Farm Bill

The National Cotton Council has scheduled 45 informational meetings in 15 Cotton Belt states during March 17-25 to provide its members with a greater understanding of The Agricultural Act of 2014. NCC President/CEO Mark Lange said, “This new five-year...

Producers couldn’t stop farming their crops while the Farm Bill was being debated for two years. Neither can they afford to hold off planting until USDA crafts the final rules and regulations. Seed must be planted, and a crop nurtured until harvest. For now, it is market prices, or lack thereof, and the unknowns about the Farm Bill that will cause many producers to proceed with caution.

It’s hard to believe anybody in the Texas High Plains could have a better understanding of ag finances, farming or ginning than Curtis Griffith. What makes his credentials unique is his involvement in so many diverse aspects of agri-business...

Across the Belt, many farmers are frustrated by Congress’s dilly-dallying over the Farm Bill or resigned to a “no sense of urgency” attitude when it comes to the viability of our nation’s producers. Following is a sampling of what our...

The Southern Cotton Ginners’ Association (SCGA) attracted a crowd of more than 200 to its summer meeting at the Beau Rivage Hotel in Biloxi, Miss., and a wide range of issues was discussed at the event. Several key speakers made...

Even as they deal with a drought for the third straight year, Texas Cotton Ginners’ Association members remain hopeful that timely rains will occur this summer, allowing cotton to be harvested and ginned in a timely manner. That was the...

On May 21, 34 organizations – including the National Cotton Council (NCC) – sent a letter to all of the U.S. senators. These groups stated that they are committed to opposing “amendments on the Senate floor that might weaken...

By Tommy Horton Editor Is it really possible for a Democratic senator from Michigan to visit the Mississippi Delta and find common ground with Southern farmers? If you had told me three years ago that this could happen, I wouldn’t have...

The National Cotton Council congratulated the Senate and House Agriculture Commit-tees for their efforts in moving new Farm Bill legislation through their respective committees. The NCC will encourage Cotton Belt Representatives to support their agriculture committee’s work and oppose damaging...

BY MARK LANGE NCC PRESIDENT/CEO While new challenges undoubtedly will arise in 2013, there are several ongoing issues threatening U.S. cotton’s viability that also will require considerable attention from the National Cotton Council. What about farm bill passage? Last year we were active...

By Christine Souza Calif. Farm Bureau Federation While Congress reconvenes for a post-election, "lame-duck" session, farmers and ranchers are urging their representatives to work together to address pressing issues facing agriculture. Rayne Pegg, manager of the California Farm Bureau Federation Federal Policy...

The November elections have come and gone; a president has been chosen; and the roster on Capitol Hill is in place. Cotton producers now have to assess the political environment in Washington, D.C., to try to determine what effect...

By Rob Hotokainen McClatchy Newspapers Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says that U.S. farm exports are on pace to set a record high in 2013 but that sales will suffer if Congress does not resurrect a $200 million-a-year foreign marketing program that...

As the expiration deadline quickly approaches for the current Farm Bill, all eyes are on the Hill, and the clock is ticking. In a report dated Aug. 15, Kurt Guidry, with the Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusi-ness at the...

By Tommy Horton Editor Even with uncertainty about the Farm Bill and major acreage changes looming, Southern Cotton Ginners Association (SCGA) members are doing their best to adjust to a new environment in the Mid-South. That was the theme at the organization’s...