AG NEWS

Mar. 14, 2019

Source: The White House

On National Agriculture Day, we acknowledge the immeasurable value farmers, ranchers, growers, producers, and foresters contribute to our Nation. America’s agriculture families and communities lead the world in producing food, feed, fuel, and fiber.

Today, we pay tribute to the men and women who expand opportunities for prosperity, economic development, and food security by cultivating the land across our country.

American agriculture strengthens our economy. Valued at more than $141 billion, our country’s agriculture exports are critical to our Nation’s job market, with every $1 billion in exports supporting approximately 8,400 American jobs. Counting for approximately 5.5 percent of our gross domestic product, our agriculture, food, and related industries are vital to our Nation’s global economic success.

Accordingly, my Administration is working to modernize and improve trade agreements to remove barriers and open foreign markets to goods grown and produced here in the United States.

Last year, I made good on my promise to renegotiate the outdated and unbalanced North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with the signing of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Once approved by the Congress, the USMCA will help farmers, especially dairy producers, have improved access to markets for their products by lifting unfair restrictions by Canada on American dairy, wheat, and wine producers.

We must continue to streamline our regulatory environment so that agricultural innovation can flourish and help our farmers, ranchers, and foresters meet the world’s growing demand for food. My Administration, therefore, is streamlining regulatory policy for biotechnology, removing the red tape that is slowing down the approval of powerful new agriculture products.

We are also committed to training and supporting the next generation of farmers and agriculture professionals through technical assistance programs so that they have the knowhow to harness the full potential of our Nation’s abundant technological and national resources.

To help ensure the continued success, stability, and prosperity of our Nation’s farmers, ranchers, and producers, I signed into law the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018. This legislation bolsters farm safety-net programs, supports expanded markets for America’s agricultural production, promotes active management of natural resources, and maintains strong rural development and research initiatives.

In addition, a key provision in the law requires the Federal Communications Commission to work with the Department of Agriculture to boost broadband deployment and adoption in rural areas. This initiative will provide more farmers, ranchers, and rural communities access to next-generation digital technologies that enhance profitability and sustainability, greatly improving quality of life for all Americans.

The American farmer embodies the timeless virtues of our Nation: hard work, self-reliance, and dedication to family. On this National Agriculture Day, we express our gratitude to those who feed and clothe us, fuel our economy, and inspire us with their determination and perseverance.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim March 14, 2019, as National Agriculture Day. I encourage all Americans to observe this day by recognizing the preeminent role that agriculture plays in our daily lives, acknowledging agriculture’s continuing importance to rural America and our country’s economy, and expressing our deep appreciation of farmers, growers, ranchers, producers, national forest system stewards, private agricultural stewards, and those who work in the agriculture sector across the Nation.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord two thousand nineteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-third.

DONALD J. TRUMP

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PRESS RELEASE: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
(Washington, D.C., January 22, 2019)
USDA to Reopen FSA Offices for Additional Services During Government Shutdown

(Washington, D.C., January 22, 2019) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced that all Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices nationwide will soon reopen to provide additional administrative services to farmers and ranchers during the lapse in federal funding.  Certain FSA offices have been providing limited services for existing loans and tax documents since January 17, and will continue to do so through January 23.  Beginning January 24, however, all FSA offices will open and offer a longer list of transactions they will accommodate.

Additionally, Secretary Perdue announced that the deadline to apply for the Market Facilitation Program, which aids farmers harmed by unjustified retaliatory tariffs, has been extended to February 14.  The original deadline had been January 15.  Other program deadlines may be modified and will be announced as they are addressed.

“At President Trump’s direction, we have been working to alleviate the effects of the lapse in federal funding as best we can, and we are happy to announce the reopening of FSA offices for certain services,” Perdue said.  “The FSA provides vital support for farmers and ranchers and they count on those services being available.  We want to offer as much assistance as possible until the partial government shutdown is resolved.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has temporarily recalled all of the more than 9,700 FSA employees to keep offices open from 8 am to 4:30 pm weekdays beginning January 24.  President Trump has already signed legislation that guarantees employees will receive all backpay missed during the lapse in funding.

For the first two full weeks under this operating plan (January 28 through February 1 and February 4 through February 8), FSA offices will be open Mondays through Fridays.  In subsequent weeks, offices will be open three days a week, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays if needed to provide the additional administrative services.

Agricultural producers who have business with the agency can contact their FSA service center to make an appointment.

FSA can provide these administrative services, which are critical for farmers and ranchers, because failure to perform these services would harm funded programs.  FSA staff will work on the following transactions:

• Market Facilitation Program.
• Marketing Assistance Loans.
• Release of collateral warehouse receipts.
• Direct and Guaranteed Farm Operating Loans, and Emergency Loans.
• Service existing Conservation Reserve Program contracts.
• Sugar Price Support Loans.
• Dairy Margin Protection Program.
• Agricultural Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage.
• Livestock Forage Disaster.
• Emergency Assistance Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-raised Fish Program.
• Livestock Indemnity Program.
• Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program.
• Tree Assistance Program.
• Remaining Wildfires and Hurricanes Indemnity Program payments for applications already processed.

Transactions that will not be available include, but are not limited to:

• New Conservation Reserve Program contracts.
• New Direct and Guaranteed Farm Ownership Loans.
• Farm Storage Facility Loan Program.
• New or in-process Wildfires and Hurricanes Indemnity Program applications.
• Emergency Conservation Program.
• Emergency Forest Rehabilitation Program.
• Biomass Crop Assistance Program.
• Grassroots Source Water Protection Program.

With the Office of Management and Budget, USDA reviewed all of its funding accounts that are not impacted by the lapse in appropriation. We further refined this list to include programs where the suspension of the activity associated with these accounts would significantly damage or prevent the execution of the terms of the underling statutory provision. As a result of this review, USDA was able to except more employees. Those accounts that are not impacted by the lapse in appropriation include mandatory, multiyear and no year discretionary funding including FY 2018 Farm Bill activities.

Updates to available services and offices will be made during the lapse in federal funding on the FSA shutdown webpage.  Programs managed by FSA that were re-authorized by the 2018 farm bill will be available at a later date yet to be determined.