Long Awaited Federal Disaster Aid & 2019 NC Farm Act

$19.1 Billion Approved for Federal Disaster Aid President Trump signed the $19.1 billion federal disaster bill after the House of Representatives was finally able to pass it through (354-58) this week. The bill failed three times in the past several weeks while the House was not in session (the House majority was looking for a unanimous vote). The approval of the…

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Governor Vetoes Farm Act After Rally For Ag

On June 25, farmers from all across the state left their fields and came to Raleigh to stand up for North Carolina’s number one industry, agriculture. They were joined by ag businesses, commodity associations and those who know the importance of this community to the state at the Rally for Ag. Hundreds of people gathered…

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G20’s Agreement to Try And Agree

President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping met this weekend during the G20 Summit in Buenos Aires. Soon after, the White House released a statement that the two countries had potentially agreed to de-escalate the current trade friction and continue negotiations. In return for the U.S. not raising the current 10% tariff to 25% on January…

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Florence Agriculture Disaster Program

On October 15, 2018, the NC General Assembly established the Hurricane Florence Agricultural Disaster Program of 2018. This program is a one-time assistance program from producers who had losses occurred during the storm. The program will be administered by the NC Department of Agriculture. Applications must be submitted from November 7th to December 10th, 2018 to receive assistance. The program…

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Essential Food & Agriculture Employee Form

COVID-19 has changed how much of the world operates over the past two weeks. But one thing that has not changed is the considerable workload that farmers face this time of year. Last week, with encouragement from many national grower associations, including the American Soybean Association, the Department of Homeland Security declared agriculture as a…

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EPA Public Comment Period for Dicamba

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) solicited public comments on the registration of Monsanto’s new dicamba formulation premixed with glyphosate to use in Monsanto’s Xtend trait systems in soybean and cotton. Although in commercial use for years, the use of dicamba in Monsanto’s Xtend seed trait system requires a new, separate registration. The public comment period is open from Apr.1 – May 31. Public…

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EPA Concludes Gylphosate Does Not Cause Cancer

The EPA has made a preliminary finding that glyphosate is unlikely to cause cancer in humans – but the agency isn’t ready to go public yet. The EPA briefly posted to the regulatory docket Monday and then pulled down an October 2015 final report from its Cancer Assessment Review Committee, which is made of up…

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China’s Proposed Tariffs & NC Growers

As you know, this week has been filled with news regarding the proposed tariffs from both the U.S. and China.  We assure you that prior to these announcements, state and national soybean associations were already working hard to educate influencers and lawmakers in D.C. about the potential effects on the agricultural industry. This week, your NCSPA…

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CFAP Round 2

Last week, Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, announced a second round of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP 2) that will provide an additional $14 billion to producers who have seen increased marketing costs associated with the COIVD-19 pandemic. CFAP 2 includes support for commodities that were left out of the first program, which is…

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CARES Act for Agriculture

Last week, with sweeping majorities in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES) was passed in response to COVID-19 and the toll it has taken on the U.S. economy. President Trump signed the bill over the weekend, making it ready for implementation. With $2 Trillion worth…

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