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| Ag Matters Online |
The Humane Society and other groups have launched a campaign to override Gov. Christie’s veto of a bill passed earlier this year to ban the use of gestation crates, setting penalties of up to a $1,000 fine and six months in prison for farm owners who break the law.
Click here to read the complete story from the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The New Jersey Department of Agriculture and NJFB are sponsoring a conference to explain the new Food Safety Modernization Act rules on October 22. The meeting, to be held at the Rutgers EcoComplex, will include speakers from the US Food and Drug Administration, Rutgers Cooperative Extension and others. Pre-registration is recommended.
Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Burling County is hosting a grain bin emergency response training seminar on Wednesday, October 9 in Moorestown, NJ. The event is free of charge, but space is limited, so you must register.
House leaders on Tuesday said they were working with their Senate counterparts toward a new five-year farm bill, just days after the House pushed through a bill that would slash billions of dollars from the food stamp program.
But with only a few days left before the current farm bill expires at the end of the fiscal year, and with a fight over the debt ceiling looming, few lawmakers see any chance of getting a new farm bill done.
As mentioned in the 9-20-13 edition of This Week in Farm Bureau, the federal Affordable Care Act requires that all employers provide their employees with an “Exchange Notice” by October 1, 2013. AFBF has developed a fact sheet for farm employers that provides guidance on how to comply with this new and ongoing requirement. The fact sheet is accompanied by sample forms that farm employers can use.
To find links to these documents, visit our Information for Farmers page, under the Healthcare heading.
A federal judge on Friday upheld the Environmental Protection Agency’s sweeping plan to limit pollution in the Chesapeake Bay, derailing the farm lobby’s attempt to stop one of the largest efforts to clean a waterway in the nation’s history.
As mentioned in the September 6, 2013 issue of This Week in Farm Bureau article titled “GMO LABELING” – NJFB will be posting links and reference to scientific and policy reports regarding Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) to help foster an informed dialogue between farmers and their consumers.
To find links to these reports, visit our Information for Farmers page.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein is calling on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials to halt enforcement actions against illegal farm workers and their employers, saying continued prosecutions could cripple the agriculture sector.
Industry leaders are talking about expanded lobster processing, better cooperation in marketing and eliminating kinks in the supply chain to restore market prices.
To read the complete Bangor Daily News article referenced in the “FISHING ECONOMICS” story in the August 30, 2013 issue of This Week in Farm Bureau click here.
Aides to House Republican leaders said Wednesday that they are still considering how to proceed with legislation establishing federal farm and food aid policy after news reports suggested that top leadership had settled on a strategy.
The current farm bill expires Sept. 30 and federal policy on food aid and farming would revert back to a 1940s-era law in January if Congress fails to act.
