AG COUNCIL NEWS & INFORMATION BRIEF
NOVEMBER 3, 2023
WASHINGTON AG UPDATE
Appropriations Deadline Upon Congress: House Republicans elected Representative Mike Johnson (R-LA) on October 25th to serve as the 56th Speaker of House after considering several candidates and conducting a series of votes. He takes the role at a key juncture with less than a month remaining prior to the expiration of the continuing resolution and other important issues on the table such as the farm bill and the ongoing efforts to support Israel and Ukraine. More...
Ag Committee Leaders Pursue Farm Bill Extension for 2024: President Joe Biden and Secretary Tom Vilsack kicked off a rural America tour in which they plan to visit multiple states to tout recent federal investments made in rural communities across the country. Most of the funding highlighted comes from the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure and Jobs Act. According to USDA, over the course of two weeks, President Biden, Cabinet members, and Senior Administration Officials are travel across the country as part of the Investing in Rural America Event Series to highlight how the Biden-Harris Administration’s investments are bringing new revenue to farms, increased economic development in rural towns and communities, and more opportunity throughout the country. More...
Agriculture Groups Send Letters to EPA Opposing Herbicide Strategy: On October 22, the EPA concluded its comment period on its proposed rules outlining its planned herbicide strategy, which seeks to address recent court rulings related to the agency's compliance with the Endangered Species Act (ESA) for various crop protection chemistries registered by the EPA. The proposed rules under the herbicide strategy were broadly opposed by agricultural groups, including several hundred that co-signed a letter expressing strong opposition. The Ag Council joined the letter and submitted a letter of its own to the EPA. More...DTNPF | NASDA Letter | AgGroup Letter | AgCouncil Letter | All Comments
USDA Announces Plans to Utilize CCC to Bolster Trade: USDA recently announced that it would increase trade development investments with $2.3 billion in monies from the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC). The move was broadly applauded by various agricultural interest groups who've long advocated for increased funding to expand opportunity for ag exports. $1.3 billion of the funds will go towards a new program known as the Regional Agriculture Promotion Program (RAPP) which will compliment the Foreign Market Development Program (FMD) and the Market Access Program (MAP) with a focus on key markets. Another $1 billion will be available for international food aid which will include purchases of U.S. grown commodities. More...USDA Announcement | Agri-Pulse
Congress Continues Work on Annual Spending Bills: With a continuing resolution extending funding for the 2024 fiscal year through November 17th, Congress remains active in efforts to advance various spending bills to avoid a government shutdown or another continuing resolution. While work continues in both the Senate and House, difficulties remain ahead as the differences between the two bodies remain significant. It is expected that a continuing resolution will likely be needed in the coming weeks to provide additional time for passing comprehensive spending bills. More...Appropriations Tracker | Senate Appropriations Committee | House Appropriations Committee
USDA Announces New Round of Emergency Relief Funding for Farmers: USDA announced on Friday, October 27th, that it would deliver additional Emergency Relief Program (ERP) funds for the 2022 crop year in the coming weeks. Under the program $3 billion will be made available through two tracks. Track 1 will provide assistance to producers who were impacted by wildfires, droughts, hurricanes, winter storms, and other eligible disasters experienced during calendar year 2022 using existing Federal Crop Insurance or Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) data already submitted to FSA. Track 2 is a revenue-based certification program designed to assist producers who suffered a loss in revenue resulting from 2022 calendar year disaster events when compared with revenue in a benchmark year. More...USDA Announcement | Application Information | Track I Factsheet | Track II Factsheet | AgWeb | DTNPF
Farm Bill Discussions Continue in Washington: With parts of the farm bill expired, talks continue on what path congress will take prior to the upcoming crop year. While most tend to agree that an extension of current law is most likely for the coming crop year, some remain optimistic that a farm bill may get traction before the end of the year. Regardless of the outcome, leaders in the House and Senate are continuing to discuss various options for improving the current farm bill. Most enhancements are expected to come with a cost, and its not clear if any new funds will be available for those enhancements. If additional funds are available, they will most likely be insufficient in meeting the various ideas for improving current law. More...FarmPress | Agri-Pulse I I Agri-Pulse II | HighPlainsJournal |
USA Rice Names New CEO: On November 2nd, USA Rice announced it hired Peter Bachmann to serve as its next CEO following the retirement of Betsy Ward who served as CEO for the last 16 years. Bachmann has served USA Rice in multiple roles since 2015. Most recently he served as vice president of policy and government affairs. In addition to working at USA Rice, Mr. Bachmann served at USDA under Secretary Sonny Perdue. More...USA Rice | Agri-Pulse
Court Overturns EPA Action on Chlorpyrifos: On November 2nd, a federal appeals court took action to overturn EPA's actions from 2022, which effectively banned the insecticide chlorpyrifos. The court ruled that the agency's actions, which were tied to food tolerances, were arbitrary and capricious. It's possible that the ruling could lead to the restoration of chlorpyrifos for the 2024 growing season. More...DTNPF | Agri-Pulse
ARKANSAS AG UPDATE
Members Encouraged to Apply for Service on State Boards and Commissions: We strongly encourage Ag Council members to apply for public service on various agriculture related state boards and commissions which serve important roles for our industry. We stand ready to help our members navigate the application and appointment process. More...https://agcouncil.net/services/leadership/ | Application Portal | Office of Governor Homepage
Governor Issues Soybean Month Proclamation: Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders kicked off the month of November with a proclamation for Arkansas's soybean industry. The proclamation speaks to the importance of soybeans and soybean farmers to Arkansas while recognizing the month as "Soybean Month." More...ASPB Announcement |
State Orders Syngenta to Exit Arkansas Farmland: On Tuesday, October 17, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin along with Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward jointly ordered Syngenta to divest of its Arkansas owned farmland in Bay, Arkansas. The 160 acre area serves as a research farm for NK Seeds, a subsidiary of Syngenta, which is owned by ChemChina, a state owned enterprise. The order was made in accordance with Act 636, which was approved by the General Assembly earlier this year. It prohibits certain foreign nations, including China, from owning farmland in Arkansas. More...ArkansasOnline | UADA | ArkansasAG | AG Griffin Interview
Boozman Talks Importance of Ag and Trade in Little Rock: U.S. Senator John Boozman spoke at two events in Little Rock in the month of October where he spoke of the importance of agriculture for the State of Arkansas. Boozman, who serves as Vice-Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee is deeply involved in the development of the next farm bill, which is currently due for reauthorization. His speaking engagements were with the Little Rock Rotary Club and a forum hosted by the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition. More...ArkansasOnline I | ArkansasOnline II | Rotary Video | USGLC Video
UofA Announces Key Ag Hires: The University of Arkansas recently announced two key hires in the agriculture arena, including Dean of the Bumpers College and Director of Extension. Economist, Dr. John Anderson, was named senior associate vice president-extension for the U of A System Division of Agriculture, and Dr. Jeff Edwards was named dean of the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences and senior associate vice president for academic programs of the Division of Agriculture. Both hires were from within the University Arkansas System where Edwards currently serves as professor and head of the crop, soil and environmental sciences department, and Anderson currently serves as Professor and Head of the Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Department and Director of the Fryar Price Risk Management Center of Excellence. They will begin their new work in January of next year. More...Extension Announcement | Dean Announcement
UofA Division of Ag Announces Winter Production Meeting Dates: The University of Arkansas System's Division of Agriculture recently announced its dates and locations for upcoming annual Winter Production Meetings. THe meetings will be held in January and February across much of Arkansas. The meetings provide an opportunity for producers and consultants to interface with researchers to share the latest information on various commodities grown in Arkansas. More..UADA Announcement
Arkansas Farm Bureau Announces New Hire for Federal Affairs: Arkansas Farm Bureau announced the hiring of Jay Robbins to serve as federal affairs for the organization. Robbins, who previously served as director of governmental affairs for the Arkansas Bar Association, will oversee the organization's efforts in Washington, D.C. More...ARFB Announcement
Tyson Foods Announces Plans to Invest in Insect Farms to Support Animal Feed: On October 17th, Tyson Foods announced plans to invest in insect protein startup, Protix, to develop and scale new proteins which will primarily be used in the pet food, aquaculture, and livestock industries. More...Tyson Announcement | ArkansasOnline | AgFunderNews
Arkansas Farmer Wins Sunbelt Ag Expo Farmer of the Year Award: Lake City, Arkansas, farmer Steve Cobb was recently recognized by the Sunbelt Ag Expo as Farmer of the Year. Cobb Farms is a partnership enterprise that began over 50 years ago in Craighead County. They farm 4,500 acres where they produce traditional row crops, vegetables, and show pigs. More...TalkBusiness | Video
USDA Accepting 2024 Applications for EQIP & CSP Until December 8: Farmers and landowners in Arkansas have until December 8, 2023, to submit applications to receive financial assistance to implement conservation activities through the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) for the 2024 program year. Applicants can sign up at their local United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Field Service Center. More...USDA NRCS AR Announcement
USDA Accepting 2024 Applications for ACEP Until November 30: Farmers and landowners in Arkansas have until November 30, 2023, to submit applications to receive financial assistance to restore and protect critical wetlands and protect agricultural lands and grasslands through the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) for Wetlands Reserve Easements (WRE) and Agricultural Land Easements (ALE) programs. There will be a second cutoff date of February 29, 2024, also for funding consideration for Fiscal Year 2024. More...USDA NRCS AR Announcement
Low River Levels Continue to Slow Barge Traffic: Low river levels on the Mississippi River and parts of the Arkansas River continue to hinder the movement of barges carrying agriculture related commodities. While recent rains offered some positive news, record low water levels persist. The levels even caused parts of the Arkansas River to completely halt activities to the Mississippi River. More...ArkansasOnline | VicksburgPost
Arkansas Tax Revenues Decline, but Exceed Estimates: The Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration (DFA) released its October Revenue Report on November 2nd. The report showed declining revenues from tax collections for the month of October and collections year to date, but the revenue collections still beat estimated forecasts for most collections. More...DFA October Revenue Report | TalkBusiness
Goldman Sachs Seeks to Help Rural Small Businesses with Investments and Resources: Goldman Sachs recently announced plans to expand its $100 million “Investment in Rural Communities” initiative to Arkansas. The program plans to support rural small business owners with capital and technical resources to help create jobs and grow businesses in rural communities. Individuals and businesses interested in partnering with the intiative can complete an online application for consideration. More...GS 10,000 Small Businesses Homepage | Video Interview with TalkBusiness | TalkBusiness | Application Form
Farmers Encouraged to Use FireSmart App for Crop Residue Burns: Arkansas farmers are encouraged to download and utilize the new FireSmart App to help farmers comply with voluntary smoke management guidelines prior to conducting crop residue field burning following harvest. The smart phone application is aimed at helping farmers check conditions and report prescribed burns to ensure minimal impact when conducting this important practice. More...FireSmartApp | Voluntary Smoke Management Guidelines
Ag Council Annual Meeting Set for December 14-15: The Ag Council of Arkansas will hold its annual board of directors meeting in Little Rock on December 14-15 at the Capital Hotel. The meeting will include a business session of the board of directors on Thursday and a general session featuring guest speakers on relevant topics on Friday. The traditional welcome reception and presidents' dinner will be held Thursday following the business session. Sponsorship opportunities are available. More...Meeting Info
Additional Arkansas Ag Resources:
USDA Daily Arkansas Grain Bids
Arkansas Department of Ag Calendar
Ag Council Leadership Opportunities
Apply for Service on State Boards & Commissions
USDA NRCS Arkansas Offices
USDA County Cash Rent Estimates
Arkansas Crops Update
UADA Crop Budgets
Arkansas Row Crop Risk Management
Pine Tree Discoloration & Mortality Reporting
Feral Hog Task Force
2023 Arkansas Grown Publication
Digital Edition of Delta Farm Press
ArkansasGrown Expo Jan.25-27
ECONOMIC & INDUSTRY NEWS
October 30 Crop Progress Report: On Monday, October 30th, USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) issued a Crop Progress Report for Arkansas showing Arkansas farmers near the end of its harvest with 99 percent of rice harvested, 91 percent of soybeans harvested, 88 percent of cotton harvested and 73 percent of peanuts harvested. The reports through the growing and harvesting seasons have continued to indicate good conditions for Arkansas crops this year. More... Arkansas Report | US Report
October WASDE: USDA released its latest World Agriculture Supply and Demand Estimate (WASDE) report October 12. The report provides the latest economic estimates for world supply and demand related to most major agricultural commodities. More...October WASDE | Secretary Briefing | WASDE Visualization | October Crop Production Report | Arkansas Crop Production Report
USDA Agricultural Prices Report: On October 31, USDA issued an updated agricultural prices report, which indicated declining prices received by farmers while prices paid by farmers continued to increase. More...Prices Report
Other Recent USDA NASS Economic Reports:
Cotton Systems
Fats and Oilseed Crushings
Flour Millings
Grain Crushings
Agricultural Prices
DTN Market Insights: Commodity Market Info
Arkansas Economic Profile: 2023 Pocket Facts - News | USDA Arkansas Ag Economic Overview | Arkansas Ag Census Data | Arkansas Historical Data | Arkansas Farms & Land Report | Arkansas Land Values & Cash Rent Report
Arkansas Farm Labor Report
UofA Crop Updates | UofA Land Grant Research & Extension Service Video
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