December 17, 2024
Contents
- What We’re Watching
- Notable News
- This Week’s Legislation
- Upcoming Hearings
- Contact the Team
The Torrey Advisory Group Food and Agriculture Update will be paused until January 7th. Have a wonderful holiday season and great start to the new year.
What We’re Watching
Congress
Farm Bill Extension
A year-long farm bill extension plus $10 billion in economic assistance, and $21 billion in agriculture disaster assistance, is expected to be added into the Continuing Resolution, which will extend appropriations funding into next year. Over the weekend many agriculture groups publicly urged that the CR needed to be coupled with additional economic assistance for farmers, and House Agriculture Committee Chairman GT Thompson (R-PA) along with Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Committee John Boozman (R-AR) stated they will oppose any CR without the additional funds. House Speaker Mike Johnson eventually indicated his support for the economic assistance but opposed moving the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding into the farm bill baseline. The final end-of-year package will also include $100 billion in disaster assistance.
The bill is expected to be released Tuesday, but the exact path in the House – whether it moves through the House Rules Committee or under suspension – remains in flux. The current CR holds government funding steady through December 20.
NDAA
The NDAA for FY2025 passed the House of Representatives last week. A few notable provisions in the bill are the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), language to establish a Foundation for International Conservation, studies and data collection on the impacts of PFAS, a prohibition on requiring zero-emission vehicles for military travel, and language on various studies, bans, and reports on China and Chinese goods. The Senate took a cloture vote on the NDAA on Monday night and are expected to take up the legislation this (Tuesday) afternoon.
House Agriculture Leadership Race
Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN) is officially the new Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Committee after winning the full Democratic caucus vote 121-91 against Representative Jim Costa (D-CA). With this, Minnesotans now hold both the Ranking Member positions for the House and Senate Agriculture Committees.
For background, on Monday, the House Democratic Steering Committee met to vote on their recommendation for Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Committee. Current Ranking Member David Scott (D-GA) was challenged by Reps. Jim Costa (D-CA) and Angie Craig (D-MN). Rep. Angie Craig was the top pick from the Steering Committee with 34 votes, Rep. Jim Costa received 22 votes, and incumbent Ranking Member David Scott only received 5 votes. It was reported that after the announcement of the Steering Committee recommendation, Rep. Scott dropped out of the race.
Administration
Healthy Definition Finalized at OMB
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) completed its review of the FDA’s final rule, Nutrient Content Claims, Definition of Term: Healthy. The rule could be released by FDA to the public at any time in the coming days or weeks and will fall within the Congressional Review Act authority.
USDA Announces New Strategy on HPAI Testing in Raw Milk
The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is announcing the start of its National Milk Testing Strategy (NMTS). This includes a new Federal Order, as well as accompanying guidance, requiring that raw milk samples nationwide be collected and shared with USDA for testing. As part of the strategy, USDA will work with state agencies to move states through “phases”, with the ultimate goal of eradication of the virus. The new order is in addition to the April Federal Order that requires testing of animals for interstate shipping. Read more here.
USDA Now Accepting MASC Applications
The USDA is accepting applications for the Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops (MASC). The program is funded through the Commodity Credit Corporation and was rolled out with the Commodity Assistance Storage Program. MASC will assist specialty crop producers meet higher marketing costs related to perishability, specialized handling and transport equipment, packaging, moving perishables to market quickly, and high labor costs. Applications are due to USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) through Jan. 8, 2025.
USDA Investing in Food Systems
The USDA announced the rollout of $1.13 billion to go toward investing in local and regional food systems. This will build on the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement (LFPA) and Local Food for Schools (LFS) programs that previously received funding from the agency. States, territories, and tribes will be able to use this funding for purchasing locally produced foods for distribution within their communities to emergency food providers, schools, and childcare centers. Specifically, $471.5M will be set aside for states and territories to purchase local, unprocessed, or minimally processed domestic foods for use by schools, and up to $188.6 million for use in childcare facilities participating in federal feeding programs. Also, $471.5 million will go toward states, territories, and Tribal governments to use in local feeding programs that reach underserved communities.
FWS Announces Threatened Species Status for Monarch Butterflies
The Department of Interior Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced a proposal to list the monarch butterfly as a threatened species and designate critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. A comment period opened on December 12, 2024, and will remain open through March 12, 2025. FWS is seeking input on questions including around the critical habitat designation, the accompanying the 4(d) rule to specify protective regulations, pesticide use, energy infrastructure impacts, and economic impacts. There will be two public hearings on this proposal – one on January 14 from 6 – 8:30 PM EST, and another on January 15 from 8 – 10:30 PM EST.
Notable News
- Opinion: Farmers Need Economic Assistance Now – AgriPulse
- Eat Less Meat, More Beans & Lentils for Protein, New USDA Guidelines Say – HealthDay
- AFBF President Duvall Seeks Fix for H-2A Farm Labor Issues in 2025 – Hoosier Ag Today
- Getting What You Pay For: Consumers Weigh Costs, Benefits of Sustainable Farming – USA Today
- December WASDE Numbers from USDA Show Greater Corn Use for Ethanol, Larger Exports – KFGO
- AI In Vertical Farming Could Transform Global Agriculture – USA Today
This Week’s Legislation
- Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (D-MI) introduced an amendment to the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act to make supplemental funds available for management of fish and wildlife species of greatest conservation need as determined by State fish and wildlife agencies.
- Congressman Robert Menendez (D-NJ) introduced an amendment for the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to establish labeling requirements for caffeine.
- Senator Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM) introduced a bill to accelerate the development, demonstration, and deployment of new technologies and innovative solutions to address the environmental cleanup mission of the Department of Energy.
- Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) introduced the BUY GREEN Act, which would establish $1.5 trillion in federal procurement commitments for American-made clean, renewable, and emission-free energy products.
- Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) introduced the Plug Offshore Wells Act, which would direct the U.S. Department of the Interior to submit an annual, publicly available report to Congress on the status of decommissioning offshore oil and gas wells, platforms, and pipelines.
Upcoming Hearings
Wednesday, December 18
- 10:00 AM: The Senate Budget Committee will hold a hearing titled “Next to Fall: The Climate-Driven Insurance Crisis is Here, and Getting Worse.”
- 2:30 PM: The Joint Economic Committee will hold a hearing titled “Trade Wars and Higher Costs: The Case Against Trump’s Tariffs.”
Contact the Team
Feel free to contact Michael Torrey, Tara Smith, Cassandra Kuball, Barbara Patterson, Katie Naessens, Julie McClure, Nona McCoy, Danielle Nelson, Ashley Smith, Olivia Lucanie, Caroline Snell, Heath Brandt, Tracy Boyle, or Grace Walker with any questions or comments.
Food and agricultural organizations that need the right results in Washington, D.C. can trust Torrey Advisory Group to put its relationships, reputation, and expertise to work on your issue. Since 2005, the firm has successfully provided legislative and regulatory guidance, issues management, and association management services to a wide variety of clients. Learn more about us at torreydc.com.
