 of their colleagues sent a letter this week to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) expressing concern over how the widespread issuance of waivers …
Farm Bill Conference Committee Meets This Week
The 2018 Farm Bill Conference Committee will hold its first public meeting this week on Wednesday, September 5 at 9:30 am Eastern. Agriculture Committee Chairmen Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., and Rep. K. Michael Conaway, R-Texas, and Ranking Members Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., and Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minn., announced the meeting last month, saying that they are “committed to working together …
Grassley Has “Good Discussion” with EPA’s Wheeler
Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) had a chance to sit down with EPA Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler while he was in Iowa this week. “There seems to be a real message from the White House to Wheeler to do something for E15 twelve months a year,” said Grassley. “But there has to be something also done for refineries so I think …
EPA’s Wheeler Talks RFS with Farmers in Iowa
Acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler got a taste of the famous Iowa State Fair Monday as the guest of Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds and while he had some fun, Wheeler was there to meet with farmers about critical issues. “I enjoyed the round table we just had with different ag groups in the state…hearing what their concerns and problems are,” …