By former USDA Secretary John R. Block I have a number of subjects to put on the table today. To open this up, I want to remind everyone just how much our farm and ranch economy is suffering today. Farm income is expected to fall 7% to $60 billion this year. That is less than half
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By former USDA Secretary John R. Block Today, my subject is Senator Bob Dole (Kansas). Two weeks ago, he received the Congressional Gold Medal – the highest award bestowed by the U.S. Congress. Very few individuals have been so honored. The Senator is a decorated World War II veteran and served in the U.S. Congress longer
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By former USDA Secretary John R. Block From my perspective, our government has been getting some good things done. Remember a year ago when hundreds of out-of-towners blocked the construction of the North Dakota pipeline? The government spent millions of dollars on law enforcement and court fights. In the end, the pipeline was completed. North Dakota
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By former USDA Secretary John R. Block It has been 25 years since a President of the United States addressed the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF). The last President to speak was President George H. W. Bush. President Donald Trump spoke this week in Nashville, Tennessee, to a cheering, packed house of farmers and ranchers. They
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Of all the issues surrounding a new Farm Bill in 2018, perhaps none unifies American agricultural producers more than Federal Crop Insurance, provided by USDA’s Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC). Be it North or South, big or small, row crops or specialty, organic or conventional, the FCIC crop insurance program is today viewed almost universally
Top Priority for the 2018 Farm Bill: Protect Federal Crop Insurance Read More »
According to the Wall Street Journal: “Organic milk sales have cooled as the very shoppers who drove demand for the specialty product not long ago move on to newer alternatives, leaving dairy sellers and producers grappling with oversupply….Now, organic-milk supplies have ballooned just as demand has stalled. Many shoppers have moved on to substitutes such
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By Marshall L. Matz, as published in Agri-Pulse When it comes to agriculture research, no organization is as important to our farmers as is USDA and the Agriculture Research Service (ARS). ARS works with our land grant universities to support US farmers and ranchers. Our unique system of research and extension is a major reason for our
The Vast Army Fighting Hunger Around the Globe Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block I want to look back at 2017. In some respects, President Trump had a pretty rough year with his critics, including much of the mainstream media attacking him without relief. However, I think the case can be made that he and the Republican Congress had an impressive year. Tax
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By former USDA Secretary John R. Block The Holiday season is here. Amazing – Tax reform legislation has passed, and President Trump has said he will sign it. That is a big Christmas present. President Trump and Republicans in Congress got it done without any Democratic help. Before President Trump was elected, Democrats — including President
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By former USDA Secretary John R. Block Maybe the “chickens are coming home to roost” in California. The state of California can’t think of enough new regulations. In 2015, California passed legislation demanding that those who sell eggs in the state must adhere to their cage-size law. Midwest states such as Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska are crying
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By former USDA Secretary John R. Block For most farmers across the U.S. there is a big sigh of relief. The harvest is over. Time to sit back and relax. Well, there is no time for relaxation here in the Nation’s Capital. This has been a very busy week. On Friday, December 1, I hosted the
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By former USDA Secretary John R. Block The U.S. Department of Agriculture is taking a very long time to fill some of our most important management positions. The Administration has 4 under secretary posts unfilled and 3 Assistant Secretary jobs unannounced. Sec. Perdue’s choice for the newly created farm services and conservation post, Bill Northey, should
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By former USDA Secretary John R. Block We just celebrated another Thanksgiving. And we do have a lot to be thankful for. Our economy is roaring with GDP in the 3% range and near full employment. The best advantage that we have is that we don’t live in the Middle East where years of war have
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By former USDA Secretary John R. Block Last week, I attended the Farm Broadcasters Annual Convention in Kansas City. Over the last 35 years, I have attended almost all of the NAFB events. This year’s convention attracted a near-record crowd. It was very exciting. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue spoke and took questions from the audience
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By former USDA Secretary John R. Block Tax reform is a hot topic here in the nation’s capital. That doesn’t mean that Congress will be able to pass the legislation. On paper, the planned tax overhaul will increase the national debt by $1.5 trillion (over the next ten years). Larry Summers, who served as economic advisor
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By former USDA Secretary John R. Block Today, let’s talk about trade and tax reform. President Trump wants to improve the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and the Congress is presenting a tax reform package. NAFTA is in the spotlight right now. The whole farm and food industry is worried that President Trump could formally
Virtually all grocery stores, convenience stores, and supermarkets sell hot foods. Nearly all sell cold prepared foods as well. Most of the more than 260,000 retail food stores authorized by USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (“FNS”) to accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (“SNAP”) benefits sell some hot foods and cold prepared foods. But the SNAP
SNAP Retailers Beware: FNS Wants to Take Away Your SNAP Authorization Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block By now, I should not be surprised when the federal government uses its power and strength to hammer a defenseless individual citizen. Let me tell you about Edward Poitevent and the dusky gopher frog. In 2011, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published a new habitat rule. On May
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By former USDA Secretary John R. Block Worries about our ag trade are escalating. Farmers are desperate. We export more than a quarter of what we produce. Farm prices are in the tank. Any wrong move that would cause us to lose markets would be a devastating blow. President Trump has threatened to withdraw from the
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By former USDA Secretary John R. Block The TV has been dominated by hurricanes. The Texas coast was devastated and next, Hurricane Irma hit Florida. Powerful winds destroyed half of the crops. Orange juice is going to cost $2 per gallon more. We should not underestimate the destruction and cost to families, government, or the time
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By former USDA Secretary John R. Block You may have heard about the John Duarte wetlands case. John Duarte, a California farmer, bought 450 acres in 2012. He plowed and planted it to wheat. The Army Corps of Engineers, the California Water Quality Control Board, and the EPA came after him. He was looking at a
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It will take months to calculate the damage Hurricanes Harvey and Irma unleashed this summer on the states of Texas, Louisiana, and Florida: dozens of lost lives, hundreds of thousands of destroyed homes, tens of billions in property damage and untold suffering and disruption. Some losses will take years to mend, some can never be
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Several food industry groups hope so. The responsibility for implementing two major changes to food labeling requirements has fallen on the Trump Administration: Nutrition Facts Panel – On May 27, 2016, FDA published a final rule that will overhaul the Nutrition Facts panel that we have become accustomed to on foods. In addition to some
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block Today, I have a fishy story to talk about, but before I get started on that, what do you think of the nation’s economy? I know the farm economy is not booming, but consumer confidence is off the charts – a 20% jump from last year. Unemployment is down
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By former USDA Secretary John R. Block To kick this off with some serious facts, let me ask – did you know that 7% of all American adults believe that chocolate milk comes from brown cows? One in five adults doesn’t know that hamburgers are made from beef. Three in ten don’t know that cheese is
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By former USDA Secretary John R. Block There aren’t any forest fires here in the east near Washington, D.C. No raging fires near our farm in Illinois. But the front pages of the Washington Post and the Washington Times both tell us the west is burning. Thousands are fleeing wild fires – forests and range land
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By former USDA Secretary John R. Block This week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture posted the announcement of this year’s World Food Prize Foundation laureate. At one time, he was the Nigerian Minister of Agriculture, and he now runs the African Development Bank – Dr. Akinwumi Adesina. He has been a leader in transforming African agriculture.
John Block: Ag Issues 2017 Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block Tip of the day— “Seven percent of all American adults believe that chocolate milk comes from brown cows.” “One in five adults don’t know that hamburgers are beef.” We have a major education challenge. Now to look at some priority issues of the day. Trade has to be near
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By former USDA Secretary John R. Block I talked this week with John Duarte, a California farmer. He is in trouble. He bought 450 acres in 2012. He plowed it and planted it for wheat. He now faces $2.8 million in civil penalties because he did not get a permit to plow and plant. He wasn’t
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By Dr. Nina Fedoroff, as published in Agri-Pulse USDA and FDA proposals to regulate genetically engineered (GE) plants and animals following the recent update of the regulatory framework are on their websites awaiting public comment by June 19, 2017. The documents on which comments are requested are long, dense and, at times, internally inconsistent. Here’s a detailed
Think This is Biotech Regulatory Relief? Not Yet. Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block I have two subjects to cover today. One that is very hopeful – Governor Terry Branstad, now Ambassador Terry Branstad, is headed to China. The other issue, which is not very hopeful, has to do with horses. Ambassador Branstad – as Governor of Iowa, he was very close
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By former USDA Secretary John R. Block Back in March, President Trump gave us a look at his budget plan. Although without much detail, it made clear to us that one of his highest priorities was to downsize the federal government. And, he would do that by cutting spending. He had already said that he
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By Brett Schwemer, as published in The National Provisioner To appeal or not to appeal; that is the question Establishments regulated by the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) frequently face the dilemma on whether to appeal agency decisions that could have a negative impact on their businesses. Even when there are valid grounds for an
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By former USDA Secretary John R. Block “Trump’s Tax Plan Would Spur Growth” – that is the headline in a recent Wall Street Journal paper. First, let me say that President Trump’s tax reform plan is not very specific. I think that is good. The Congress will write the legislation anyway. We all know if
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By former USDA Secretary John R. Block It’s only been a week since confirmation, but Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue has hit the ground running. He has ordered that schools be given more flexibility in their school lunch programs, more local control. They won’t be forced to reduce the sodium (salt) in the food served. He
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