A LOT ON THE AG SECRETARY\u2019S MIND: Tom Vilsack was given his first chance to fire back at the House members in the farm bill conference who have suggested gutting the country-of-origin labeling law so as to not confront trade issues with Canada and Mexico at yesterday\u2019s POLITICO Pro Agriculture event. It would set a bad precedent, he said, if \u201cevery time there is a trade discussion, folks can run to Congress and get the rules changed in the middle of the game, and I think we need to let the game play out,<\/p>\n
Pro\u2019s Bill Tomson took Vilsack through a slew of topics on the ag secretary\u2019s mind, also including a battle over proposed cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and whether the administration still supports ethanol. But Vilsack was clear about one thing: the farm bill is a high priority for the administration.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s more than a farm bill,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a jobs bill; it\u2019s the opportunity for us to invest in business development in rural America to take advantage of our natural resources. \u2026 It\u2019s an energy bill \u2026 it\u2019s a trade bill, it\u2019s a reform bill \u2026 and it will help to reduce the deficit.\u201d What\u2019s more, he added, \u201cI think there is a link to it getting done and the Congress getting to important work on the budget.\u201d The story on Vilsacks comments from the launch event is available here: http:\/\/politi.co\/17t0rV5<\/a>.<\/p>\n The full recording of the event is here: http:\/\/politi.co\/1bI4hMF<\/a><\/p>\n FARM BILL WATCH \u2014 UNLIKELY BEFORE DECEMBER EDITION: It seems agreement on a consolidated farm bill may not happen in time to make the conference leaders\u2019 end of November deadline, based on the comments of Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass) during his Pro Ag launch interview with Editor Jason Huffman. \u201cI don\u2019t know if we will get it before thanksgiving but I think we will get one,\u201d McGovern said, when pressed on timing. He added, however, \u201cThere is a desire to get this thing done.\u201d<\/p>\n It should be no shock that the biggest issue holding up an agreement is the nutrition title, where lawmakers must reconcile a $36 billion difference between the two measures. Though McGovern, one of the biggest defenders of SNAP, implied there was a little room for compromise, Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) told Pro\u2019s Tarini Parti \u201cat this point I don\u2019t think there is progress made on nutrition.\u201d But King also said the less controversial issues are being addressed first by both staff and lawmakers before the bigger issues are tackled.<\/p>\n McGovern appears dug in on resisting further cuts to SNAP, based on his comments yesterday. When asked if he would accept any cuts \u201cnorth\u201d of the $4 billion in the Senate bill, he answered, \u201cI don\u2019t think so. We\u2019ve already had an $11 billion cut because the stimulus money has run out.\u201d Later he warned, \u201cIf you more toward what the House did, you\u2019re not going to get a farm bill. I wouldn\u2019t approve it. I know a lot of my colleagues on the Democratic side wouldn\u2019t approve it.\u201d<\/p>\n HAPPY FRIDAY! Welcome to Morning Ag, where your host is pretty sore from yesterday\u2019s Rocky II training montage style team pump-up session in advance of the launch event. Next time, perhaps just some light group stretching will suffice. Thoughts? News? Tips? Feel free to send them to jhopkinson@politico.com<\/a> and @jennyhops<\/a>.<\/p>\n **A message from Fuels America: America\u2019s farmers are feeding and fueling the nation. The Renewable Fuel Standard drives the investment and innovation that have helped America\u2019s farms increase crop yields while also producing more than 13 billion gallons of renewable fuel and 37 million tons of animal feed. http:\/\/bit.ly\/16CfCxJ<\/a> **<\/p>\n And while we are here, it seems like a good time for MA\u2019s QUOTE OF THE WEEK \u2014 this week\u2019s comment comes from yesterday\u2019s event, and was one of the few things said that drew a giggle from the crowd. Rep. McGovern, in response to a question about whether he\u2019s optimistic there will be a farm bill this year from Pro Ag\u2019s Huffman, dropped this gem: \u201cSo far we keep on moving in the right direction, I feel good \u2014 maybe it\u2019s my medication.\u201d<\/p>\n Also of note, McGovern revealed that he and Rep. Steve Southerland (R-Ill.), a major advocate for cuts to the food stamp program, discussed their farm bill differences over dinner Wednesday night. The Massachusetts Democrat volunteered only that he \u201cate pasta.\u201d<\/p>\n CBO: TWEAKS TO AG PROGRAMS COULD SAVE BILLIONS: The Congressional Budget Office has highlighted USDA\u2019s Conservation Stewardship Program, Federal Crop Insurance Program and direct payments to agricultural producers as areas where federal lawmakers could find considerable savings in their budget negotiations. Phasing out and scaling back the CRP would save $13.3 billion by 2023, while reducing subsidies and limiting administrative expenditures could cut $27.3 billion over that time period. Nixing direct payments to producers would save another $24.5 billion. The report is available here: http:\/\/1.usa.gov\/1eS4wKf<\/p>\n RFS TODAY? KEEP AN EYE ON EPA: The rumor mill has been swirling for days that the 2014 ethanol mandate under the renewable fuel standard will be released this week, though the only word from EPA so far was when Administrator Gina McCarthy told lawmakers yesterday that the rule would be out \u201csoon.\u201d Based on a leaked proposal, EPA looks ready to reduce, for the first time since the passage of the RFS, the amount of ethanol required to be blended in to fuel \u2014 a change that has support from the fuel industry, but which has largely been panned by ethanol and ag groups \u2014 except for those who benefit from lower corn prices.<\/p>\n But don\u2019t take a reduction in the mandate as a sign the Obama administration is backing away from ethanol, Vilsack asserted yesterday. \u201cI think it would be hard to make the case the administration\u2019s backing away (from ethanol) \u2026 It is very difficult with all of that assistance and help \u2026 to suggest we\u2019re moving away,\u201d the secretary said, adding that there are real job and environmental benefits to promoting the homegrown fuel. \u201cWe\u2019re going to continue to support this industry.\u201d<\/p>\n BIODIESEL WANTS MORE IN RFS: Meanwhile, 32 lawmakers are calling on EPA, USDA and the White House to lend a hand to the biodiesel industry in the 2014 standard, Pro Energy\u2019s Darren Goode reports. \u201cBiodiesel has exceeded RFS targets in each year and is clearly poised to do so again in 2013,\u201d the 32 senators wrote to McCarthy, Vilsack and OMB Director Sylvia Mathews Burwell in a letter yesterday. \u201cSetting the 2014 biodiesel volume requirement at reduced levels could have severe impacts on the domestic biodiesel industry. Further, a continuation of 2013 levels paired with any reduction in advanced biofuels targets could similarly negatively impact the industry.\u201d The letter is available here: http:\/\/politico.pro\/1asQkTA<\/p>\n HOUSE DEMS ASK CONFEREES NOT TO HOLD UP FSMA: Seven House Democrats are asking farm bill conferees to ignore a provision (Section 12321) in the House version of the farm bill that would delay the implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act. \u201cThis section apparently is intended to address concerns raised with regard to proposed rules to enhance produce safety,\u201d they say in a letter sent today. \u201cHowever, those concerns should be addressed, and are already being addressed, through the notice and comment rulemaking process, not through legislation that holds hostage the entire Food Safety Modernization Act.<\/p>\n Reps. Rosa DeLauro (Conn.), Henry Waxman (Calif.), John Dingell (Mich.), Frank Pallone (N.J.), Diana DeGette (Colo.), Louise Slaughter (N.Y.) and Nita Lowey (N.Y.) state in the letter that the provision, which would prohibit FDA from enforcing any regulations under FSMA until the agency publishes a scientific and economic analysis on the legislation\u2019s impact, would fail to protect consumers from contaminated food. The letter is available here: http:\/\/politico.pro\/HPlH0L<\/a><\/p>\n RECORD-BREAKING AG EXPORTS: U.S. agricultural exports reached a record-breaking value of $140.9 billion in fiscal year 2013, the USDA announced yesterday, and Vilsack used the occasion to again stress the importance that Congress finish work on a new five-year farm bill that contains programs to promote agricultural exports \u2014 sensing a theme yet?<\/p>\n HOUSE LEADERS NAME WRRDA CONFEREES: The farm bill isn\u2019t the only thing going on in Washington. A group of 28 House negotiators \u2014 16 Republicans and 12 Democrats \u2014 have been appointed to the conference committee tasked with hammering out a deal on WRRDA, Pro Trade\u2019s Scott Wong reports. Senate leaders named their conferees earlier this month, so today\u2019s announcement clears the way for both House and Senate negotiators to try to reconcile the two versions of the bills<\/p>\n House Republicans named to the panel are Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster(Penn.), and members John Duncan (Tenn.), Frank LoBiondo (N.J.), Sam Graves (Mo.), Shelley Moore Capito (W.V.), Candice Miller (Mich.), Duncan Hunter (Calif.), Larry Bucshon (Ind.), Bob Gibbs (Ohio), Richard Hanna (N.Y.), Daniel Webster (Fla.), Tom Rice (S.C.), Markwayne Mullin (Okla. ) and Rodney Davis (Ill). From the House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (Wash.) and Rob Bishop (Utah) were also named.<\/p>\n For the Democrats: T&I Committee ranking member Nick Rahall (W.V.), and members Peter DeFazio (Ore), Corrine Brown (Fla.), Eddie Bernice Johnson (Texas), Tim Bishop (N.Y.), Donna Edwards (Md.), John Garamendi (Calif.), Janice Hahn (Calif.), Rick Nolan (Minn.), Lois Frankel (Fla.) and Cheri Bustos (Ill.). Rep. Grace Napolitano (Calif.) was also tapped for the job.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In Washington, the Farm Bill is unlikely to come to the floor by the conference leaders’ deadl…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","nova_meta_subtitle":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5572],"tags":[],"supplier":[8400],"class_list":["post-18037","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bio-based","supplier-usda"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18037","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18037"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18037\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18037"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18037"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18037"},{"taxonomy":"supplier","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/supplier?post=18037"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}