House Passes 2-year Budget Deal, Promises to Reverse Cuts to Crop Insurance
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Capitol switchboard overload
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WASHINGTON, DC -- Yesterday afternoon, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the Bipartisan Budget Agreement of 2015 which raised the debt ceiling until March 2017 and increased federal spending by $80 billion over two years. Fortunately for agriculture, the previously reported $3 billion cut to federal crop insurance will be reversed during the Appropriations process later this fall.
Thanks to hundreds of calls to Capitol Hill this week by the farm sector, 57 Members of the House of Representatives officially pledged to oppose the legislation if the cuts to crop insurance weren't addressed. Outgoing Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) had no choice but to work with other leadership to come to an agreement to secure the bill's passage.
USA Rice Vice President of Government Affairs Ben Mosely said, "I'm pleased that the agriculture community around the country was able to successfully coordinate the defense of one of our key safety net programs. Reopening the Farm Bill at this point would directly go against everything that we stand for."
Mosely added, "I'd really like to thank the rice industry for their engagement as 11 of the 57 Members that pledged to stand up for crop insurance also represent rice-growing Congressional Districts. That participation is a direct effect of the calls our growers made to legislators on Tuesday and Wednesday."
The Bipartisan Budget Agreement of 2015 now heads to the Senate where it will be taken up as early as next week. Earlier today, Senate Republican leaders also vowed to restore the cuts to crop insurance. It remains unclear where the $3 billion in offsets will be found.
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USA Rice Gets Greater FAS Funding for 2016 International Promotion Programs
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 WASHINGTON, DC -- USA Rice received notification this week of the budget awarded by FAS for Fiscal Year 2016. Under the Market Access Program (MAP) USA Rice received an allocation of $2,485,000, a 1.2 percent increase from FY2015. Under the Foreign Market Development (FMD) the USA Rice budget will be $1,877,000, a 6.1 percent increase from the prior year. In total, USA Rice received a budget allocation of $4,362,000, an increase of $136,000 or 3.2 percent more than in 2015.
"We believe this increased budget reflects well on the quality and effectiveness of the International Promotion programs that are implemented by USA Rice to maintain and/or increase exports of U.S. rice," stated John Valpey, chairman of the USA Rice International Promotion Committee.
"With an export dependent industry like rice, these added funds could not have come at a better time to support our promotion and trade policy efforts worldwide," said USA Rice President & CEO Betsy Ward.
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Rice States Must Begin Section 18 Emergency Exemption Requests for AV-1011
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WASHINGTON, DC -- Departments of agriculture in states with rice producers affected by bird consumption of rice seed need to begin applying for Section 18 Emergency Exemption Requests for AV-1011 (anthraquinone) bird repellent as soon as possible in order to have approvals from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in a timely fashion.
Section 18 of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) authorizes EPA to allow an unregistered use of a pesticide for a limited time if EPA determines that an emergency condition exists.
The EPA will have extensive data requests on bird damage from previous years and commercial handlers will need time to treat seeds with AV-1011 before they are delivered to farms.
USA Rice is working closely with all parties, including EPA, to facilitate the use of AV-1011 by rice growers.
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Weekly Rice Sales, Exports Reported
| WASHINGTON, DC -- Net rice sales of 112,600 MT--a marketing-year high--for 2015/2016 were up 68 percent from the previous week and up noticeably from the prior four-week average, according today's Export Sales Highlights report. Increases were reported for Costa Rica (22,400 MT), Mexico (20,900 MT), Honduras (16,000 MT), Haiti (13,500 MT), and Japan (12,400 MT).
Exports of 78,300 MT, up 29 percent from the previous week and 19 percent from the prior four-week average, were reported to Iran (32,000 MT), Haiti (18,500 MT), Japan (13,000 MT), Mexico (3,500 MT), and Canada (2,700 MT).
This summary is based on reports from exporters from the period October 16-22, 2015.
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| CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures | CME Group (Prelim): Closing Rough Rice Futures for October 29
| November 2015 | $11.535 |
+ $0.135
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January 2016
| $11.820 |
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March 2016
| $12.085 |
+ $0.135
| | May 2016 | $12.340 |
+ $0.120
| | July 2016 | $12.590 |
+ $0.120
| | September 2016 | $12.205 |
+ $0.110
| November 2016
| $12.205
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+ $0.110
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In the News
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Around Washington
The 2014 Farm Bill Field Guide to Fish and Wildlife Conservation is a collaborative effort by conservation partners that provides a new tool for those who work with private landowners and agricultural producers in adopting conservation practices included in the 2014 Farm Bill. It provides a road map to help navigate Farm Bill programs and encourages landowners to engage in habitat conservation.
Before the benefits of big data can be fully realized, an important question needs answering: How can privacy and private property rights be protected when farmers willingly hand their data over to private companies?
Strong opposition from agricultural interests resulted in an agreement that insurance subsidy cuts will be reversed in an upcoming omnibus spending bill. The omnibus could be done by Dec. 11, when the continuing resolution currently in place expires.
As the average age of the American farmer now exceeds 58 years, and data shows that almost 10 percent of farmland in the continental United States will change hands in the next five years, we have no time to lose in getting more new farmers and ranchers established. Equally important is encouraging young people to pursue careers in industries that support American agriculture.
Around the Country
Frenchy Meissonnier, whose family has farmed rice in Merced County for nearly 100 years, fallowed 700 acres for a second year. His last normal year was in 2012. In the meantime, Meissonnier has depended on his crop insurance. "If it wasn't for having crop insurance right now, I would have lost everything three generations of Messonniers have created. If it wasn't for that, I wouldn't be here. It's that simple."
Innovative projects in California are using flooded rice fields to rear threatened species of Pacific salmon, mimicking the rich floodplains where juvenile salmon once thrived.
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| Mission Statement | | USA Rice is the global advocate for all segments of the U.S. rice industry with a mission to promote and protect the interests of producers, millers, merchants and allied businesses. |
| About Us | Editor: Michael Klein
(703) 236-1458
mklein@usarice.com
Fax (703) 236-2301
2101 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 610
Arlington, VA 22201
This report is time-sensitive, based on information available at press time. Content is derived from facts and sources believed to be reliable. Reprinting and/or distribution may be done with permission of USA Rice.
Copyright © 2015. Please direct comments or questions to the editor or contact name listed for each story. |
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