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Oct 27 - Nov 1, 2014
Tucson, AZ
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Stephen Frerichs
ASFMRA Lobbyist, Stephen owns and operates his own consulting and lobbying firm, AgVantage, LLC in Alexandria, VA.
Bill Garber
ASFMRA/AI Lobbyist, Bill is the Director of Government and External Relations at the Appraisal Institute (AI) in Washington, DC.
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Contact Us
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American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers
950 South Cherry Street, Suite 508 Denver, CO 80246
TEL: (303) 758-3513
FAX: (303) 758-0190
www.asfmra.org
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Welcome to the ASFMRA Legislative Action News. We hope you will find it a useful tool for staying up to date with legislative issues and critical information for rural property experts.
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USDA Assistance to Californians Impacted by Drought
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| Last week President Obama and USDA Secretary Vilsack visited drought stricken areas in California and announced additional USDA assistance to farmer and local communities impacted by the drought. In his remarks the President said: "Right now, almost 99 percent of California is drier than normal. While drought in regions outside the West is expected to be less severe than in other years, California is our biggest economy, California is our biggest agricultural producer, so what happens here matters to every working American, right down to the cost of food that you put on your table." Continue reading about additional USDA assistance to California.
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Congressional Research Service Farm Bill Summary
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| The Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a non-partisan "think tank" housed within the Library of Congress. With nearly 600 analysts it prepares reports on a host of issues for members of Congress. The CRS recently released a summary report of the Farm Bill. If you would like to read the 236 page report click here.
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FHFA: Fannie, Freddie Fail to Analyze Appraisal Data
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By Bill Garber
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac failed to fully analyze data from the Uniform Collateral Data Portal and continue to take unnecessary risks when purchasing and guaranteeing single-family residential mortgages, according to a report from the Federal Housing Finance Agency's Office of the Inspector General, Mortgage Daily reported Feb. 6.
The report indicated that the two government-sponsored enterprises are not taking full advantage of appraisal data collected through the UCDP that the Federal Housing Finance Agency directed the GSEs to use in 2010 in an effort to improve loan quality and risk management.
Mortgage Daily reported that the GSEs purchased and guaranteed six million loans valued at $1.3 trillion in 2012 alone. The UCDP was designed to make it easier for the GSEs to evaluate the large volume of loans that they are being asked to guarantee and purchase. The system notifies sellers if appraisals fail to meet Fannie and Freddie standards. Continue reading.
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GMOs Seek Natural Food Labels
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From the Federal Produce Policy News
The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) sent a letter to the FDA on December 05, 2013 asking the agency to include foods containing genetically modified ingredients under the label "natural." Sales under the label "natural" are growing faster than any other category, which has given the label a lot of attention recently. Several organizations against genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have attacked GMA's request saying that the organization is trying to deceive the public about what is really in their food. Read more..
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Seed Restrictions May End
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By Roy C Ferguson II, CMC/CAC
Federal restrictions may be lifted on the use of genetically engineered corn and soybean seeds which resist negative impacts on production yields from applying the popular herbicide 2,4-D. Canadian officials have already approved the process, but sales have not occurred thus far.
Limited use of 2,4-D with corn and soybeans has occurred to date because the chemical is toxic to both plants early in their growth cycles. But, a need reportedly exists because certain types of weeds have apparently become immune to Roundup. Read more about seed restrictions ending.
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Are there topics that you would like to see covered in the ASFMRA Legislative Action News? Do you have news sources that you think would be interesting to other ASFMRA Members? Please let us know.
Sincerely,
Suzanne Gruba
American Society of Farm Managers & Rural Appraisers
The Most Trusted Rural Property Professionals
sgruba@asfmra.org or reply to this email.
303-692-1210
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