AG COUNCIL NEWS & INFORMATION BRIEF
SEPTEMBER 11, 2023
WASHINGTON AG UPDATE
Congress Returns to Washington: The U.S. House and Senate have returned from its August recess and Labor Day holiday with quite a bit of work left to complete prior to the end of the fiscal year, which concludes September 31. Chances are growing for a government shutdown as both the House and Senate have not completed work on fiscal year 2024 spending bills and their bills vary widely. In addition to the fiscal deadline, Congress returns with a farm bill set to also expire at the end of the month. Discussions of an extension of current law are gaining speed as no reauthorization legislation has been filed to date. More...Agri-Pulse Daybreak 9.11.23 | Agri-Pulse Week Ahead | ArkansasOnline
Senate Set to Consider Agriculture Appropriations Bill: The U.S. Senate is expected to take up and approve a fiscal year 2024 appropriation bill for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It's not clear what amendments will be considered, but some may relate to farm bill programs and serve as proxy votes for the farm bill. If the House and Senate fail to complete work on the fiscal year appropriations legislation, a government shutdown could affect many government programs impacting farmers, including marketing loans. More...Appropriations Committee Statement | FY2024 Senate Ag Appropriation Bill | Bill Summary | Bill Tracker
EPA Issues New WOTUS Rule: On Tuesday, August 29th, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) announced it finalized a revised Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule. The revision was made in response to the Supreme Court ruling this summer that limited the regulatory reach of the clean water act as it relates to regulated waters. The new definition eliminates the use of the term significant nexus, but it maintains some language relating to bodies of water with connections to navigable waters while maintaining some exemptions for agricultural waters. More...EPA Announcement | September 12 Webinar | DTNPF | Agri-Pulse | Agri-Pulse II | American Farm Bureau | AgWeb | National Law Review | National Ag Law Center
EPA Extends Comment Period on New Herbicide Strategy: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it would extend the comment period 30 days for its proposed strategy on herbicides. The strategy is part of a larger plan to address recent court rulings related to the EPA’s work to protect federally endangered and threatened (listed) species from conventional agricultural crop protection products. According to the EPA, the strategy describes proposed early mitigations for more than 900 listed species and designated critical habitats to reduce potential impacts from the agricultural use of these herbicides while helping to ensure the continued availability of these important pesticide tools. More...EPA Draft Strategy on Herbicides | Announcement to Extend Comment Period | Federal Register Docket | Submit Comments | July 24 EPA Announcement on Herbicide Strategy | EPA Webinar on Herbicide Strategy | National Ag Law Center
H2A Working Group Welcomes Comments: A new bipartisan House Agriculture Committee working group is seeking public input on the H-2A visa program in an effort to identify ideas for improving the program for farmers. Arkansas First District Congressman Rick Crawford is helping to lead the initiative. Survey participation is encouraged from employers of H-2A workers in Arkansas. More...Survey Portal | About the Working Group
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 Calls Special Legislative Session: On Friday, September 8th, Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders issued a call for a special session of the general assembly to consider additional tax cuts on income for individuals and businesses as well as updates to the state's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) laws. The three day session began Monday, September 11. More...ArkansasOnline | Governor Sanders Announcement | Video
Mississippi River Levels Affecting Local Market: River levels in the Mississippi River have dropped precipitously in recent weeks to low levels that are affecting barge traffic and prices received by farmers delivering grain for shipment. Forecasts point to further decline in river levels due to insufficient rainfall in the basin. More...Farm Bureau Video | UADA Article | NOLA | MarketWatch | USA Today | 9.8.23 USDA Grain Report | USDA Grain Reports
5 Year Action Plan for Broadband in Arkansas: The Arkansas State Broadband Office (ARConnect) at the Arkansas Department of Commerce recently submitted the state’s Five-Year Action Plan to the U.S. Department of Commerce/National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). This plan, which entails an analysis of existing broadband assets, provides a broad overview of how the state will eliminate the digital divide in Arkansas by 2028 and provides a foundation for Arkansas’ forthcoming Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Initial Proposal. More...5 Year Action Plan | Arkansas Broadband Office
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
Arkansas State Fair Oct 13-22
Arkansas Association for Food Protection Conference Sept. 26-28
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
ECONOMIC & INDUSTRY NEWS
September 11 Crop Progress Report: On Monday, September 11th, USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) issued a Crop Progress Report for Arkansas showing 77 of the corn crop to be good to excellent condition, 69 percent of the cotton crop to be in good to excellent condition, 76 percent of soybeans to be in good to excellent condition, 71 percent of rice to be in good to excellent condition, and 72 percent of peanuts to be in good to excellent condition. Harvest was also well underway with 68 percent of corn harvested, 40 percent of rice harvested, and 12 percent of soybeans harvested. More... Arkansas Report | U.S. Report
USDA Releases WASDE Report on September 12th: USDA will issue its next World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimate (WASDE) report on Tuesday, September 12th at 11am. The report will provide the latest estimates for supply and demand of major crops in the U.S. and around the world. More...WASDE Home Page
Farm Income Projections Show Significant Declines: According to the USDA Economic Research Service, net farm income is forecasted to decline significantly from 2022. Net farm income is forecast at $141.3 billion in calendar year 2023, a decrease of $41.7 billion (22.8 percent) relative to 2022. This follows an increase of $42.9 billion (30.7 percent) from 2021 to a record high $183.0 billion in 2022. Despite this expected decline, net farm income in 2023 would be 22.6 percent above its 20-year average (2003–22) of $115.2 billion in inflation-adjusted dollars. More...Agri-Pulse | USDA ERS Report | Farm Bureau | AgWeb
September 8th UofA Arkansas Rice Update: 9.8.23 Rice Update
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