Category: Policy Updates/Issue News
Policy Updates and Issue News June 2020
Agriculture and Food Food Prices Skyrocket While Farm Prices Nosedive The cost of food from the grocery store bought to eat at home during the lockdown skyrocketed, rising the most in 46 years as the food supply chain struggled to get surplus farm commodities to the consumer. Restaurant carryout meals spiked as well. Analysts predict … Continue reading “Policy Updates and Issue News June 2020”
Policy Updates and Issue News May 2020
Heroes The coronavirus pandemic has reminded new generations of Americans just how critical and how basic medical care and agriculture are to our very survival. We are so grateful to the doctors, nurses, technicians, first responders, researchers, laboratories and so many more, and we’re reminded how fortunate we are to live among these heroes who … Continue reading “Policy Updates and Issue News May 2020”
Policy Updates and Issue News April 2020
Overview The Covid-19 pandemic crisis has now turned into two worldwide crises, medical and economic. Just a couple months ago, most of us could not have imagined a virus so infectious that it could spread around the world in a few months killing people in war time numbers. Neither could we have we expected worldwide … Continue reading “Policy Updates and Issue News April 2020”
Policy Updates and Issue News March 2020
Overview “These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the services of their country, but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.” These words by Thomas Paine in December 1776 spoke to a deepening … Continue reading “Policy Updates and Issue News March 2020”
Policy Updates and Issue News February 2020
Presidential Politics In keeping with Grange tradition, the National Grange Fly-In this year was to New Hampshire to experience the “First in the Nation” Presidential Primary. The excursion included thirty Grangers from eight states and the District of Columbia, who worked on the various campaigns of their choice, watched a candidates’ debate, marveled at the … Continue reading “Policy Updates and Issue News February 2020”
Policy Updates and Issue News January 2020
Overview January has been an extremely slow month for issues and policy actions in Washington. The legislative arena has been overtaken by the Democratic presidential candidates’ campaigns and the Trump impeachment process. The presidential candidates are beginning to hone in more now on rural, agriculture, food, environmental, health and broadband issues. The House is essentially … Continue reading “Policy Updates and Issue News January 2020”
Policy Updates and Issue News December 2019
Agriculture and Food Spending Bills Clear Congress A couple days before heading home for their Christmas break, Congress cleared spending packages to fund the federal government for fiscal 2020. The legislation includes several new appropriations for agriculture: An additional $1.5 billion for disaster relief (including quality loss) for farmers and ranchers. Reinstatement of the $1-a-gallon … Continue reading “Policy Updates and Issue News December 2019”
Policy Updates and Issue News November 2019
Agriculture and Food Battle of the Burgers The non-meat burger was unfurled this fall amid massive media fanfare. Everyone from major investors, venture capitalists, food companies, grocery stores to restaurants and burger chains jumped on board to try the meat imitator products. More recently, some backlash has developed in the form of media campaigns and … Continue reading “Policy Updates and Issue News November 2019”
Policy Updates and Issue News October 2019
Grange Fly-In and Campaign for President Mark your calendar for February 7-9, 2020 to come to New Hampshire and participate in the “First in the Nation” presidential primary. As has become a National Grange tradition, we will take the Grange Fly-In on the road to work on presidential campaigns of your choice the weekend prior … Continue reading “Policy Updates and Issue News October 2019”
Policy Updates and Issue News September 2019
Agriculture and Food So We Can Eat Red Meat? A large group of international researchers say yes in a paper published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The international collaboration of experts says evidence that red meat causes cancer and heart disease is weak at best. The new analyses are among the largest evaluations ever … Continue reading “Policy Updates and Issue News September 2019”
Policy Updates and Issue News August 2019
Agriculture and Food Hemp Farmers – Be Enthusiastic But Cautious New hemp farmers should be excited about the huge potential of industrial hemp ranging from medical uses to bioplastics, chemicals, fuels, paper and animal feed. But they are advised to proceed with caution. That’s the advice USDA Under Secretary Greg Ibach gave to the National … Continue reading “Policy Updates and Issue News August 2019”
Policy Updates and Issue News July 2019
Agriculture and Food Wall Street Leaving Farm Sector When the housing and real estate crash occurred ten years ago, Wall Street banks went hunting for new ways to expand loan business beyond the troubled mortgage sector. They found those new opportunities in the rural Midwest and piled into the agriculture sector. It was easy to … Continue reading “Policy Updates and Issue News July 2019”
Policy Updates and Issue News June 2019
Agriculture and Food New Dairy Insurance Sign Up Begins The new Dairy Margin Coverage program sign up began June 17 at the Farm Service Agency offices nationwide. The DMC, created by the 2018 farm bill, is designed to provide protection for dairy farmers when the margin between milk and feed prices reaches a certain threshold. … Continue reading “Policy Updates and Issue News June 2019”
Policy Updates and Issue News May 2019
Overview Congress returned to Washington June 3 from a week-long Memorial Day recess. We held this report to see if the House could pass the disaster bill which it failed to do prior to leaving for recess. They did and we have the details. Spring planting fell behind in the rain and storms of May. … Continue reading “Policy Updates and Issue News May 2019”
Policy Updates and Issue News April 2019
National Grange Fly-In The National Grange Fly-In to Washington, DC was April 28-May 1. A total of twenty- two Grange members from eleven states met with thirty-one members of Congress or their staffs. The group also was briefed by Anne Hazlett, Senior Advisor for Rural Affairs, Office of National Drug Control Policy, Executive Office of … Continue reading “Policy Updates and Issue News April 2019”
