Month: July 2012

Editor’s note: The following blog post was written by USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, Rebecca Blue. It is reposted here with permission. Blue recently wrote about her experience attending the NFU’s Women’s Conference, held last month in Bailey, Colo. A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of participating in a … Read More

By Brittany Jablonsky, NFU Government Relations Representative In May, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a proposed rule for a new microloan program within the existing Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) operating loan program. FSA proposes to offer annual or term microloans of up to $35,000 that feature a streamlined application process and less stringent requirements in order … Read More

As my time is Washington is quickly waning, it is hard to look back and believe that I have already been here for over two months.  It seems like only yesterday that I said goodbye to my family and boarded an airplane for the first time, and set off to explore an exciting new chapter … Read More

By Brittany Jablonsky, Government Relations Representative One area in which the farm bill draft recently passed by the House Committee on Agriculture differed significantly from the version of the bill passed by the Senate last month was a section dealing with agricultural biotechnology. These provisions, found in the horticulture title of the House bill, would … Read More

By Brittany Jablonsky, Government Relations Representative On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture unveiled an update to its Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Compass highlighting all of the ways USDA supports local and regional food projects. The Compass consists of an interactive U.S. map showing local and regional food projects and an accompanying narrative … Read More

By Brittany Jablonsky, NFU government relations representative Although NFU members have been feeling the effects of the drought all summer, it has only begun making headlines this week in the wake of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) heavy focus on emergency outreach. More than 1,200 counties in 29 states have been granted a disaster … Read More

Editor’s note: The following blog post is written by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. It is reposted here with permission. Every day, the work of the U.S. Department of Agriculture to conserve America’s lands and natural resources stretches across our nation. As President Obama and I work together to boost the rural economy and … Read More

By NFU government relations staff It’s a mixed bag, but it’s progress. After a more than 13-hour-long markup, the House Agriculture Committee approved its version of the 2012 Farm Bill, known as the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management (FARRM) Act. Some of the provisions supported by NFU made it into the House bill, some … Read More