Federal Policy

Land Report July 2020 Newsletter

Posted on July 29, 2020 by Land Report Editors

Highlights from our July newsletter include: Australia’s Forrest family acquires two cattle stations totaling more than 500,000 acres. The Conservation Fund acquires 15,408-acre Chadbourne Tree Farms in Maine. Burger King Prevails in court, wins dismissal of vegan lawsuit. For up-to-the-minute reports on…

Agriculture Department Guarantees $1 Billion in Loans for Ag Producers and Rural Businesses

Posted on June 1, 2020 by Land Report Editors

On May 22, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Purdue announced the move while reaffirming the Trump administration’s commitment to helping farmers and other rural businesses survive during the coronavirus pandemic. Going forward, USDA will offer 90 percent guarantees on Business & Industry…

Tagged with: CARES Act, coronavirus, COVID-19, loans, UDSA
Posted in Agriculture, Cattle, Farming, Feature, Federal Policy, News Desk

CARES Act Directs $49 Billion to Agricultural Producers

Posted on May 1, 2020 by Land Report Editors

From that total, the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture received $9.5 billion to roll out an array of food- and ag-related benefits. Funding includes relief for farmers affected by COVID-19 with an emphasis on specialty crop farmers and producers…

Tagged with: ag, agriculture, coronavirus, COVID-19, crop, dairy farmer, farmer, federal aid
Posted in Agriculture, Cattle, Farming, Feature, Federal Policy, News Desk

USDA Announces Agriculture Innovation Agenda

Posted on April 13, 2020 by Land Report Editors

Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue says the initiative seeks to align private and public sector research in order to increase US ag production by 40 percent while cutting the environmental footprint in half by 2050. “We know we have a…

Posted in Agriculture, Farming, Feature, Federal Policy, News Desk

Excerpts from COVID-19 Conference Call

Posted on March 23, 2020 by Land Report Editors

The following excerpts from a conference call with economist Mark Dotzour PhD, Peoples Company president Steve Bruere, and Land Report editor Eric O’Keefe have been edited for content and clarity. An audio file of the conversation is available at the…

WOTUS Redefined by EPA and Army

Posted on February 24, 2020 by Land Report Editors

A new definition for “waters of the United States” (aka WOTUS) seeks to differentiate between federally protected wetlands and those under state jurisdiction. According to the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of the Army, the Navigable Waters Protection Rule…

Tagged with: Clean Water Act, EPA, US Army, waters of the United States, WOTUS
Posted in Feature, Federal Policy, News Desk, Water

Land Report February 2020 Newsletter

Posted on February 15, 2020 by Land Report Editors

A $30 million price reduction on Boone Pickens’ 64,809-acre Mesa Vista Ranch in the Texas Panhandle headlines our February newsletter. Other key stories include: Major revisions to WOTUS Wolf Point Golf Club Auction Lay of the Land Conference Nears Florida…

Legalization of Hemp Leads to Legal Nightmares

Posted on February 5, 2020 by Land Report Editors

In Georgia, consumption of hemp and hemp products is legal, but the consumption of cannabidoil (CBD oil) is not. In North Carolina, hemp flower can be sold — except in smokable form. South Carolina allows consumption of CBD oil, but…

Tagged with: Farm Bill, hemp, legalization
Posted in Farming, Feature, Federal Policy, Georgia, News Desk, North Carolina, South, South Carolina

Leading Harvest Sets the Standard

Posted on January 14, 2020 by Land Report Editors

A new coalition of farmland owners and operators will introduce a sustainable agriculture standard in 2020. BY CARY ESTES If Earth is our home, then the kitchen takes up half our house. According to the World Bank, 50 percent of…

Posted in Agriculture, Cary Estes, Conservation, Farming, Feature, Federal Policy, News Desk, Water

Enrollment for CRP Open Until February 28

Posted on January 9, 2020 by Land Report Editors

Farmers and ranchers enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program receive an annual rental payment upon planting long-term, resource-conserving species like improved grasses or trees. The goal is to mitigate soil erosion, bolster water quality, and develop wildlife habitats on marginally…