Weekly Food & Agriculture Update 1.28
WEEKLY FOOD & AGRICULTURE UPDATE
January 28, 2019
A quick look at what’s happening in Washington, D.C. that’s impacting food and agriculture. If you would like to subscribe to the receive the updates right to your inbox, please contact Marissa Dake.
Big Picture Outlook
- Government Re-Opens for Now- On Friday, President Trump announced a deal to temporarily fund the government through February 15. The deal does not include funds to construct a border wall, but will re-open agencies while negotiations continue. “After 36 days of spirited debate and dialogue, I have seen and heard from enough Democrats and Republicans that they are willing to put partisanship aside, I think, and put the security of the American people first,” Trump explained in his announcement. Several of the shuttered agencies work closely with the ag industry; those include USDA, FDA, EPA, and the Interior Department. USDA will be re-starting the implementation of the new farm bill, though employees returning to work today expect to see sizable backlog. Earlier in the week, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (D-MN) shared that he urged his Democratic colleagues to give the President funding for the border wall and to “put strings on it” . “There’s a way out of this,” Peterson explained.
- House Ag Full Roster- The House Ag Committee has released its full member list. There will be 21 Republicans on the Committee and 26 Democrats. There are three new Republican members on the panel: Dusty Johnson (SD-AL), Jim Baird (IN-4), and Jim Hagedorn (MN-1). There are twelve new Democrats coming to the committee: Cindy Axne(IA-3), Anthony Brindisi (NY-22), Salud Carbajal (CA-24), T.J. Cox (CA-21), Angie Craig (MN-2), Antonio Delgado (NY-19), Josh Harder (CA-10), Jahana Hayes (CT-5), Ann Kirkpatrick(AZ-2), Kim Schrier (WA-8), Abigail Spanberger (VA-7), and Jeff Van Drew (NJ-2). Committee Chairman Collin Peterson has named chairs for the six subcommittees of the panel:
- Rep. David Scott (D-GA) Chairman for Commodity Exchanges, Energy and Credit
- Rep. Jim Costa, Chairman for Livestock and Foreign Agriculture
- Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-OH), Chairwoman for Nutrition, Oversight and Department Operations
- Rep. Filemon Vela (D-TX), Chairman for General Farm Commodities and Risk Management
- Rep. Stacey Plaskett (D-VI), Chairwoman for Biotechnology, Horticulture and Research
- Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), Chairwoman for Conservation and Forestry
Nominations & Confirmations
The Senate has not made any confirmations in this session yet.
The Week Ahead
Tuesday, January 29
- The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works will review the nomination of Nicole Nason to serve as Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration.
MTA In Action
Michael Torrey shared a federal affairs update with board members from Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative during their meeting in Madison, Wisconsin. Michael Torrey Associates worked with USDA to secure a presentation for the Edge and other Dairy Strong conference attendees. Under Secretary Ted McKinney oversees Agricultural Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs and gave a trade update to the group via video-conference.
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Next week, Tara Smith will share insights on farm bill implementation as a panelist at the Farm Foundation Forum, “Realities of Implementing the 2018 Farm Bill”. Smith will be joined by USDA Undersecretary Bill Northey, Kansas State Professor Emeritus of Agricultural Economics Barry Flinchbaugh, and Alan Bjerga from the National Milk Producer’s Federation. Register for the free live audio cast by clicking here. To attend the forum in person, click here.
A Quick Look Back
- Organic Price Premiums Dip as Demand Grows, Choices Multiply
- China’s feed grain imports drop sharply
- Congress’s new transportation leader wants to make a deal
- EU open to discussing cars, not farming in U.S. trade talks
- Whole Foods recalls salads, wraps with baby spinach for possible salmonella contamination
- General Mills recalls some 5-pound bags of flour over salmonella fears
Pertinent Timing Ticker
- Today is the final day to comment on the Use of Dairy Terms in the Labeling of Plant-Based Products (Jan 28, 2019).
- Today is the final day to comment on the Proposed Joint-Employer Rulemaking (Jan 28, 2019).
- 18 days until government funding expires. (Feb 15, 2019).
- 32 days until tariffs on Chinese goods rise to 25% (March 1, 2019).