Democratic VP Candidate Tim Walz as an elected House member represented a Minnesota farm community during his five terms in Congress. Here’s a 2016 Agri-Pulse interview with then Rep. Walz talking about the previous farm bill.
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Category: Legislative Updates
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Senate Ag Committee member Tina Smith (D-MN) isn’t giving up getting a farm bill done by the end of the year. Speaking at Minnesota Farmfest on Wednesday, she said she’s not ready to talk about extending the 2018 farm bill into 2025.
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Common Ground Alliance and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), remind homeowners and contractors to contact 811, either by phone or online, before beginning any digging project – regardless of size or scope – to protect against underground pipeline damage and ensure excavation safety.
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The Federal Highway Administration greenhouse gas rule would force states to spend their highway funds, meant for road and bridge construction, to pay for buses, Amtrak trains, and electric vehicle charging stations.
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Bruce Barnhart, contractor from Iowa and chairman of National LICA’s Government Relations Committee convened the Committee recently in Pittsburgh in conjunction with National LICA’s Summer Meeting. Bruce shared his May trip to Washington to meet with other construction and agriculture groups as part of AEM’s Ag Days on the Mall. In addition, Bruce went to Capitol Hill to meet with his congresswoman and discuss issues pending before Congress.
Nick Yaksich, National LICA’s Director of Government Affairs, provided updates on key legislation including the farm bill, infrastructure spending and possible tax legislation. The Committee agreed to develop letters of support from National LICA and state chapters on significant issues in the context of these major bills.
There appears to be growing unity that congressional action on reauthorization of the farm bill has little chance this year. The congressional calendar is limited with conventions and a long August recess ahead. Word out of Milwaukee at the RNC was not promising on farm bill action.
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The Agriculture Department will be awarding $90 million for 53 projects through a program aimed at developing new technologies and approaches for conservation efforts, Secretary Tom Vilsack said Thursday.
The money — some of which comes from the Inflation Reduction Act — is being allocated through the Conservation Innovation Grants program, which funds tool development and on-farm trials for habitat conservation, forestry, energy conservation, economics and indigenous knowledge projects. Around $69.7 million is going to on-farm trials projects, while $20.2 million will be put toward projects in the "classic" segment of the program, which focuses on the creation of practices and technologies.
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U.S. traffic fatalities fell in 2023 for the second straight year, three years after traffic fatalities surged in 2020 and 2021 as the nation grappled with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, despite the modest decrease in traffic fatalities over the past two years, traffic fatalities in 2023 remained significantly higher than a decade ago. This is according to a report released today by TRIP. The report, Addressing America’s Traffic Safety Crisis: Examining the Causes of Increasing U.S. Traffic Fatalities and Identifying Solutions to Improve Traffic Safety. TRIP’s documents trends in traffic fatalities from 2013 to 2023 at the national and state levels, examines causes for the increase in traffic fatalities, and prescribes a broad, comprehensive approach to reducing traffic fatalities in the U.S.
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When the going gets tough in the Senate, you usually rely on some of the senior members to provide some wisdom and guidance based on their years of experience. One of the senior members of the Senate, Charles Grassley (R-IA) this week shared his perspective and optimism for action on the farm bill, set to expire in September. Senate Ag Committee veteran Chuck Grassley sees a glimmer of hope for a farm bill as reported by Agri-Pulse this week. Georgia Democrat Raphael Warnock has told Senate Ag Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., that her proposed reference price increases are too low.
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The Senate Committee on Agriculture Ranking Member John Boozman released a framework outlining Senate Republican farm bill priorities. NACD commends that the framework supports NACD’s top farm bill request by calling for the incorporation of all remaining Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) conservation investments into the conservation title of the bill. The framework also supports NACD priorities to simplify and streamline conservation programs, bolster Natural Resources Conservation Service watershed programs, and incentivize the enrollment of marginal land within the Conservation Reserve Program.
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