Agribusiness Update for Friday 3/15/13

This is the Agribusiness Update...I’m Greg Martin...

Senate Budget Committee Chair Patty Murray of Washington has released a budget proposal that provides for deficit neutral reserve funds to replace the sequester, write a new farm bill and make investments in water infrastructure. Murray did not mention farm or nutrition programs in her opening statement at a committee meeting Wednesday. Instead she emphasized that the proposal would replace sequestration.

Under Secretary for Food Safety Elisabeth Hagen echoed what U.S. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack has been saying for some time - furloughs are the only way to accomplish the savings required under sequestration. Lawmakers are not happy with the idea that meat and poultry inspectors will be furloughed.

National Ag Day is coming up on Tuesday. National Ag Day recognizes and celebrates the abundance provided by agriculture. Each year dozens of associations, corporations,universities, government agencies and more join together to recognize the contributions of agriculture.

That’s today’s Agribusiness Update from the Ag Information Network.