News Update
May 14, 2013
Checkoff Takes Wine &
Food Fest by Storm
The beef booth was a hit at the 5th annual Wine & Food Festival at National Harbor in Maryland, May 4- 5. The beef checkoff, through the Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative (NEBPI) returned to the Wine & Food Festival for their fourth year in attendance alongside Roseda Beef.
National Beef Ambassador team members were able to educate the more than 10,000 expo attendees on the versatility of beef and the variety of lean cuts available. Festival-goers had the opportunity to test their beef IQ through various games, including pin the cut on the cow to win coveted “I Love Beef’ swag.
Mike Brannon, of Roseda Beef, a farm located just outside Baltimore, Md., sampled portions of their dry-aged Angus cattle for attendees. Roseda and the Beef Checkoff worked to distribute a little more than 7,000 samples of delicious sirloin Pitt Beef to hungry attendees.
For more information on the beef checkoff at the Wine & Food Fest please contact Jennifer Harrold at jharrold@pabeef.org. Visit www.nationalbeefambassador.org or www.ancw.org to find out more about the National Beef Ambassador program.
For more information about your beef checkoff, visit MyBeefCheckoff.com. For the full release, click here.
NFU Weighs in on Trade Negotiations
National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson submitted comments today on a possible Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) with the European Union (EU) and sent a letter to the office of the U.S. Trade Representative in advance of the 17th round of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations, to be in Lima, Peru, from May 15 to May 24, 2013.
“NFU takes a broad approach when considering the merits of trade policy,” said Johnson. “Trade has a far-reaching effect on the structure and quality of countries’ economies; therefore, trade-agreement negotiations should not simply be limited to regulating trade-specific issues like domestic support levels, export subsidies and market access. Trade agreements must also address differences in labor standards, environmental standards, health standards, the trade-distorting effect of currency manipulation, and cartelization of markets.”
In regard to the TTIP, the comments note the importance of trade balance, fair compensation for farmers and other workers, and protection from dumping and other unfair trade practices that force farmers off their land. “The TTIP should establish minimum standards for environmental, food and product safety, and consumer information,” said Johnson. “These important considerations should not be limited, and terms of any agreement should not prohibit countries from enacting measures that protect their citizens’ safety.”
Johnson noted lingering concerns with the secrecy in which the TPP negotiation process has been conducted. He also urged caution in TPP talks, specifically as they relate to dairy policies.
“It is not in the interest of family-owned and -operated dairies to open greater access to a country with a consolidated entity controlling the dairy sector,” said Johnson. “U.S. trade negotiators should not force other countries in the TPP to dismantle supply management programs, especially as efforts are currently underway to implement a similar system in the United States. Dairy should not be part of any TPP agreement if these inconsistencies are left unresolved.”
Click to read the TTIP comments and the TPP letter.
NSAC Endorses the Farm Program Integrity Act of 2013
On Thursday, May 9, Representative Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.) introduced the Farm Program Integrity Act of 2013 (H.R. 1932) in the House of Representatives to restore integrity and fiscal responsibility to the commodity program portion of the farm safety net. This bill is identical to a Senate bill (S. 281) introduced earlier this year in the Senate by Senators Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Tim Johnson (D-S.D.), and adopted by the Senate last year as part of the new five-year farm bill.
The Farm Program Integrity Act places a hard cap on farm program payments and closes current loopholes to ensure payments go to working farmers. Due to current program eligibility loopholes, mega-farms and absentee investors can currently receive an unlimited government check through farm commodity programs.
“Adoption of the Farm Program Integrity Act would put an end to widespread abuse in farm commodity programs,” according to National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) Policy Director Ferd Hoefner. “In every survey and poll on this issue over the years, a strong majority of farmers in all regions of the country support payment limit reform. The measure has failed to become law due to the power and influence mega-farms wield in Washington. Times have changed, however, and fiscal pressures have turned much-needed scrutiny on farm programs. The current consensus is that unlimited taxpayer subsidies are no longer justifiable.”
The bill would allow for support payments to working farmers plus one additional manager per farm. The one additional manager provision is a reasonable compromise, forged in the Senate last year, that addresses the problem of eligibility loopholes — a problem that has plagued farm programs for far too long and that has fueled the consolidation and demise of family farms across the country.
Click here to see the entire release.
NFU Outlines Priorities in House Farm Bill
National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson sent a letter to U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture Chairman Frank Lucas (R-Okla.), and Ranking Member Collin Peterson (D-Minn.), May 13 outlining key priorities in advance of the amendment filing deadline of the 2013 Farm Bill.
In his letter, Johnson praised the draft language for Title I of the bill, arguing that commodity programs provide protections to family farmers when disasters strike and during times of long-term price collapse.
“Modifications to better balance the protections offered by the Price Loss Coverage program should not undermine the integrity of the program,” Johnson further noted.
Click here to view the full release and for a link to the letter.
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