Antibiotic resistance in human medicine is a growing health concern. Agriculture is scrutinized for production practices and critics advocate restrictions, despite the lack of conclusive scientific evidence to prove a relationship between livestock antibiotic use and human antibiotic resistance.
Conservation Reserve Program helped producers cope with Highly Erodible Land restrictions from the 1985 Farm Bill. Now other environmental criteria are part of enrollment. A penalty-free release of non-sensitive CRP acreage may allow more acreage for the growing demand of agricultural commodities.
Full traceability of food from the farm gate to the retail level is a system U.S. retailers and consumers are increasingly interested in developing. Traceability helps minimize costs of food recalls, improves food safety perceptions and captures the value of retail products for farmers and ranchers.
Many roads and bridges that transport children safely to school and deliver goods from farm to market or allow barges to move down river need repaired and modernized. The funding comes from local, state and federal governments, which will likely have greatly fewer financial resources in the future.
The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act brings drastic changes to financial markets. The new law will increase regulation of agricultural swaps and trade options. Will the proposed regulations negatively impact agribusiness firms? -- particularly farmer-owned cooperatives
Nearly 50 million rural Americans do not have regular access to adequate health care. In order for America’s farmers to thrive in supplying food, fuel and fiber to the world, rural communities need access to health care, increased technology, and programs to sustain health care providers.
Congressional hearings may lead to an overhaul of the federal tax code. Farm Bureau supports repealing the estate tax. Tax reform if handled responsibly can prevent crippling agricultural operations and harming rural communities and businesses that agriculture supports.
Whether the United States should move away from its requirement that foreign countries follow sound science and international standards in trade and instead in some situations consider an “incremental” approach to opening foreign markets to U.S. beef exports.
The National Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement (NLGMA) would be administered by USDA with the intent to enhance food safety. Some state Farm Bureaus and other groups have indicated support for NLGMA. AFBF has expressed support for the process, but has not taken a position on the details.
Since most federal dairy programs closely resemble their post-Depression era counterparts, new options are being put forward.