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House Agriculture Committee Member Jeff Fortenberry (R., Neb.) indicated on Wednesday that passing the farm bill would help farmers and livestock producers cope with current drought conditions.
KTIV News 4 Sioux City IA: News, Weather and Sports
Posted by Keith Good • August, 9, 2012 • 5:58 pm
Posted by Keith Good • August, 9, 2012 • 5:47 pm 
A news release today from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) stated that, “The FAO Food Price Index climbed 6 percent in July 2012 after three months of decline.
“The Index, which measures the monthly change in the international prices of a basket of food commodities, averaged 213 points, up 12 points from June. That was still well below the peak of 238 points reached in February 2011, however.
“The Index’s sharp rebound was mostly driven by a surge in grain and sugar prices. International prices of meat and dairy products were little changed.”
A related Bloomberg video regarding today’s report, featuring analysis from Abdolreza Abbassian, a senior economist at the FAO, is also available:
-kg
Posted by Keith Good • August, 9, 2012 • 6:59 am Senate Agriculture Committee Member John Thune (R., S.D.) expressed his thoughts on the Farm Bill and producers’ need for policy certainty while in South Dakota on the August recess.
KSFY News – Sioux Falls, SD News, Weather, Sports
Posted by Keith Good • August, 9, 2012 • 6:42 am Drought Assistance- Farm Bill Issues
A news release yesterday from the U.S. Department of Agriculture stated that, “As part of continuing steps by the Obama Administration to assist livestock producers in response to the historic drought, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today highlighted that USDA will utilize nearly $16 million in financial and technical assistance to immediately help crop and livestock producers in 19 states cope with the adverse impacts of the historic drought. In addition, USDA will initiate a transfer of $14 million in unobligated program funds into the Emergency Conservation Program. These funds can be used to assist in moving water to livestock in need, providing emergency forage for livestock, and rehabilitating lands severely impacted by the drought. Together these efforts should provide nearly $30 million to producers struggling with drought conditions.”
Yesterday’s release added that, “Also today, Vilsack signed disaster designations for an additional 44 counties in 12 states as primary natural disaster areas due to damage and losses caused by drought and excessive heat. Counties designated today are in the states of Arkansas, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma and South Dakota. During the 2012 crop year, USDA has designated 1,628 unduplicated counties across 33 states as disaster areas—1,496 due to drought—making all qualified farm operators in the areas eligible for low-interest emergency loans.”
Posted by Keith Good • August, 9, 2012 • 3:27 am 