News Update
March 19, 2015
Planning for the Future
Planning for the future success of your ranch can be a difficult process, especially when transitioning to the next generation. On this week’s episode of The Angus Report, South Carolina Angus breeder Kevin Yon discusses how he and his wife, Lydia, address those difficult decisions.
Watch this week’s episode online or tune to RFD-TV at 1:30 p.m. CDT Saturday; and watch new episodes starting at 7:30 a.m. CDT Monday or 5 p.m. CDT Wednesday.
House Renews Efforts to Repeal the Death Tax
The House Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee hosted a hearing March 18 on the Burden of the Estate Tax on Family Businesses and Farms. National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) member and seventh-generation cattleman from Fort Davis, Texas, Bobby McKnight testified before the subcommittee on how the death tax affects cattle producers.
“Many farm and ranch families are asset-rich and cash-poor, with most of the value of their estate attributed to the value of the land they use to raise cattle and grow food and fiber for consumers around the world,” said McKnight. “Strong export demand has been one of the driving forces in the increase in value of crop and pastureland in almost every state, not to mention the pressure from commercial development. Combined together, the increase in the value of farmland has many farm and ranch families concerned that they may trigger the estate tax simply through increasing land values.”
McKnight was able to share his family’s personal story of facing the death tax, and the consequences to their livelihood and operation in southwest Texas.
“When times have been lean, I have had to make sacrifices to keep my business above water, but sometimes you run out of places to cut,” said McKnight. “That is what happened to my family during hard times brought on by the estate tax. I had to let go of seasoned employees that had families of their own and were forced to work elsewhere. The skilled labor that I needed to run my operation was lost.”
NCBA calls for the immediate repeal of the death tax.
Agriculture Committee Advances Bill to Protect Producers from Duplicative Regulations and Permit Requirements
The House Committee on Agriculture approved H.R. 897, the Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act of 2015, on March 19. This legislation (H.R. 872 in the 111th Congress and H.R. 935 in the 112th) would clarify Congressional intent regarding pesticide regulation in or near waters of the United States.
A 2009 decision in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit erroneously applied the provisions of the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System permitting process under the Clean Water Act (CWA) to pesticide applications that were already fully regulated under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). As a result, many farmers, ranchers, water resource boards and public health professionals involved in mosquito control are subject to costly and duplicative burdens providing no quantifiable public health or environmental benefit.
The expansion of jurisdictional waters under the Administration's “Waters of the United States” proposed rule would likely, and significantly, increase the regulatory cost and burden associated with this court decision on food production costs and mosquito control programs. The Committee on Agriculture and the full House passed this bill during the two previous Congresses, but the Senate failed to act.
“Costly and duplicative regulations and permitting requirements on farmers weaken the economy in rural America,” said Rep. K. Michael Conaway, chairman of the Agriculture Committee. “The money and time that farmers have to spend fulfilling redundant, unnecessary requirements is time and money that can be put to better, more productive use. Making pesticides readily accessible for use is crucial to efficiently protect our nation’s food supply and natural resources. Correcting the erroneous court decision that created this duplicative process has been a priority for public health, water resources and agricultural stakeholders.”
“The House Agriculture Committee took an important first step today to resolve the mess created by a misguided and poorly reasoned court decision nearly a decade ago,” said National Council of Farmers Cooperatives (NCFC) President and CEO Chuck Conner. “It is long past time to apply a bit of commonsense and plain reading of current statutes to ensure that American farmers will not continue to face duplicative and burdensome regulations that provide no environmental benefits. The House of Representatives and Congressman Gibbs in particular have been champions in this effort both in this Congress and last; our hope is that the full House will move on the bill in short order.”
For more information, please view the full House Agriculture Committee release hereand the full National Council of Farmers Cooperatives release here.
Agriculture Committee Highlights Importance
of Trade to U.S. Agriculture
On March 18, Rep. K. Michael Conaway, Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture, hosted a public hearing to review the importance of trade to U.S. agriculture. In 2014, U.S. agricultural exports reached a record-setting $152.5 billion, an increase of 58% over the last five years. Members and the witnesses emphasized that with 95% of the world’s population residing outside of the United States, it is imperative that the U.S. works to expand market access while eliminating international barriers to trade. They made it clear in the hearing that passing Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) is key to this effort.
“While agricultural exports account for nearly one-third of total U.S. farm income, several opportunities exist to further expand market access while leveling the global playing field for American farmers and ranchers,” Conaway said. “In passing TPA, Congress defines trade priorities along with the terms and conditions under which the President may enter into trade agreements. TPA would pave the way for our trade negotiators to finalize key trade deals that work for agriculture by giving our negotiating partners the confidence to bring their best offers to the table. If we are unsuccessful in our efforts to gain access to markets for American food and fiber products, other countries will fill that demand. That is why it is time to pass TPA.”
Click here for more information, including Chairman Conaway’s opening statement and the archived webcast.
NMSU Extension Service to host Technical
Large Animal Emergency Rescue Training
A workshop titled Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue Training will be hosted in Socorro, N.M., April 7 and 8.
“The class is open to any adult interested, but will probably be most useful to first responders and large animal veterinarians,” said Jessica Smith, program director at New Mexico State University’s (NMSU) Cooperative Extension Service in Socorro. “It will provide those that are present at an incident, which includes a large animal, with a knowledge to assess the scenario, establish safety for all involved, evaluate how that animal may behave, know what resources they have and how to use them to assist in the rescue.”
The workshop is free and those interested must register at www.preparingnewmexico.org by March 30 since limited spaces are available.
The workshop will also feature practical considerations, behavioral understanding, specialty equipment, techniques, methodologies and tactics behind the safe extrication of a live large animal from entrapments such as trailer wrecks, ditches, mud and barn fires in local emergencies and disaster areas.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
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