Ag Retailers Association

Trade Associations Urge Biden Administration To Act Now To End Port Strike

Thu, 03 Oct 2024 18:11:33 GMT

A coalition of over 270 local, state and federal trade associations have signed a letter urging President Biden and his administration to use all of its authorities to end the port strike, get the ports open and get the parties back to the negotiating table.

Click here to read the full letter.

The associations involved represent:

American manufacturers
Farmers and agribusinesses
Wholesalers
Retailers
Restaurants
Importers
Exporters
Distributors
Transportation and logistics providers
Additional supply chain stakeholders

The Ag Retailers Association (ARA) is among the groups who sent the letter and is encouraging members to let them know how the strike will impact their businesses.

Background:
A port strike along the East and Gulf coasts began on Oct. 1 and will halt the flow of a wide range of goods, potentially leading to shortages and higher costs. According to an estimate from the Anderson Economic Group, a one week strike would cost the U.S. economy about $2.1 billion.

Your Next Read: East and Gulf Coast Dockworkers Now on Strike Over Wage Demands, Halting Key U.S. Cargo Shipments

Homeland Security Recognizes Agriculture as Critical Industry

Tue, 20 Sep 2022 02:32:36 GMT

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued guidance on Thursday on critical industry workforce that should continue as the country addresses and responds to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. U.S. food and agriculture was included among 16 critical industries.

“If you work in a critical infrastructure industry, as defined by the Department of Homeland Security, such as healthcare services and pharmaceutical and food supply, you have a special responsibility to maintain your normal work schedule,” the guidance states.

The list of sectors and identified essential critical infrastructure workers are an initial recommended set by DHS and are intended to be overly inclusive, reflecting the diversity of industries across the U.S.

Specifically, DHS recognized these food and agriculture roles as critical:

• Animal agriculture workers to include those employed in veterinary health; manufacturing and distribution of animal medical materials, animal vaccines, animal drugs, feed ingredients, feed, and bedding, etc.; transportation of live animals, animal medical materials; transportation of deceased animals for disposal; raising of animals for food; animal production operations; slaughter and packing plants and associated regulatory and government workforce

• Farm workers to include those employed in animal food, feed, and ingredient production, packaging, and distribution; manufacturing, packaging, and distribution of veterinary drugs; truck delivery and transport; farm and fishery labor needed to produce our food supply domestically

• Farm workers and support service workers to include those who field crops; commodity inspection; fuel ethanol facilities; storage facilities; and other agricultural inputs

• Workers supporting groceries, pharmacies and other retail that sells food and beverage products

• Restaurant carry-out and quick serve food operations - Carry-out and delivery food employees

• Food manufacturer employees and their supplier employees—to include those employed in food processing (packers, meat processing, cheese plants, milk plants, produce, etc.) facilities; livestock, poultry, seafood slaughter facilities; pet and animal feed processing facilities; human food facilities producing by-products for animal food; beverage production facilities; and the production of food packaging

• Employees and firms supporting food, feed, and beverage distribution, including warehouse workers, vendor-managed inventory controllers and blockchain managers

• Workers supporting the sanitation of all food manufacturing processes and operations from wholesale to retail

• Company cafeterias - in-plant cafeterias used to feed employees

• Workers in food testing labs in private industries and in institutions of higher education

• Workers essential for assistance programs and government payments

• Employees of companies engaged in the production of chemicals, medicines, vaccines, and other substances used by the food and agriculture industry, including pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, minerals, enrichments, and other agricultural production aids

• Workers who support the manufacture and distribution of forest products, including, but not limited to timber, paper, and other wood products

• Employees engaged in the manufacture and maintenance of equipment and other infrastructure necessary to agricultural production and distribution

“We thank DHS for acknowledging the vital role that pork producers play in helping to feed consumers here at home and around the globe with a high-quality, affordable protein,” says National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) President Howard “A.V.” Roth. “We recognize that states and local governments are working hard to ensure operational continuity. As part of that effort, we urge state and local governments to swiftly follow and implement this federal directive. We need to ensure there is a continuous and uninterrupted supply of pork to America’s kitchen tables.”

The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) President and CEO Corey Rosenbusch applauded DHS for listing fertilizer employees as essential and the fertilizer industry as one of the nation’s critical infrastructure industries.

“Fertilizer is responsible for 50% of crop yields and is essential to our nation’s agricultural production and food supply,” Rosenbusch says. “We thank the Trump administration for recognizing the critical role fertilizer plays in feeding our nation and the world.”

Other areas deemed as critical industries include healthcare and public health; emergency services; energy; water; nuclear reactors, materials and waste; transportation systems; dams; communications; information technology; government facilities; commercial facilities; critical manufacturing; financial; chemical; and defense industrial base.

Read more at agweb.com/coronavirus .

Election Guide: What The Election Means for Farmers and Ranchers

Tue, 20 Sep 2022 02:32:15 GMT

Election Analysis: Time for Bi-Partisanship?
Karla Thieman of The Russell Group joins us to talk about the election, the need for bi-partisanship, chances of a new aid package before the new year, and potential USDA secretary candidates under a Biden administration.

Pro Farmer’s Jim Wiesemeyer talks changes to ag policy under Biden
The Packer’s Tom Karst visited Nov. 16 with Jim Wiesemeyer, policy analyst with Pro Farmer about the November elections and what is ahead for agricultural policy in a Democratic administration. Watch here.

Ag And Food Groups Unveil Climate Policy Platform
As former Vice President Joe Biden prepares to address climate change across every federal agency in a new administration, a coalition of ag, food and environment groups is laying out a framework for how agriculture can address climate and sustainability. Watch here.

All Eyes on Georgia
AgriTalk host Chip Flory, newsman Davis Michaelsen, Farm Journal news director John Herath, Pro Farmer policy analyst Jim Wiesemeyer, and Farm CPA Paul Neiffer discuss the presidential and senate runoff races and run through the list of potential Secretary of Agriculture candidates.

Signal to Noise: Post Election Analysis
In this week’s DC Signal to Noise Podcast, Pro Farmers’s Jim Wiesemeyer and John Herath of Farm Journal look at the key outcomes of the Nov. 3 election and how the election will impact agriculture. The analysis includes a look at who might fill key ag positions in a new administration and new Congress and the outlook for coronavirus aid in a lame duck session.

What a Biden Administration Ag Policy Might Look Like
Delaware secretary of agriculture Michael Scuse joins Chip Flory on AgriTalk to provide some insight into what a Biden administration ag policy might look like, including carbon sequestration and climate change. Listen here:

Who Will Biden Tap for Secretary of Agriculture?
Pro Farmer’s Jim Wiesemeyer offers insights on AgDay.

Does a split Congress reduce the chance of wholesale changes in tax policy?
AgriTalk’s Chip Flory discusses the future with Farm CPA Paul Neiffer.

Election 2020: Who Should Ag Choose?

(Farm Journal)

Read commentaries from former USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack; Sid Miller, Texas Department of Agriculture; and from farmers on both sides. Check them out here.

After the Election: What’s Next for U.S. Agriculture?
Join Chip Flory, host of “AgriTalk,” as he leads a panel of farmers and ranchers in a discussion about the Nov. 3 election and its impact on U.S. agriculture.

Farm Journal Pulse Poll
In Campaign Home Stretch, Trump Holds Lock on Farm Vote. Read the complete analysis here .

(Farm Journal)

Biden to Nominate Vilsack for Return to USDA

Tue, 20 Sep 2022 02:32:09 GMT

WASHINGTON/CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Joe Biden plans to nominate former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack for agriculture secretary, according to two sources familiar with the decision.

Vilsack, who led the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) under former President Barack Obama, has a long relationship with Biden and served as a trusted adviser on rural issues during his campaign.

Vilsack’s return to the USDA is likely to be applauded by Midwestern states that produce the bulk of commodity crops like corn, soybeans and wheat, and prefer him to someone from another region of the country.

His spokeswoman, Regina Black, declined to comment “as an official announcement hasn’t been made.” The Biden transition office did not respond to a requests for comment on the choice.

The Farm Belt was battered by President Donald Trump’s trade war with China and waivers that exempted oil refiners from obligations to use corn-based ethanol. But Midwestern farmers also received an unprecedented amount of direct farm subsidies under Trump even as coronavirus stimulus for millions of other Americans stalled in Congress.

Vilsack is the chief executive of the U.S. Dairy Export Council and actively campaigned for Biden in farm states.

Iowa governor from 1999 to 2007, he is seen by establishment Democrats as a politically safe choice, largely because of his moderate politics, previous experience, and long-standing, friendly relationships with large-scale farmers.

A coalition of progressive food, farming and environmental advocacy groups promoted rival candidates.

Top among them was Democratic U.S. Representative Marcia Fudge of Ohio, who would have been the first Black woman to fill the role and had been expected to increase the department’s focus on small farmers, global environmental changes, and racial and economic diversity.

Biden has selected Fudge to be secretary of housing and urban development, Politico reported.

What Vilsack’s Return to USDA Would Mean for U.S. Farmers and Ranchers

Tue, 20 Sep 2022 02:32:09 GMT

As Joe Biden continues to craft his cabinet, news surfaced Tuesday night that former Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack will leave the U.S. Dairy Export Council to lead USDA .

Farm Journal Washington correspondent Jim Wiesemeyer says if the news is made official, it won’t be the first time an Agriculture Secretary has served under more than one Administration. Jim Wilson served as Ag Secretary from 1897 to 1913 and did so under three Administrations. However, Wiesemeyer says Vilsack will make history in another way.

“I don’t think we’ve ever seen an Ag secretary come back after being gone, so that’s interesting,” Wiesemeyer says.

Biden is expected to confirm his USDA Secretary nomination later this week, but Wiesemeyer says consensus is building Vilsack will be tapped.

“He’s a known commodity and amongst the ag sector, who worries about everything, but they don’t have to worry about Vilsack,” he adds. “He’s a consensus builder. I think that’s what’s needed.”

Chuck Conner, who served as Deputy Secretary for the US Department of Agriculture before being named president and CEO of National Council of Farmer Cooperatives (NCFC) in 2009, says agriculture is wading through intense uncertainty right now with coronavirus and other elements at play.

“Obviously coronavirus has thrown a whole new uncertainty on that as we are rapidly adjusting the way that we provide food to Americans in the midst of all that,” Conner says. “You couldn’t script any more uncertainty, and I think for farmers and rural Americans, another uncertainty was obviously government and the leadership of government.”

Conner says the possible appointment of Tom Vilsack as the next Agriculture Secretary removes another layer of uncertainty. While he’s served as president and CEO of the U.S. Dairy Export Council since 2017, he also worked directly with farm programs under the Obama Administration, with a deep understanding of row crops and USDA programs supporting farmers and ranchers.

“He’s a known entity,” Conner adds. “He’s a person who knows rural America. and I think that’s an uncertainty that we can sort of take off the table, if you will, to some extent and not have to deal with during these highly certain times. and you’ve got to believe that that’s a positive thing for farmers in rural America.”

Iowan Tom Vilsack has 8 yrs of experience leading the Dept of Agriculture. He also understands the importance of preserving the family farm & the significance of the biofuels industry
— Chuck Grassley (@ChuckGrassley) December 9, 2020

That known commodity aspect also received recognition from key members of Congress. Iowa Senator Charles Grassley tweeting out his approval Wednesday, saying Vilsack understands the importance of preserving the family farm, and the significance of the biofuels industry. Grassley’s approval is big, as he could be a key player in the approval of Vilsack in the Senate.

In addition to coronavirus response, Weisemeyer says another priority for the next Administration will directly tie into agriculture.

“Climate change is going to be the number one issue in his early years of the Administration,” he says. “Agriculture plays a big role in climate, as well as working with the EPA on the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program.”

Conner says based on the eight years Vilsack served as Agriculture Secretary under the Obama Administration, Vilsack proved he believes in science. Conner thinks that will be key in creating climate initiatives and priorities within agriculture.

“In the eight years that he was there, Tom Vilsack believed in science and believed in evaluating and government actions based upon the best available science,” says Conner. “That’s key in this climate debate, because obviously, there are circumstances where there’s a lot of hype and a lot of enthusiasm on issues that may not have a whole lot of science backing to them.”

Conner says his experience with Vilsack leads him to believe Vilsack will be passionate about climate change as Agriculture Secretary, but will use science to back up whatever path USDA takes.

National Farmers Union (NFU) issued a statement Tuesday nigh t after news about Vilsack’s possible appointment surfaced, saying, “After eight years leading USDA, Tom Vilsack has the necessary qualifications and experience to steer the agency through these turbulent times.”

American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) president Zippy Duvall followed with a statement Wednesday applauding Vilsack on his ability to rise above partisanship to serve farmers and ranchers. Duvall went on to say, “Tom Vilsack understands that the agriculture sector is far more complex than most people understand. He believes in a ‘big tent’ philosophy that supports all types of production and understands the importance of respecting farmers and ranchers as partners worthy of support in the race to achieve sustainability goals.”

While Vilsack will work to shape future agriculture policy, he will also be tasked with possibly implementing the next Farm Bill. In addition to that, Conner says it will be interesting to see what direction Vilsack takes.

“We’re all sort of now evaluating what were the loose ends when he left office,” says Conner. “I think there’s a lot of issues out there relative to competition in the marketplace that were still pending when he left last time. It’ll be interesting to see if he picks up a lot of those sort of competitiveness issues, particularly in the meat sector that could very well resurface again, and we’ll be watching those to see which direction he may be headed on that.”

As agriculture awaits official word on leadership—and priorities—of the next USDA, the new Agriculture Secretary will have a big task: find bipartisan solutions to help shape the future of agriculture policy.

Related Stories:

Report: Vilsack to Return as Agriculture Secretary

Manchin Blocks Biden's Build Back Better Climate and Social Agenda, What Happens Now?

Tue, 20 Sep 2022 02:31:47 GMT

Lawmakers may have left town, but centrist Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) left no doubt that he cannot support President Biden’s $1.75 trillion (or higher) social and climate spending plan, imperiling the president’s agenda. Manchin cited rising consumer prices, a growing federal debt and the arrival of a new coronavirus variant as reasons he could not supply his must-have vote to help his party adopt its signature spending package.

Manchin said Sunday that he cannot support the House-passed version of the social spending package that would have extended child tax credits and provided new subsidies for childcare, preschool and elder care. “I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation. I just can’t,” Manchin said on Fox News Sunday. “I’ve tried everything humanly possible. I can’t get there. This is a no on this legislation.”

The Senate left town Sunday morning without voting on the bill (House departed earlier), which Democrats call Build Back Better (BBB). In a statement Thursday evening, Biden expressed optimism that talks would continue into the new year and eventually lead to an agreement. But Manchin, whose reluctance to get behind the legislation has grown as inflation has risen to levels not seen in decades, now sounds like his mind is made up. Some Democrats say this is Manchin’s typical wage of getting leverage, possibly on a pared-down version of the House-passed legislation.

“I’ve tried. I mean I really did. And the president was trying as hard as he could,” Manchin said. “He has an awful lot of irons in the fire right now. A lot. More on his plate than he needs for this to continue.”

White House Responds

The White House issued an aggressive statement on Manchin. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said had previously assured President Biden he would support some version of the bill and that negotiations were continuing. “If his comments on Fox and written statement indicate an end to that effort, they represent a sudden and inexplicable reversal in his position, and a breach of his commitments to the President and the Senator’s colleagues in the House and Senate,” Psaki said in a statement. Manchin reportedly informed the administration of his move shortly before going on television Sunday. Top White House officials scrambled to call the senator and talk him out of what he was about to do. “We tried to head him off,” a senior White House official told Politico, but Manchin “refused to take a call from White House staff.”

Manchin expanded on his no reasoning — and offered even harsher words for his fellow Democrats — in a statement issued shortly after his television appearance. “My Democratic colleagues in Washington are determined to dramatically reshape our society in a way that leaves our country even more vulnerable to the threats we face,” he said. “I cannot take that risk with a staggering debt of more than $29 trillion and inflation taxes that are real and harmful to every hard-working American at the gasoline pumps, grocery stores and utility bills with no end in sight.”

Manchin, up for re-election in 2024 in a state that Biden lost by 40 points, also cited a second Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report, which Republicans requested, that determined the legislation would cost $4.5 trillion if the subsidies and credits included were extended. The White House dismissed that CBO score as “fake,” arguing that the proposal as written would cost far less and be fully paid for.

Initial Impact

The legislation’s demise means the expiration next month of the 2021 child tax credit that had given qualifying families up to $300 per month for each child under age 6 and up to $250 per month for each child ages 6 through 17. The Biden administration is exploring the possibility of providing double payments in February to make up the shortfall, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Friday. Pushing off the president’s economic agenda until next year means that the payments, which have been sent to families for the past six months but expired Wednesday, are unlikely to be ready for Jan. 15. Psaki said the delayed payments could come in February if the president’s tax-and-spend proposal, which has been put off until after the New Year, gets through Congress in January. “If we get it done in January, we’ve talked to Treasury officials and others about doing double payments in February as an option,” Psaki told reporters aboard Air Force One. The Internal Revenue Service had sought enactment of the bill before Dec. 28 to ensure Jan. 15 payments went out on time.

Other impacts include new proposals to subsidize the cost of childcare, preschool and elder care are off the table, for now. The White House had argued such benefits were a prudent response to rising inflation. Manchin’s comments put at risk a $555 billion package of tax credits, grants and other policies aimed at lowering greenhouse gas emissions.

Harsh Criticism by Sanders

Sanders comments. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) was among the first to react to Manchin’s statement. During an interview on CNN, Sanders said Manchin will have to explain to his constituents in West Virginia, “a state that is struggling,” why he’d stand in the way of new Medicare subsidies for dental coverage and investments aimed at combating climate change. “Let Mr. Manchin explain to the people why he doesn’t have the guts to stand up to powerful special interests,” Sanders said, calling for a full Senate vote on the legislation next month even if the bill fails. “We’ve been dealing with Mr. Manchin for month after month after month,” Sanders said. “But if he doesn’t have the courage to do the right thing for the working families of West Virginia and America, let him vote no in front of the whole world.”

Bottom line:

Manchin’s comments appear to be a solid no and lawmakers are not used to being so specific. BB is dead. Some Dems hope for a new, more Manchin-shaped bill that includes some key pieces of the Biden climate and social policy agenda.

EPA on Standby as Supreme Court Reconsiders WOTUS Rulings

Tue, 20 Sep 2022 02:31:41 GMT

Supreme Court justices said earlier this week they will consider a 15-year-long Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) issue involving a couple — the Sacketts — from Idaho who previously pleaded and won a case regarding their building a home near Priest Lake.

EPA says the half-acre lot the couple built their home on contains wetlands, placing the land under the jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act. Therefore, the Sacketts would have required a permit to build on the land.

The Sacketts have since filed a petition, disputing the EPA’s determination that the lot is considered wetland. The Pacific Legal Foundation has chosen to represent the couple to show their support — along with 21 states, various businesses and interest groups.

Damien Schiff, Pacific Legal Foundation Lawyer, says the case is emblematic of the wrongdoings in the Clean Water Act. Of the half-acre lot, he says, “It lacks a surface water connection to any stream, creek, lake or other water body, and it shouldn’t be subject to federal regulation and permitting.”

Zippy Duvall, American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) president, commented on the U.S. Supreme Court decision saying the group is pleased with the WOTUS issue being taken up in court once more:

“Farmers and ranchers share the goal of protecting the resources they’re entrusted with, but they shouldn’t need a team of lawyers to farm their land,” he says. “We call on EPA to push pause on its plan to write a new WOTUS rule until it has more guidance on which waters fall under federal jurisdiction.”

On Dec. 7, 2021, EPA and the Department of the Army announced a proposed rule to revise the definition of the “waters of the U.S.,” with intent to reestablish the pre-2015 definition.

The AFBF suggests EPA halt their plan to rewrite WOTUS until it has more guidance in deciding which waters are categorized under the federal jurisdiction.

Read more:
> The EPA and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are seeking comment on the pre-2015 WOTUS rule published in the Federal Register.
> In early May of 2020, the Biden Administration unveiled the name and additional details of the plan to conserve 30% of U.S. land and water by the year 2030.

2022 Happenings on The Hill

Tue, 20 Sep 2022 02:31:41 GMT

The steps of Capitol Hill are once again full of dress shoes and briefcases, as Congress has returned from holiday break. COVID-19-related legislation continues to run the gavel, while rural America urges Congress to deliver on its economic relief promises. Here are three issues to watch.

Build Back Better

In December, Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said he couldn’t support the House-passed version of the $1.75 trillion social spending bill that would have extended child tax credits and created related subsidies.

“My Democratic colleagues in Washington are determined to dramatically reshape our society in a way that leaves our country even more vulnerable to the threats we face,” Manchin says. “I cannot take that risk with a staggering debt of more than $29 trillion and inflation taxes that are real and harmful to every hard-working American at the gasoline pumps, grocery stores and utility bills with no end in sight.”

Pro Farmer Policy Analyst Jim Wiesemeyer doesn’t know how and when the bill will pass but believes the BBB will go through once it has been scaled-back.

WHIP+

USDA planned to release $10 billion in Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program Plus (WHIP+) payments by the end of 2021. Yet, a timeline for distribution is still to be determined. Wiesemeyer says WHIP+ is the “worst implemented program” he’s seen from the Farm Service Agency (FSA) due to the delayed payout. He does, however, see these payments hitting bank accounts by early 2022.

As it stands, the $10 billion in disaster assistance will include:

$9.25 billion in disaster assis- tance to aid producers who suffered losses due to droughts, hurricanes, wildfires, floods and other qualifying disasters. The funding will extend WHIP+ to cover losses in calendar years 2020 and 2021.
$750 million for livestock producers with losses in 2021 due to drought or wildfire. This disaster assistance, the first specifically for livestock producers since 2008, will build on top of existing farm bill pro- grams for livestock producers.

A More Resilient Meat Supply Chain

In January, the Biden administration announced it will spend $1 billion in American Rescue Funds to expand independent meat processing capacity as part of a broader initia- tive to break up what it calls a meat and poultry processor monopoly.

Specifically for farmers and ranchers, the White House Action Plan promises in 2022 to:

1. Expand independent processing capacity and support workers and the independent processor industry.

2. Increase transparency in cattle markets, so ranchers can get a fair price for their work.

3. Issue stronger rules under the Packers and Stockyards Act — the law designed to combat abuses by the meatpackers and processors.

4. Issue new “Product of USA” labeling rules so consumers can better understand where their meat comes from.

EPA Fiddles as Flood Clock Rolls on Mississippi Delta’s Forgotten Nightmare

Tue, 20 Sep 2022 02:31:41 GMT

If ever a nightmare saga tangled government bureaucracy and politics with science and the backdoor dealings of a federal agency, the Yazoo Backwater Project stands front and center.

Welcome to the Mississippi Delta’s bureaucratic taffy pull, where Environmental Protection Agency officials stand guard over a bathtub of Delta floodwater and refuse to pull the plug, while politicians engage in repeated rounds of navel-gazing, and the livelihoods of 20,000 U.S. citizens and hundreds of farmers hang in the balance.

The Yazoo Backwater Project is an 80-year stop-and-start tale of political indecision, with all government actions wrapped in science under the banner of the Clean Water Act.

“Science? Anybody who genuinely believes our flood crisis is about science could only be from Washington,” says Smith Stoner, a fourth-generation farmer from Yazoo County. “Here’s some guaranteed science: It’s gonna flood again very soon and destroy the lives of thousands of people, cost taxpayers billions of dollars, and turn the Delta into an environmental dead zone, all because the EPA won’t allow the building of relief pumps. If you want to know how corrupt our government really operates, then look at our story—it’s mind-boggling.”

Gordian Knot

Across decades of repeated floods, the citizens (30% below the poverty line) of the South Delta have waited on Army Corps of Engineers construction of a pump system to protect their homes and farmland, as promised by the U.S. government in 1941, through approval of the Yazoo Backwater Project. That was then; this is now.

(Farm Journal)

The overall Mississippi Delta (2.62 million acres) is generally a flood-prone region, but the South Delta (926,000 acres), tucked between the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers, is a water receptacle with a single drain—the four-gated Steele Bayou Drainage Structure in Issaquena County, 10 miles north of Vicksburg. When the Mississippi River gets high, it backs into the South Delta, and in response, the Corps of Engineers closes the Steele Bayou floodgates to ensure the South Delta is not inundated by the rising Mississippi River.

However, the drainage system is both servant and master: It protects the South Delta and holds it prisoner. When the Steele Bayou floodgates are closed, the Delta drain is clogged. In 2019, the backwater reached 98.2’, resulting in a historic flooding event. The vista from fabled Highway 61 was pulled from the pages of water-world fiction: A drive on 61 south of Rolling Fork revealed an ocean stretching to the horizon.

The 2019 South Delta flood featured five months of ruin and it ranks among the most heavily ignored and needless catastrophes in recent U.S. history. A massive chunk of the South Delta was swallowed, evidenced by 548,000 acres of land underwater for nearly half a year, including 231,000 acres of cropland never planted in 2019. Multiple deaths, 686 homes swamped, three highways under water, and 20,000 people pleading for pump relief from the federal government.

The near guarantee of the massive 2019 flood was the worst kept backwater secret of the past 45 years and was openly predicted by South Delta homeowners and landowners since the 1970s, encapsulated by a persistent “Build the Pumps” rallying cry. Mississippi farmers kicked and screamed at the feds for decades, warning of a cataclysm around the corner, and in 2019, the predictions were toe-tagged with a vengeance that left a region in tatters, and forced EPA officials to reckon with a policy train wreck.

(Farm Journal)

At present, the cost to build a pump system for the South Delta is approximately $400-$500 million—a high number on first blush. However, in comparison with perpetual flood costs, $400-$500 million might be considered a bargain for taxpayers. Why? From 2008-2018, the South Delta sustained $372 million in flood damage, and the bill from the calamitous 2019 flood—by itself—is well over $1 billion, estimates Peter Nimrod, chief engineer of the Mississippi Levee Board. “The pumps will pay for themselves in no time,” Nimrod says. “The math is simple and everyone knows it.”

But the math and the dollars are not the source of the figurative and literal clog associated with Yazoo pumps. Rather, the impediment is tangled in a Gordian knot cinched tight by EPA.

Snowflake in Summer

In 2008, EPA vetoed South Delta pumps, citing environmental concerns over wetlands destruction. By bureaucratic fiat, the region was prevented from obtaining flood protection and left perpetually exposed to high water.

Over a decade after EPA’s veto and shortly after the 2019 flood disaster, Congressman Bennie Thompson (D-MS 2^nd District), issued a press release on Feb. 7, 2020, imploring EPA to reverse its 2008 decision and underscoring the sense of urgency by tossing in “critical” and “vital” as telltale adjectives: “This project is of critical importance for the second congressional district of Mississippi,” as well as, “it is vital for us to remedy this problem.” [emphasis added]

(Farm Journal)

Indeed, EPA reversed course at the end of November 2020 and approved the kickoff of pump construction, a building process slated to last four years. In a green-light letter to the Corps, EPA Region 4 Administrator Mary Walker wrote, “The EPA fully supports the purpose of the project to reduce flood damages in the Yazoo Backwater Area.”

After decades on pause, EPA’s message was crystal clear: Build the pumps. (The $400 million cost was designated as a split between construction and reforestation. The pump units would kick on at 87’, leaving roughly 215,000 acres of the South Delta still flooded, but the compromise was considered manageable by the Mississippi Levee Board.)

Four score and a handful of days after the initial Yazoo Backwater Project approval in 1941—the same calendar year that witnessed Japan bomb Pearl Harbor, Ted Williams bat .406, and Joe DiMaggio soar on a 56-game hitting streak—the Yazoo pumps appeared to be on the cusp of existence.

Snowflake in summer.

The Hand Grenade

Weeks after EPA approval of the Yazoo pump system, with the Trump Administration exiting right and the Biden Administration entering left, four heavyweight environmental groups filed a complaint against EPA on Jan. 12, 2021. American Rivers, National Audubon Society, Sierra Club, and Healthy Gulf claimed the pumps would wreck the ecology of the South Delta. They described EPA’s decision as “not in accordance with the Clean Water Act.”

(Farm Journal)

Seven months later, on Aug. 27, 2021, E&E News ran a story featuring Yazoo pump assertions by two EPA staffers, Palmer Hough, EPA Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds in Washington, D.C., and William Ainslie, wetlands ecologist with the Wetlands Regulatory Section, EPA Region 4 in Atlanta. The pair of “EPA senior scientists” claimed the Yazoo Backwater Project erroneously received EPA approval despite failure to meet Clean Water Act requirements.

(EPA declined all Farm Journal questions related to the Yazoo Backwater Project, and instead, issued the following: “The White House Council on Environmental Quality is convening a multi-Agency working group to bring together the full force of federal resources to help address the flooding challenges in the Yazoo Backwater Area of Mississippi. Through this initiative, the agencies will also engage with impacted communities to identify and implement workable solutions that address the health, safety, and economic needs of these communities, while conserving vital natural resources and ecosystem function…”)

(Farm Journal)

Days after the E&E story, on Aug. 30, Congressman Thompson penned a letter to EPA Administrator Michael Regan. In contrast with Thompson’s publicly stated support of the Yazoo Backwater Project to South Delta constituents, he asked Regan to review the EPA’s decision, and doubled down on the use of alarming adjectives, this time cranking out “critical” three times, but in reverse context. Per Thompson: “critical concerns raised by career staff scientists were ignored,” and “it is critical that science and law, not politics, drive infrastructure projects,” and finally, “I request that your office conduct an immediate and comprehensive review of the process that led to EPA’s issuance of the referenced letter to the Corps. If you find that any current or previous agency staff intentionally violated the law or ignored critical scientific evidence during the process, I ask that they be held to swift account.” [emphasis added]

Thompson—the direct D.C. representative of the citizenry of the entire Yazoo region affected by flooding—asked EPA for a “comprehensive review” of the Yazoo Backwater Project. Translated: He requested EPA tap the brakes on the pump process.

(Rep. Thompson’s congressional office did not respond to a Farm Journal interview request regarding the Yazoo Backwater Project.)

Thompson’s letter was incendiary, contends Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), a heavyweight proponent and spearhead of advocacy for the Yazoo pumps. Hyde-Smith spoke in blunt fashion on SuperTalk Mississippi following the release of Thompson’s message to EPA. “I have no idea why Congressman Thompson wrote this letter, but I mean he has thrown a hand grenade here.”

Hyde-Smith was incensed: “Why should all the Corps experts who participated in the new study and new project,” she continued, “…why should they take a backseat to two EPA career staff…You talk about politics?”

Two months and a half after Thompson’s review request, EPA sent a cessation letter to the Corps on Nov. 17, 2021. By fiat, EPA once again shelved the Yazoo pumps, claiming violations of the Clean Water Act. Old science bad, new science good.

EPA, a federal agency with a $9 billion budget and 14,000 employees, decreed the future of Mississippi’s South Delta, purportedly based on the contentions of two career scientists based in Washington, D.C., and Georgia.

Calling EPA’s action “arbitrary and capricious,” Hyde-Smith didn’t hold back: “Congressman Bennie Thompson destroyed this project, taking one position in his district, but working against it in Washington.”

(Farm Journal)

Thompson responded, essentially labeling Hyde-Smith a liar. “Today, Senator Hyde-Smith accused me of advocating for the Yazoo Pumps Project in Mississippi while not supporting it in Washington. The senator is wrong. I have gone on record in support of this project, and it is documented. Now, she has the burden to produce a list of the people I have spoken to against the pumps project. If she cannot produce the list, it is clear she is not telling the truth.”

Arguably, the most ironic link in the surreal daisy chain of events was yet to unfold. Roughly a day after issuing his indignation at Hyde-Smith’s comments, Thompson voted in favor of the multi-trillion dollar Build Back Better (BBB) Act—legislation touted as the largest infrastructure package in U.S. history. Significantly, Thompson was a full-throated supporter of BBB. After his Nov. 19, yea-vote for BBB in the House, Thompson issued a press release in support of the “once-in-a-generation action.”

Thompson’s celebratory release contained a bullet-point succession of benefits Mississippians could expect from BBB funds, including a particularly glaring offering at No. 2 on the list: “Help mitigate future natural disasters in the state.”

“You can’t make this s*** up,” Stoner says. “The words of a politician don’t mean a thing. Actions are what count.”

Hyde-Smith on Record

Hyde-Smith pulls no punches when addressing Farm Journal questions regarding the Yazoo pumps.

“If I lived in the Yazoo Backwater I would be angry. The folks who live and work there know when a politician commits to something but only pays lip service to keeping that promise. They understand when a politician doesn’t make an effort to even attend meetings with EPA and other federal officials—meetings that could have kept the pumps from being stopped once again,” she says. “They know when they are being taken for granted and essentially disregarded.”

“I do not have to prove anything on this matter,” she continues. “It’s dismaying that nine months after a Record of Decision (ROD) was signed for the project, and more than $10 million into preconstruction and design, Congressman Thompson, who said he supported the pumps, sent a letter to EPA requesting an investigation into EPA’s handling of the project under the previous administration. That pretty much says it all.”

(Farm Journal)

In addition, Hyde-Smith calls out assertions that South Delta flood damage is limited to farmland. “That claim is wrong. Every person who has a home, property, uses the roads and bridges, goes to church, school or work in the Yazoo Backwater Area are affected and deserve the protections associated with finishing the pumps.”

“Numbers don’t lie,” she adds. “Data for the Yazoo Backwater Area shows that 71 percent of the area population is minority, and 30 percent of the population lives below the poverty threshold. The vast majority of the homes—94 percent—that would be removed from the 100-year flood are minority occupied.”

(Farm Journal)

Further, Hyde-Smith points to the gulf in perspective between federal agency officials and longtime residents of the South Delta. “It is terribly frustrating when unelected career bureaucrats, the vast majority of which couldn’t point to the Yazoo Backwater Area on a map or begin to explain the area hydrology, try and tell Mississippians what is best for them, or what they cannot have. It is equally frustrating that the needs of those in the South Delta aren’t afforded the same respect the national media gives to the giant and well-funded environmental organizations.”

Faith no More

Following EPA’s November 2021 directive shuttering the pumps, the Yazoo Basin witnessed the return of Groundhog Day. Far removed from the finery of Capitol Hill or the comforts of an environmental headquarter office in New York, Oakland, Washington, D.C., or New Orleans, 20,000 South Delta citizens recognized a simple boots-on-the-ground truth: High water is always a day away.

(Farm Journal)

“Lies, bribes, corruption, incompetence, or politics at its nastiest—take your pick because I’m ready to believe it all,” Stoner says. “Forget your political views about whether you are left or right, or liberal, independent, or conservative. Any fair-minded person can smell rot on this one.”

“Madness,” Nimrod concurs. “We’re seeing the lives of thousands of people used as pawns in dirty politics. While the inaction continues, the EPA knows—they know—another flood is on the way.”

Thorny Questions

EPA’s claims of Clean Water Act violations and environmental concern related to the Yazoo pumps are challenged by the testimony of residents within the Yazoo region. “Ask anyone who actually lives in the South Delta about what hurts the environment and they can speak to unreal destruction caused by flooding over and over,” Nimrod says. “Wildlife decimation, loss of trees, contaminated aquatics—take a look at the unbelievable losses in nature after a flood and tell me about the environment.”

(Farm Journal)

Stoner poses thorny questions: “What position would the EPA folks, the boardrooms of the environmental groups, and the politicians take if their leaders actually lived in the Delta? What position would they take if their livelihoods and future were at risk? What position would they take if their roads, infrastructure, jobs, homes, small businesses, and farmland were on the line? Easy answer: They’d be begging for pumps.”

Science and Bureaucracy

As the 80-year saga rolls on, is the next chapter a class action lawsuit against EPA? “You can’t play in EPA’s game because EPA doesn’t play straight,” Nimrod says. “We will go around EPA, but it will take time.”

“I want the people of the South Delta to know the Levee Board isn’t giving up,” he emphasizes. “We’re sucker-punched and angry, but we will absolutely keep fighting for protection of people, infrastructure, farms, and wildlife. Pumps are the only solution, and we are not letting go.”

As Nimrod speaks, the flood clock ticks. “There are 20,000 people with anger and desperation levels approaching an all-time high,” he says. “It’s been decades and the government still won’t allow common sense to prevail.”

(Farm Journal)

Nimrod’s sentiments are echoed by Hyde-Smith: “It baffles me that radical environmentalists do not understand that vast amounts of water trapped in a confined area can somehow disappear without a pumping station. I haven’t given up, and I won’t,” she says. “EPA’s recent action was certainly a significant bump in the road, but I have and will continue to push this administration and all agencies involved to find a way to get things back on track.”

The next South Delta flood is a reality Stoner acknowledges with a mix of disgust and disbelief. “My forefathers would be more disappointed in me giving up than I am disappointed in my own government, so I sure as hell will keep fighting and that’s a guarantee. People need to look around and wake up: When the government mixes science and bureaucracy, that’s a powerful tool of control.”

To read more stories from Chris Bennett (cbennett@farmjournal.com), see:

Tractorcade: How an Epic Convoy and Legendary Farmer Army Shook Washington, D.C.

Bagging the Tomato King: The Insane Hunt for Agriculture’s Wildest Con Man

How a Texas Farmer Killed Agriculture’s Debt Dragon

While America Slept, China Stole the Farm

Bizarre Mystery of Mummified Coon Dog Solved After 40 Years

The Arrowhead whisperer: Stunning Indian Artifact Collection Found on Farmland

Where’s the Beef: Con Artist Turns Texas Cattle Industry Into $100M Playground

Fleecing the Farm: How a Fake Crop Fueled a Bizarre $25 Million Ag Scam

Skeleton In the Walls: Mysterious Arkansas Farmhouse Hides Civil War History

US Farming Loses the King of Combines

Ghost in the House: A Forgotten American Farming Tragedy

Rat Hunting with the Dogs of War, Farming’s Greatest Show on Legs

Misfit Tractors a Money Saver for Arkansas Farmer

Government Cameras Hidden on Private Property? Welcome to Open Fields

Farmland Detective Finds Youngest Civil War Soldier’s Grave?

Descent Into Hell: Farmer Escapes Corn Tomb Death

Evil Grain: The Wild Tale of History’s Biggest Crop Insurance Scam

Grizzly Hell: USDA Worker Survives Epic Bear Attack

Farmer Refuses to Roll, Rips Lid Off IRS Behavior

Killing Hogzilla: Hunting a Monster Wild Pig

Shattered Taboo: Death of a Farm and Resurrection of a Farmer

Frozen Dinosaur: Farmer Finds Huge Alligator Snapping Turtle Under Ice

Breaking Bad: Chasing the Wildest Con Artist in Farming History

In the Blood: Hunting Deer Antlers with a Legendary Shed Whisperer

Corn Maverick: Cracking the Mystery of 60-Inch Rows

Against All Odds: Farmer Survives Epic Ordeal

Agriculture’s Darkest Fraud Hidden Under Dirt and Lies

Ocean Shipping Reform Act May See the Resolute Desk

Tue, 20 Sep 2022 02:31:35 GMT

On Tuesday, the Senate Commerce Committee passed the Ocean Shipping Reform Act (OSRA), establishing Senate committee support for shipping supply chain challenges.

OSRA would help agricultural exporters by leveling the playing field for American exports, making it harder for ocean carriers to unreasonably refuse goods ready to export at ports. The bill would place guardrails on the ocean carriers’ actions by giving the Federal Maritime Commission rulemaking authority to regulate carrier practices.

In her Senate Commerce Committee opening statement, Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) stressed the importance of passing OSRA, saying farmers don’t want special treatment, they simply don’t want to be “exploited” for profit.

“We also know here, in the Committee, that these ocean shipping companies are making record profits,” she said. “They have made $150 billion in profits in 2021, and ocean import volume for the first quarter of this year is forecast to increase by more than 30%.”

U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) and National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) applauded the passage and urged Congress to “expeditiously” advance the process to ease agricultural exports.

Zippy Duvall, AFBF president echoed USDEC and NMPF, sharing his team is “pleased” with the Senate Commerce Committee’s work in moving the legislation to the Senate floor.

“Ongoing supply chain issues and record-high shipping costs threaten to limit exports at a time when our trading partners are increasingly relying on America’s farmers and ranchers,” he says. “Limiting trade also negatively affects farmers’ ability to get much-needed supplies like fertilizer, which ultimately drives up the cost of growing food for America’s families.”

In December 2021, the House passed OSRA under the Creating Opportunities for Manufacturing, Pre-Eminence in Technology, and Economic Strength (COMPETES) Act. The U.S. Senate will vote on OSRA in coming weeks, as Congress commences conference procedures.

More on ag exports:

> House Passes U.S. Ocean Shipping Reform Act

> Seattle Selected for Port Pop-Up to Ease Ag Supply Chain

> Will The USDA Pop-Up Site Solve The Clogged Ports Issue?

What’s Your Take on the 2018 Farm Bill?

Tue, 20 Sep 2022 02:31:29 GMT

U.S. House Agriculture Committee is seeking feedback on the previous Farm Bill in preparation for the upcoming 2023 Farm Bill .

Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.), House Ag republican leader, says farm bill feedback is “critical” with 2023 Farm Bill discussions in full swing.

“Hearing directly from farm country about what’s working and what’s not is the only way to ensure we craft a bill that meets the needs of rural America,” said Thompson.

House Ag Chairman David Scott (D-Ga.) “strongly encourages” producers to add their inputs on how the 2018 Farm Bill has or has not met their needs so as to craft a new bill that’s better suited for the people.

2018 Farm Bill feedback can be submitted through the online form .

More at Stake

Election midterms are around the corner. Randy Russell, president of The Russell Group, says the direction of 2022 elections will largely determine the 2023 Farm Bill parameters.

“If the House does flip, Glenn Thompson will become chair and that’s a very influential position over the Senate,” he says. “Even if Republicans were to take control, you’re still going to need Democratic votes to pass a farm bill.”

While party control is important to consider, Russell feels the primary farm bill angle—no matter who is running the gavel—will be focused on nutrition.

“If you take the 2023 Farm Bill and extend it for 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office, the total cost would be $1.3 trillion. Of that $1.3 trillion, $1 trillion is in nutrition,” says Russell. “I think that’s going to set up a debate about the role of nutrition versus farm program, among other aspects of the farm bill.”

Support for farm programs, crop insurance, trade programs, ag research and food safety will come down to balancing the scale with the $1 trillion nutrition price tag, according to Russell. He says “we’ve got to be willing to make a deal on the nutrition side” to attract votes from urban and suburban politicians.

The next 2023 Farm Bill review will take place on July 20, where House Ag Committee members will consider title XI crop insurance.

More on the coming farm bill:

Farm Bill 2023 Drives Up the Heat in House Ag Committee Hearing

Factors That Will Shape the 2023 Farm Bill