Agribusiness Update for Thursday 5/9/13

Agribusiness Update for Thursday 5/9/13

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

Senate Ag Chair Debbie Stabenow has announced the committee will hold its farm bill markup next Tuesday and according to New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, the bill could move to the floor next week as well. Gillibrand believes there will be small changes in committee - but not many. Congress will be taking the Memorial Day recess which may slow down any progress.

Two former Secretaries of Agriculture, Mike Johanns and Dan Glickman believe Japan’s decision to seek inclusion in the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations could be a game-changer for U.S. agriculture and good news for the country’s overall economy. They note Japan has strong demand for the ag products America’s farmers and ranchers can supply. U.S. agricultural exports to Japan topped 13.5-billion dollars in 2012.

The Senate is considering S. 601 - the Water Resources Development Act of 2013. Several agricultural groups joined together in writing a letter to members of the Senate to stress the importance of the legislation’s passage. They say passage would authorize new projects for flood protection, port improvements and upgrades to the nation’s aging locks and dams infrastructure.

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

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