Wasted billions in Food Stamp Program
Judicial Watch publishes a newsletter entitled “VERDICT”. You may have read about it filing motions in court to compel former Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton to answer questions. Judicial Watch has been characterized as a “conservative gadfly.” A recent investigation by Judicial Watch caught my eye regarding billions of dollars wasted on food stamps. It reported […]
Another Major Victory for Agriculture
On Nov. 21, 2016, EPA won an important case for American farmers. EPA defended farmers’ rights to plant seeds coated with neonicotinoids – a class of insecticides that kill insects by affecting central nervous system. Coated seeds will continue to be exempt from EPA regulation under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) because […]
Another ammonia case dismissed, but the environmentalists will keep fighting
On Dec. 7, 2015, I wrote that ammonia regulation of large animal operations would be delayed again. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement and Clean Wisconsin were told by a U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. that EPA was not required to regulate ammonia emissions from Concentrated Animal […]
Deeper Analysis on Potential Pacific Trade Pact: Japan
(Editor’s note: this is the fourth in this series by Gary Baise, a noted agriculture policy/environmental stewardship expert who lives here in Virginia.) The Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) sets forth each nation’s tariff commitments. It is argued by many in agriculture that TPP is a good deal and needs all of our support. Others are […]
Deeper analysis on potential Pacific trade pact: Chile
(Editor’s note: This is the third in a series on the Trans Pacific Partnership.) Labor Day has passed, and it is time to continue deciphering the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP). As in the other 30 chapters of the TPP, there are two sections in Annex 2-D setting forth Chile’s position. The first entails Chile’s general […]
Federal Government Lays An Egg
In May 2016, a congressman from Michigan wrote a stinging letter to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. Twenty four Republican members of Congress complained about a new proposed rule regarding practices for organic poultry and livestock. The proposed rule for poultry and livestock practices can be found in the Federal Register April 13, 2016. The […]
Federal Land Grab is An Assault On Private Property
Utah’s Attorney General filed a lawsuit in February 2016 against the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in the Department of the Interior and the United States Forest Service (USFS) in the Department of Agriculture. Utah claims that in 2015 a federal plan was issued which amounts to grabbing control of millions of acres of ranchland and directly prohibiting mining […]
Court Rules Soil is a Pollutant!
Judge Kimberly Mueller on June 10, 2016 in the U.S. Eastern District Court of California found that John Duarte, a nursery operator and wheat farmer, plowed wetlands, four to six inches deep, and therefore violated the Clean Water Act (CWA). The Judge found Mr. Duarte, by chiseling a pasture, discharged fill material into a water […]
What is Ag Stormwater & Is It Regulated?
Agriculture’s stormwater runoff from fields is viewed as significant and pernicious cause of water pollution in the nation’s waters. Many opponents of agriculture claim state efforts to improve water quality impacted by agriculture have met with little or no success. EPA and its supporters constantly argue that present day agricultural practices cause serious adverse impacts to surface water and ground water.
Seed Controversy Continues
CropLife America, American Seed Trade Association, American Soybean Association, National Association of Wheat Growers, National Corn Growers, Agricultural Retailers Association, among others, are standing up to help American farmers use treated seeds and seed treatments. A coalition of petitioners including non-government organizations, beekeepers and farmers are claiming seeds coated with neonicotinoid pesticides are not eligible for the treated seed exemption created by […]