By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. We are trying to survive a global pandemic, trade disruptions, and trade conflicts. Farm bankruptcies have been increasing for 5 years in a row. And they are expected to continue to climb in the next 12 months. Thank you to the federal government – farm support payments have jumped
Pandemics Costs Money Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. In recent weeks, the news has focused on the number of cases of Coronavirus and related deaths. We are aware of the large amount of money and support that our federal government has made available, but I’m not sure we have focused enough on the resulting family disruption and
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. For more than 2 years the U.S., Canada and Mexico have been negotiating a new North American Free Trade Agreement. Finally, USMCA became effective this week. Even with the new trade deal, President Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on Canadian aluminum. I don’t think we need to do
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. I have, on more than one occasion, talked about President Trump and EPA in their effort to restrain President Obama’s Waters of the U.S. rule. That rule was written to restrict farmers and ranchers from tiling wetlands and managing our private property. Last Friday, we got a court ruling
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. I will cover some issues of the day that may not have gotten much attention. The U.S. and Russia have a long-range nuclear arms agreement that will expire next February. The agreement was negotiated and went into effect 30 years ago. It is time to renegotiate, and China will
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. President Trump held a meeting with farm leaders on Tuesday at the White House. Secretary Sonny Perdue explained how the $16 billion aid package passed by Congress and signed by the President two months ago would be divided up. This bill is the centerpiece of President Trump’s effort to
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. Being in lock down like most of our citizens and trying to celebrate Mother’s Day made me think. My mother was so dedicated to my 2 sisters, me and of course my dad. Mom & Dad were married in 1934 and in 1935 I was born. We were living
On May 12, OFW Principals, John G. Dillard and Mason Weeda will be presenting a webinar in collaboration with The Food Institute on the U.S. regulatory response in connection to the novel coronavirus crisis. The focus will be on the policies and practices implemented by USDA, FDA, OSHA, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of
Parties that litigate a case to the U.S. Supreme Court are few and far between. And while it’s always crushing to lose before the nation’s highest court, most litigants take their lumps and go home. The Argus Leader, a Sioux Falls, South Dakota newspaper, did not get the message. Instead, it filed a motion for
Oh, SNAP! Argus Media Loses Again Read More »
By Julia Johnson The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has released its Request for Applications for the “New Beginning for Tribal Students” program. The program passed as part of the 2018 Farm Bill to support Native American education at land-grant colleges and universities. Congress appropriated $5 million to
New Beginning for Tribal Students Goes Live Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. The food industry is trying to cope with serious supply chain problems. Coronavirus has forced dramatic change in our food production and distribution system. Restaurants and schools are closed. They did provide 40% of our food. That food now needs to go to the grocery stores, but restaurant food
On April 22, OFW Principal John Dillard presented a webinar addressing the federal regulatory changes that have been implemented to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The webinar also discussed guidance from USDA, FDA, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Center for Disease Control as well as some of the best practices that have been
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. Look back to when this year started – economists and ag experts were all predicting an increase in net farm income. We had a trade deal with China which would give a dramatic boost to grain and meat exports. Nothing could stop us. Then came coronavirus. In the beginning
John G. Dillard, a principal at OFW. will be presenting a review of several federal agencies’ responses to the COVID-19 crisis that affect food producers and manufacturers. The webinar, “COVID-19: Regulatory Changes Impacting Food Production and Distribution” will be offered by the National Agricultural Law Center on Wednesday, April 22, 2020 at 12pm EST. John
Facility managers – not just food facility managers – are being “encouraged” to take strong preventative measures to help mitigate the risks of COVID-19 for individuals within their premises. Managers are also reminded that the actions taken need to be documented. It is recognized that certain of the recommended measures made by the Center for
Sanitation Measures to Control COVID-19 in Manufacturing Facilities Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. Let’s start with some good news. Russia, Saudi Arabia, the U.S. and other oil producing countries agreed to cut production by 10% – about 11 million barrels. That should give us a modest lift in fuel prices which should help the price of ethanol and corn. My judgement –
Food Industry Challenge Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. There isn’t a lot of happy talk in the U.S. or around the world. These are depressing times. The Coronavirus sickness and resulting deaths are all you see on tv, hear on the radio or read in the papers. Concern about the virus and the health of our citizens
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. We have never seen anything like the Coronavirus. It has been infecting countries all over the world. I guess that reminds us that we live in a global economy. This virus is an infectious disease that knows no borders. I am impressed how Americans – rich and poor, rural
Virus and Low Prices Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. After months of uncertainty, the biofuels industry got some good news. The EPA had been granting exemptions to small refineries so they were not required to blend ethanol with petroleum fuel. A January ruling by the 10th U.S. Circuit Court put a stop to EPA’s small refinery exemption. Then
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. It seems like overnight we went from a booming economy to shutting everything down. Schools are closed, businesses are working online to avoid contact. “Social distancing” is the new way to live. In some states they are even closing restaurants and bars. And what ever happened to “March Madness?”
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. I was on the farm in Illinois last week. After that tough weather that we had to deal with last year – it was beautiful. The soil is dry. Not the muck that made harvest almost impossible. We weren’t able to get all of the anhydrous applied last Fall
Today’s Agriculture Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. I will be on my farm in Illinois this week and next week I will report what I find. For now, realizing that almost 30% of our ag production is exported, world markets can be the difference between farm profitability and loss. We now have negotiated favorable agreements with
USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has oversight over the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The agency’s responsibilities include the licensing of more than 250,000 SNAP-authorized retail food stores. FNS also is authorized to bring administrative enforcement proceedings, including trafficking charges, against SNAP retailers to prevent fraud and other problem violations. FNS publishes annual data
Oh, SNAP! FNS Still Hasn’t Released Its FY 2019 SNAP Retailer Management Summary Read More »
Big Sky Scientific is a Montana-based manufacturer of hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) products, including isolate powders, oils, and distillates. Big Sky sources its products from hemp producers, including in Oregon. During late 2018, it purchased more than two tons of hemp plant material containing less than 0.3% THC from an Oregon producer and arranged for its
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. We still have some snow on the ground at our farm in Illinois, but it is a good time to plan next year’s crops. Which fields will be for corn and which for soybeans? What hybrids and seed numbers to plant in different fields? Can we expect better prices
New Year Down on the Farm Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. I think we are all aware that many countries in Africa have a long way to go to modernize their ag industry. Their food systems need to be transformed to help their people. A positive step has been taken. United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has appointed Agnes Kalibata
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday this week were something for the record books. On Monday, the first state Iowa held their primary to begin the selection process of choosing a Democratic candidate to run against President Trump this fall. On Tuesday President Trump gave his State of the Union address
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. Farmers and the whole agriculture industry fought through 2019, a very brutal year. Exports, prices, trade war and weather took a costly toll. Now we need to turn the page and look at 2020. Last weekend President Trump spoke to the American Farm Bureau Convention. He told us “the
American Farm Bureau and More Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. The ag industry is excited as a number of trade deals are coming together. We will have a phase one deal with China signed this week. Our annual exports to China that have fallen below the $20 billion mark will jump to $40 billion per year. The Senate should
The Issues of the Day Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. It’s a New Year. 2020 got here so fast. I want to look back at 2019. For the American ag industry, I think the weather made our production challenges more difficult than I can remember, and we have farmed through some tough years. Last spring was so wet it
Look Back and Ahead Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. Just when I had concluded that we couldn’t get anything done here in Washington, everything happened at once. We have a trade deal with China. According to the Washington Post “China will spend $50 billion on US farm goods, tightening its intellectual property protections and opening its financial services
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. I want to cover some trade issues today, but first let’s take a look at our farm economy. It’s better than it was last year – better than it was the year before. $92 billion net income is the forecast. Where is it coming from? The answer according to
Farm Economy and More Read More »
GSA’s System for Award Management is a comprehensive database of persons excluded from doing business with the federal government. Widely known as the SAM List, most of the people whose names can be found there were debarred or suspended from doing business with the federal government. Debarment and suspension are serious sanctions that prevent persons
Oh SNAP! FNS Removes All Names from the SAM List Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. I have a number of subjects I will put on the table today. I want to open by reporting that I thought the National Association of Farm Broadcasters had an outstanding convention last week in Kansas City. I loved it. Then I went to my farm in Illinois on
Challenges We Face Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. All we hear about are the trade deals we can’t get completed. Our new agreement with Mexico and Canada (USMCA) sits in limbo without Congressional approval. We withdrew from the newly negotiated Asian trade deal the day President Trump took office. We are still deeply concerned if we
