New Directory:
The new PSA membership directory will be published in a few weeks. If you have any updates to your company listing that have not been sent into the office please do so this week. And, if you have not sent in your advertisement and wish to do so please send those to donna@agamsi.com ASAP. Thank you.
Click Here for Advertisement Agreement
Convention:
Please mark your calendars for February 12-15, 2023 and join the PSA membership for the 96th Annual Convention at The Seabird Resort in Oceanside, CA. www.theseabirdresort.com
Committees:
Interested in joining a PSA committee? The committees are a great way to get involved in PSA. It is within the committees that industry problems are identified, analyzed, discussed--and where solutions and courses of action are born. Here the individual can have their voice heard and contribute effectively to the organization.
Click Here To Learn More About Each of the Committees and Sign Up
News:
Content is always welcome at the PSA office to share in our newsletter and in our social media forums. If you have exciting news to share about your company or things happening in your area please send to the office via donna@agamsi.com.
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Biden Signs Ocean Shipping Reform Bill
It’s been about a year since Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD) and John Garamendi (D-CA) first introduced their Ocean Shipping and Reform Act to help alleviate bottlenecks at U.S. ports and, in a signing ceremony on Thursday, President Joe Biden finally signed it into law.
“This bill will make progress reducing costs for families and ensuring fair treatment for American businesses—including farmers and ranchers,” Biden said in a statement released soon after the House approved the bill Monday with a 369 to 42 vote.
The bill “couldn’t have come at a more needed time for the United States and the world as changes from the Ocean Shipping Reform Act will enable more U.S. agricultural products to reach the global marketplace,” said National Association of State Departments of Agriculture CEO Ted McKinney.
U.S. ag is expected to be one of the sectors that gains the most from bill, so leaders of some of the biggest ag groups were invited to the White House on Thursday. They include Cathy Burns, CEO of the International Fresh Produce Association; Dave Puglia, president and CEO of Western Growers; Michael Dykes, President and CEO of the International Dairy Foods Association; and Jim Mulhern, President and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation.
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Lower Food and Fuel Costs Act passes in House
In action on June 16, the U.S. House of Representatives passed by a vote of 221-204, H.R. 7606, the Lower Food and Fuel Costs Act, which lead Democrat authors say will help address supply chain risks, lower the cost of food and gas prices, strengthen the food supply chain and ensure robust competition in the meat and poultry sector.
The Act includes a package of ag-related legislation, including the Meat and Poultry Special Investigator Act and the Butcher Block Act, focused on meat packing and cattle marketing; the PRECISE Act, aimed at access to precision agriculture technology, legislation to support specialty and row crop farmers facing skyrocketing fertilizer prices, and the Strengthening the Agriculture and Food Supply Chain Act. In addition, it includes the Year-Round Fuel Choice Act to expand voluntary sales of E-15 gasoline and a bill to expand biofuel infrastructure funding.
Seven Republicans joined their Democratic colleagues to support the package of bills, including Reps. Dusty Johnson (SD-At Large), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-02), Ashley Hinson (IA-01), Don Bacon (NE-02), Adam Kinzinger (IL-16), Randy Feenstra (IA-04), and Vicky Hartzler (MO-04).
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Thompson Leads House GOP to Introduce Bill to Cut Farm Regulation
The Hagstrom Report writes that Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA), ranking member on the House Agriculture Committee, led a group of Republicans in introducing H.R. 8069, the Reducing Farm Input Costs and Barriers to Domestic Production Act, a bill he said “requires the Biden administration to reverse its regulatory barriers to domestic agriculture production and provide immediate relief to families across the country.”
Thompson and others wrote President Biden earlier this week urging him to take some of the actions in the bill, which includes providing relief from EPA’s unprecedented actions related to crop protection tools; offering clarity related to WOTUS regulations; rescinding the SEC’s harmful proposed rule on climate-related disclosures; reinstating the 2020 NEPA streamlining; and requiring an economic analysis on the costs and benefits of GIPSA rules.
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US Signs Pact to Help Restore Ukraine’s Ag Sector
Agri-Pulse reports that U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack met with Ukrainian Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Mykola Solskyi at a United Nations meeting on Thursday to sign a memorandum of understanding that commits U.S. assistance over the next three years. The partnership has been “driven by the need to address the economic disruptions in the United States and worldwide due to the Russian war on Ukraine,” USDA said in a news release.
“Ukraine needs the world’s support," Vilsack said after the signing. “This MOU will amplify the strategic partnership between our two nations and leverage our collective strength to enhance productivity, address supply chain issues, and identify food security challenges.”
Through the MOU, USDA says, the countries also agreed “to the consistent exchange of information and expertise regarding crop production, emerging technologies, climate-smart practices, food security, and supply chain issues to boost productivity and enhance both agricultural sectors.” Furthermore, USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service will “provide Ukraine technical assistance for animal health, biosecurity, and sanitary and phytosanitary controls … as Ukraine rebuilds its agricultural sector.”
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