By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. What should we focus on today? Let’s start with African Swine Fever. ASF is the deadliest disease threatening the pork industry. It is estimated that China has lost as much as 30% of their swine. We don’t have any vaccine to protect our pigs. Fortunately, the virus does not […]
Swine Fever & USMCA Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. After 2 long years of distraction and political attacks, Special Counsel Mueller released his report. “The Trump campaign did not conspire or coordinate with the Russian government.” “The Witch Hunt” is over and done with. The cloud is lifted. Attorney General William Barr ruled- “No evidence to support obstruction
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. Let’s begin with hemp. When I was a little boy, hemp was growing wild on the roadsides and ditches. It was harvested to make rope during World War II. It is a close relative of marijuana, but it is not the same. Our government still outlawed the growing of
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. Issues of the Day. The President’s Budget. If everything goes according to plan, when we enter our next fiscal year, October 1, we will have a budget passed by the Congress with President Trump’s signature. The process has started. It is a 4.7 trillion-dollar budget. President Trump wants an
President’s Budget Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. Did you know that Congress passed legislation authorizing the Land and Water Conservation Fund to spend 9 billion dollars to buy private land? The Department of Interior doesn’t have the money to take care of the millions of acres they own now. This “land grab” bill, 700 pages in
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. Priority government issues of the day would have to be trade negotiations with China and President Trump’s meeting with N. Korea leader Kim Jong-un. Our Ag industry has been hurt because China stopped buying our products when President Trump imposed tariffs on a long list of Chinese exports. He
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block Our economy is booming. Job growth in 2018 averaged 220,000 new jobs each month. 419,000 workers have come back to work. The labor force participation rate is up to 63.1 percent. Wages are up an impressive 3.2 percent. Unemployment for blacks, Hispanics, and women is at historic lows. Manufacturing
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block Optimism is in the air. Pessimism is being crowded out. The second government shut down that looked like a certainty is not going to happen. President Trump will not get the amount of money he wanted for a wall, but he gets enough to get started. It will be
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block This week I was in Peoria, Illinois speaking to the Illinois Fertilizer & Chemical Association. I am on my farm now broadcasting on the phone. Farmers and ag suppliers had a lot of concerns about the government shut down. But now that the shut down is behind us for
Owners of supermarkets and convenience stores are generally not aware that one of the perils of participating in the SNAP program may be placement on the General Services Administration’s System for Award Management list of excluded and disqualified parties (“SAM List”). That’s true because few retailers have heard of the SAM List and because USDA’s
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block For some time now on the question of trade, all we have focused on is our trade war with China. I will talk about that today. But I also want to remind everyone that trade differences with Europe should also be in the spotlight. China – we just completed
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. Christmas is behind us and the New Year is off to a wild start. But today, I want to talk about the Cabinet Secretaries luncheon that we held on December 14, just before Christmas. The luncheon was held at the Blair House – just across the street from the
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. Last week, I attended the beautiful service at the National Cathedral for our 41st President George H.W. Bush. On the radio, I talked about the George Bush that I knew. This week, we will move on. Here is where we are right now. We are more than two months
Congressional Agenda Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. The passing of President George H. W. Bush has brought the whole nation to focus on his life and the contributions that he made to our country. President Reagan brought the Soviet Union down, but President Bush managed the clean-up of the Cold War. Eastern Europe emerged from the
During this Holiday Season, we all enjoy those extra calories and special desserts. It is part of giving thanks and enjoying family. There is no need to give that up, but let’s also keep an eye on the obesity equation. Food labeling regulations and guidelines, such as the USDA- HHS Dietary Guidelines for for Americans, are
Opinion: The Obesity Equation Calories in; Calories Out Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. Thank you, God, for all of our blessings. Look at the turmoil, poverty, and destruction around the world. On this Thanksgiving Day, let’s not fail to appreciate our nation and our people. (I’m glad that we live here.) The cost of your Thanksgiving dinner has fallen for the third
Elite Food Standards and More Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. Last week was really busy. Three days at the National Association of Farm Broadcasters Convention in Kansas City. If you listen to farm radio, your broadcaster was probably there. I’ve been going for almost 40 years. After Kansas City, I went to our farm. Harvest is all in the
Uganda is in the final stages of debating biosafety legislation that will make it possible for the country to begin using genetically modified (GM) agricultural plants, such as bacterial wilt-resistant bananas, brown streak virus-resistant cassavas and insect-resistant maize. As a signatory to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Uganda must have a biosafety law in
Report from Uganda Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. Yes, I have something to say about the mid-term elections, and I will get to that in a minute. But first, we have been worried about the trade disputes with China and how their tariffs have cost us. Finally, President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are going to
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. There has been a lot going on in the last week. I will focus on some of those topics. One of the saddest happenings would be the deadly attack on the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh by a lone anti-Semitic gunman. Eleven were killed just because they were
Election and Hate Crimes Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. Some good news – President Trump will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G20 Summit in Buenos Aires in November. Can they jump start a process to resolve our trade war? We hope. The European Union has agreed to give the U.S. a larger share of their
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. When President Trump announced a new trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, he said: “It is a very big deal for farmers. The new NAFTA, which is USMCA, has a very good ring. The ag industry across the country applauds the deal.” The deal is not done yet. Congress
Issues and Opportunities Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. I want to talk about a frog today, but before the frog hops up on the table – just a few words on the subject of trade. The U.S. trade deficit rose in August to $53.2 billion. That’s up $3.2 billion. A decline in soybean and oil exports is
Owners of retail food stores permanently disqualified from participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are saddled with serious consequences in addition to the loss of the store’s ability to accept food stamp benefits (EBT). After USDA’s Food & Nutrition Service (FNS) permanently disqualifies a store, the agency promptly searches its SNAP retailer database
Disqualified from SNAP? SAM I Am! Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block Issue number 1 – China is very unhappy that President Trump has imposed heavy tariffs on Chinese exports. Tensions have escalated. When I was in China with the Farm Broadcasters in June, we had a long meeting with our U.S. Ambassador Terry Branstad. He was challenging the Chinese unfair
NAFTA Deal and More Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block Will President Trump’s nominee for Supreme Court Brett Kavanaugh be approved? We may know by the time you hear this radio commentary. I think he will. It would be a sad outcome if he is rejected. On another subject, recent meetings between Presidents of North Korea and South Korea
Earlier this year, FNS updated its Training Guide for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) retailers. This 18 page booklet is required reading for owners and managers of the more than 260,000 groceries, convenience stores, chain drug stores, and other retailers authorized to accept SNAP in exchange for eligible food items. In addition to detailing the
USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service Updates Its SNAP Retailer Training Guide Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block Vladimir Putin of Russia wants to raise the age for his citizens to receive retirement benefits. That is what we should do to reform our Social Security retirement program. Russian citizens have been protesting. Nearly 300 people have been arrested. They marched toward Red Square and the Kremlin. Our
This And That – September 2018 Read More »
In the two years since the last African agriculture forum in Ethiopia, the momentum has fundamentally changed. The pace of advancement has quickened significantly; the world has discovered that Africa is the future. That was sure the impression one got from attending the African Green Revolution Forum hosted last week by President Paul Kagame in
Opinion: Africa Rising Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block I wasn’t going to go down this road, but a CNN discussion and article that I have in front of me should not be ignored. Here is their criticism – they used internal e-mails from USDA that show “big food lobbyists are working hand-in-glove with agency staffers.” Now, they
Agriculture’s Message Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block The agriculture industry in the U.S. is dealing with a lot of uncertainty. Falling prices and trade wars top the list. We expect our exports to grow faster than our imports. However, for 3 years in a row, that has not been happening. We are losing ground. Looking to
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block It’s hard to believe, but summer is all but gone. We are looking at harvest season. Get that combine ready to go. Labor Day is next Monday. Speaking of Labor Day, I want to say how much respect I have for the hard-working men and women that labor
Hello everybody out there in farm country. This radio commentary is brought to you by the National Corn Growers Association, CropLife America, and Renewable Fuels Association. They are all friends, supporters, and allies of healthy farm economy and prosperous rural America. Thank you. And now for today’s commentary – I am talking to you on
Down on the Farm August 2018 Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block Hello everybody out there in farm country. This radio commentary is brought to you by the National Corn Growers Association, CropLife America, and Renewable Fuels Association. They are all friends, supporters, and allies of healthy farm economy and prosperous rural America. Thank you. And now for today’s commentary
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block Hello everybody out there in farm country. This is Rick Frank sitting in for John Block. This radio commentary is brought to you by the National Corn Growers Association, CropLife America, and Renewable Fuels Association. They are all friends, supporters, and allies of healthy farm economy and prosperous
Keep Food Programs at the USDA Read More »
