Biden’s first 100 days for agriculture
Gary Baise Commentaries Biden’s first 100 days for agriculture President Biden has finished his first 100 days in office. In the first 100 days, the president has introduced a plan that extends SNAP benefits through September for about $28 per person per month. The president set aside $1.15 billion for expanding the food stamp program…
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Rural America skeptical of Biden’s climate agenda
Gary Baise Commentaries Rural America skeptical of Biden’s climate agenda Vilsack, Biden balance demands and needs of environmentalists and agricultural groups in climate change debate. This week, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack requested comments on President Biden’s Climate Crisis Executive Order, to ensure that all relevant information is considered by USDA from tribes, farmers, ranchers, forest…
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Biden’s climate crisis: real or imagined?
Gary Baise Commentaries Biden’s climate crisis: real or imagined? President Biden issued an Executive Order on January 27, 2021, putting the climate crisis at the center of the United States’ national security. His order says, “The United States and the world face a profound climate crisis.” He further states, “Domestic action must go hand in…
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Global warming: truth or propaganda?
Gary Baise Commentaries Global warming: truth or propaganda? The news media is filled with reports about how the Biden administration, via USDA, will attempt to mitigate climate change through agriculture. I’m going to introduce to you two people who have differing opinions on the issue. On one side is Dr. Michael S. Coffman, former paper company…
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Smithfield loses another Right-to-Farm legal battle over CAFOs
Senior Judge W. Earl Britt issued a procedural decision in a new case on March 15, 2021, that let a complaint against Smithfield and Murphy-Brown, its subsidiary, go forward.
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Supreme Court to review California’s Prop 12
Gary Baise Commentaries Supreme Court to review California’s Prop 12 On February 26, 2021 the North American Meat Institute (NAMI) requested the U.S. Supreme Court to review whether California can set the standards for animal agriculture, based on the state’s controversial Prop 12 law. How agriculture produces meat in our society, and whether California gets…
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Can ammonia be regulated under the Clean Water Act?
Gary Baise Commentaries Can ammonia be regulated under the Clean Water Act? If this judge’s decision stands, drift from a farm operation or odor containing a pollutant will need to be regulated. Sharon V. Burrell, a judge for the Circuit Court in Montgomery, Maryland, on March 11, 2021, ruled that the Maryland Department of Environment…
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Are you socially disadvantaged?
The Biden Administration’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill includes $5 billion for financial aid to farmers of color who allegedly have been discriminated against by USDA. U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia was able to insert his Emergency Relief for Farmers of Color Act into the bill.
Sen. Warnock said he wanted to “…ensure equity in our recovery efforts and address longstanding injustices that have left some communities behind for far too long…”
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Waiver no more: Ethanol court decision helps corn farmers
Gary Baise Commentaries Waiver no more: Ethanol court decision helps corn farmers A recent decision by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will be another brick in the wall pushing up corn prices. A U.S. Supreme Court Certiorari, or judicial review of a decision in a lower court, made the difference. Here’s what happened In late 2020…
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Is Bill Gates your farming neighbor?
Gary Baise Commentaries Is Bill Gates your farming neighbor? The Microsoft founder and billionaire allegedly owns over a quarter of a million acres. The Land Report which claims it is “the magazine of the American landowner” on January 11 posted a story claiming that Bill and Melinda Gates were the top farmland owners in the United States!…
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