skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

U.S. Lawmakers Agree on $867 Billion Farm Bill

play audio
Play

Wednesday, December 12, 2018   

DES MOINES, Iowa - People who use and value farming-conservation practices are applauding parts of the U.S. Senate's newly passed Farm Bill. They think the legislation will benefit beginning farmers and help sustain the vitality of rural communities.

The Conservation Stewardship Program, which pays farmers who enter into multi-year contracts with the government to implement conservation practices, remains in place, although its long-term funding was reduced.

Anna Johnson, senior policy associate for the Center for Rural Affairs, said she's encouraged that the bill will continue many programs upon which Midwestern farmers have come to rely.

"Increased support for key practices, like cover crops and resource-conserving, crop rotations," she said. "But the way it's set up and divvied up, CSP - the Conservation Stewardship Program - is going to be at a disadvantage going into the next Farm Bill, and funding's going to decrease over time."

She said one disappointment was a decision to expand rather than close loopholes that allow mega-farms to collect even higher payments. That expansion of eligibility for crop subsidies was one reason Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, cited for voting against the bill. With those loopholes remaining in place, Johnson said, America is likely to see more farm consolidation as taxpayer dollars are funneled to the largest farm operations.

"There are policies that favor the largest operations over smaller ones, and when you have that, you don't have a level playing field, so it's opening the door wider for abuse of the program," she said. "We're really disappointed that Congress has chosen to take that route."

Johnson said several programs included in the bill will benefit beginning, socially disadvantaged and veteran farmers. Perhaps the biggest relief, she said, is that farmers now have some clarity, which they haven't had since the previous Farm Bill expired at the end of September. The legislation now will head to the House and, if passed, to the president for his signature.

The bill is online at congress.gov.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021