Podcasts about agriculture sonny perdue

Join host Kimmi Devaney as she chats with Oregon dairy producer and Progressive Dairy columnist Dwayne Faber about moving the dairies to another state, how he keeps employees motivated when he cannot always be there, the qualities he looks for in key employees and what has surprised him most during the transition from managing two farms nearby to managing them from afar. Here is a breakdown of the episode: [~1:10] About you and your farms[~2:25] What it was like starting a dairy in 2009[~3:20] Management differences between having the dairy nearby and having the farm farther away[~5:10] Team meetings and trainings[~6:40] How Faber keeps employees engaged and motivated[~7:30] What Faber is most proud of[~8:10] The qualities and characteristics he looks for in dairy managers, herdsmen and other key roles on these farms[~8:50] What surprised Faber the most about managing dairies from afar[~9:40] Challenges of dairying in the Pacific Northwest[~15:20] Advice for dairy producers interested in buying or leasing a dairy in another area when they cannot always be there[~16:20] Faber's inspiration for his regular columns in Progressive Dairy[~18:10] Why he started posting on X [~20:40] Posting on X with former Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue[~22:00] Faber's advice for someone interested in diving into social media advocacy[~23:20] Rapid-fire questions Reach out to Faber on X @dfaber84 or faberdairy@gmail.com

Food system outsiders are paving a path and it could be taking agriculture in the wrong direction. Ray Starling, former Special Assistant to the President for Agriculture and currently the General Counsel at the North Carolina Chamber and an Executive Advisor with Aimpoint Research shares the realities of the food system outsider problem and how we can protect our future. Dairy Stream host Joanna Guza dives into the topics below with Ray: 1:39: Farmer vs food system outsider problem 5:42: Ah-ha moment and why be so public about this topic 8:37: Cultural trends impacting the problem 11:48: How the problem impacts public policy      13:38: How outsiders are leveraging the legal system 18:07: When's the right time to act 24:40: Is this a worldwide problem  26:16: Importance of exports    27:36: What part of agriculture is the most vulnerable to the problem   30:50: How can we bridge the gap between farmers vs food system outsiders 34:42: What is the process to fix the problem 40:18: How to safeguard the future of agriculture    42:00: How to protect animal agriculture from a national and international standpoint 42:56: How much time do we have to turn this problem around Special thanks to the Animal Agriculture Alliance for sponsoring this episode. Ray will be speaking at the Animal Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Summit on May 4-5 in Arlington, VA. It is a one-of-a-kind conference attended by a diverse group of decision makers, including representatives from farms, ranches, allied industries, food processors, restaurants, grocery stores, legislatures, universities, government agencies and media. Registration is available through May 1 at bit.ly/AAA23Summit. About the guest Ray Starling is an attorney, public policy professional, law professor, ag system thought leader, former Special Assistant to the President for Agriculture, and farm kid from Autryville, North Carolina with a tremendous passion for the agriculture industry.  With almost three decades of experience in navigating how public policy impacts farmers and agribusiness leaders, Ray has seen a lot, but readily admits we are in the midst of a new era of outside influence in agriculture.    In his role as Executive Advisor for Aimpoint Research, Ray Starling serves as invaluable resource on public policy and legal developments that have the potential to impact the agri-food value chain.  He continues to serve as general counsel for the NC Chamber of Commerce and president of the NC Chamber Legal Institute as well.  The NC Chamber is the leading business advocacy organization in North Carolina. Its core business is to work in the legislative, regulatory, and political arenas to proactively drive positive change, ensuring that North Carolina is one of the best places in the world to do business.  That work paid off recently when North Carolina was named by CNBC as “America's Top State for Business,” including agribusiness.    Prior to joining the NC Chamber team, Ray served as the Chief of Staff to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue where he coordinated execution of the Secretary's policy agenda for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. At the time, the agency employed over 100,000 public servants, and received a budget of over $160 billion annually.  Ray focused on regulatory and deregulatory initiatives and acted as a point of contact for stakeholders throughout agriculture and rural communities.   He has also served as the principal agriculture advisor to the President of the United States at the White House, as a staff member of the National Economic Council.  Ray has served as chief of staff, lead agriculture advisor, and chief counsel for U.S. Senator Thom Tillis, and was general counsel to Tillis when Tillis was Speaker of the House in the North Carolina legislature. Early in his career, Ray was general counsel to the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, serving alongside the state's beloved elected Commissioner of Agriculture, Steven Troxler.  Licensed to practice law in North Carolina, Ray has private practice experience and has taught agricultural and food law for several years. He has a bachelor's degree in agricultural education from North Carolina State University (magna cum laude) and a law degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (with honors). He grew up on a Century Farm in southeastern North Carolina and credits that experience as having more to do with his career path than any other influence or opportunity. His parents continue to farm as does his eldest brother. Ray was a National FFA Officer and is a former 4-H member. He has received numerous honors and awards during his career, including being selected for a Marshall Memorial Fellowship, the flagship leadership development program of the German Marshall Fund.    He has spoken to hundreds of audiences across the United States, and is known for his folksy storytelling style, and perhaps for his southern accent, all combined with insightful information that drives audience members to think about how we navigate the turbulent future of agriculture.    Ray resides in Raleigh, North Carolina, with his wife, Dr. Tina Starling, and daughter, Victoria.  This podcast is co-produced by the Dairy Business Association and Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative, sister organizations that fight for effective dairy policy in Wisconsin and Washington, D.C. Become a sponsor, share an idea or feedback by emailing podcast@dairyforward.com. 

Welcome to Chatter with BNC, Business North Carolina's weekly podcast, serving up interviews with some of the Tar Heel State's most interesting people. On today's episode, David Mildenberg speaks with Ray Starling, the general counsel of the Raleigh-based North Carolina Chamber and author of Farmers versus Foodies, a new book addressing critics of traditional agriculture. Starling says increasing criticism of U.S. food production by CEO, academics and politicians is misguided and threatens to reverse decades of progress in alleviating world hunger. Starling is a former top aide to U.S. Senator Thom Tillis and former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue.

Welcome to Chatter with BNC, Business North Carolina's weekly podcast, serving up interviews with some of the Tar Heel State's most interesting people. On today's episode, David Mildenberg speaks with Ray Starling, the general counsel of the Raleigh-based North Carolina Chamber and author of Farmers versus Foodies, a new book addressing critics of traditional agriculture. Starling says increasing criticism of U.S. food production by CEO, academics and politicians is misguided and threatens to reverse decades of progress in alleviating world hunger. Starling is a former top aide to U.S. Senator Thom Tillis and former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue.

Hello Interactors,I’ve started to making my own milk again. It’s not really milk. It’s creamy colored water made from pulverized remains of nuts or grains that I sweeten with a little maple syrup. Invariably I get lazy and real dairy creeps back in. But every time I look at that carton, I know what’s inside didn’t come from that cute cow or that stylized farm on the label. And however it got here, I know it came at a cost greater than what I paid.As interactors, you’re special individuals self-selected to be a part of an evolutionary journey. You’re also members of an attentive community so I welcome your participation.Please leave your comments below or email me directly.Now let’s go…MILK MANRick has a phone to his ear with one hand while he clicks his mouse in the other. He’s searching websites for a hay baler part while calling neighboring farmers to borrow theirs until his part arrives. He clicks a browser tab that is already open to the weather forecast. Rain is coming. Tension mounts as friends and relatives kick into gear. The hay has to be cut before that rain comes.  Have you ever had milk straight from the cow? It truly tastes like milk you’ve never had. It was so good, I was warned to not drink too much or too fast. Gluttonous dairy consumption can lead to an upset tummy. But I was assured that if I ever wanted more, there was always a fresh container waiting in the refrigerator. Chances are if you grew up with milk, your refrigerator has milk in it. It’s probably not straight from the cow, and it may just look like milk (oat milk is all the rage – especially once Oprah and Jay-Z got in on the action), but the West likes their milk and milk products. But consumer demand is worldwide. The more Taco Bells and Pizza Hut’s pop up on streets around the globe demanding cheese, the more milk supply is needed. Starbucks sells more milk than they do coffee. People like their milk and coffee. I was in Mexico City once eating breakfast at a local eatery with a friend. The waitress sauntered around with a carafe of coffee in one hand and a pitcher of milk in the other. She’d walk up, make eye contact, and start pouring coffee until you said stop. She’d fill the rest with milk. I miss Mexican coffee. It was hard for me to imagine a dairy farm in a mostly arid Mexico. Growing up in Iowa, I have images of vast grassy fields dotted with milk cows; a winding grove of water thirsty trees clinging to a creek or river bordering the farm. A&E Dairy was the only brand of milk I ever knew. They’ve been bringing milk to Iowans since 1930. We had an actual milkman as a small child. A gray sheet metal box with a blue A&E logo on the front sat nestled in the corner of our doorstep. He’d raise the hinged lid and gently place a glass container of milk inside.By fourth grade, in 1976, that all had changed. We took a field trip to the A&E bottling plant in Des Moines, Iowa. I remember watching an industrial sized see-through bin full of white plastic pellets the size of ball bearings funneling into a heated form. After a couple seconds, a plastic one-gallon milk container emerged. The glass jar delivered by the milk man had been replaced by crates of one-gallon milk jugs. They’d load them into a semi-truck and off they went; onto a freeway that was as old as me.A&E, like all American dairy producers, were just beginning to scale up their farms. President Richard Nixon’s Secretary of Agriculture Earl Butz sent this message to American farmers, “get big or get out.” It was the beginning of the end for small and medium sized farms across the country as milk production steadily climbed from around 54 million tons in 1976 to nearly 100 million tons in 2018. It doesn’t show signs of stopping.  MILK: THE MANRick, his wife Terri, and a team of extended family members were able to get the hay in the barn before the rain started to fall. But there was no time to rest. A semi-truck had backed its long shiny silver milk tanker up to the barn and was waiting patiently, though a little stressed, for some help. It was time to mix their milk with that of other producers in the Delaware River Valley just north of the Catskill Mountains in upstate New York. Both milk and water flow from this watershed south to an increasingly thirsty New York metropolitan area where urbanites peek up from their steaming molten chocolate cake at trendy restaurants to ask their waiter, “Got Milk?” With milk production continuing to ramp up over my lifetime, these New Yorkers must not be the only ones craving milk. The entire country must be hankering for more. Not true. Despite American momma cows producing more and more milk every day, the average American milk consumption per capita in 2018 is equal what it was when I was born in 1965 – 256 kilograms per person per year. That’s around 65 gallons a year or just over five gallons per month. That includes cheese, but not butter.If a growing American population doesn’t account for the growth of dairy production in America, that tells you American dairy farmers interested in endless growth and profits are relying on exports. But Milk is very expensive to ship given its weight. One gallon weighs 8.6 pounds. Because it’s 87 percent water, 9 percent skim solids, and 4 percent milk fat it needs to be broken down into dry ingredients. Dry milk and dry whey make it easier and cheaper to ship. Once it reaches its destination, it’s reconstituted into milk or cheese by adding water. This has led to an explosion in commercial exports. The United States has become the world leader in nonfat dry-milk and dry whey exports. Their biggest markets are Mexico, China, Philippines, and Indonesia. To meet consumer demand and a growing food processing industry in China, a 2020 Department of Agriculture report expects exports to continue to grow. To meet this demand, the dairy industry continues to expand. And like Nixon’s Earl Butz “get big or get out” advice, Trump’s Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue said in 2019, “In America, the big get bigger and the small go out.”  He said that in a speech at the World Dairy Expo in Wisconsin – a state known for cheese – where they lost 800 dairy farms that same year to consolidation. Licensed dairy farms across the country numbered just over 70,000 in 2013 and is now a little over 31,000. A 55% decline in seven years. Meanwhile, the amount of milk they can get from a single cow has increased. Cow milk production has increased 11.5% since 2011 and the USDA is expecting increases to continue.To get your head around how production increases while the number of dairy farms decreases, consider one of a half a dozen companies providing most of the milk to the world – Riverview. Based in Minnesota, their website seems corporate but kind. Maybe even a little innocent. It says, “[They] utilize both rotary and parallel parlors. Each site is a little different from the others, but the activity is the same: milking cows. Each cow produces about eight gallons of milk per day which is sent to processing plants to make cheese.”But they don’t talk about the farmer they approached proposing a 24,000-cow dairy near his farm in Minnesota. They were hoping to buy his corn to feed all these cattle. He couldn’t imagine a 24,000-cow operation and turned them down. In addition to worrying about the odor, damage to roads, and pollution, he was most concerned about the amount of water that would take.  One researcher estimates Riverview uses nearly one quarter of all the water used for hog and dairy farms in Minnesota. And they’re not through. State records show permits for two farms of over 10,000 cows. Minnesota isn’t the only state they’re interested in. They’ve extended into one of the most unlikely places to raise and milk cows (given my bucolic ideal of farm country) – the deserts of Arizona.COCHISE CHEESE PLEASERick and Terri started their farm from scratch. They raise three kids, endured and recovered from a house fire, and have managed to raise some amazing kids, award winning cows, and by my standards, some very tasty milk. But it’s getting harder and harder to make ends meet. Their youngest son is interested in continuing the farm, but prospects of survival are grim. New York was the fourth biggest producer of milk in 2020 behind California, Wisconsin, and Idaho, but they were also fourth behind Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania in the number of dairy farms lost. New York state lost 240 small dairy farms last year. The pandemic didn’t help. And mega-farms have seized the opportunity to prey on financially vulnerable farmers – like Terri and Rick. But also farmers in Arizona where wells are running dry.Riverview was most likely attracted to Arizona because of its lax water laws. If you’re a farmer in rural Arizona, there is no limit to the water you can use. But scoot your boots too close to roost near Phoenix or Tucson, and you’ll be wrestled, metered, and hog tied. So they picked a location made popular by California pistachio farmers who got there before they did – Sunizona, Arizona. This town sits in the Willcox basin in Cochise County. It’s a dried lake bed, Lake Cochise, named after an ancient Indian culture that existed 9,000 – 2,000 years ago. In keeping with America’s enigmatic ways, it’s both a National Natural Landmark and a designated bombing range for the U.S. military. But it’s also home to acres of crop circles in a desert that is prone to dust cyclones. Sounds like a perfect place for a dairy farm.Below this dusty playa is a vast underground water source. Sometimes. Its replenishment cycle has turned sporadic since large-scale agriculture came here in the 1940s. Before big-ag hit it had enough water to satisfy demand for residents of nearby Tucson for 970 years. And in more recent decades, the effects of climate change have resulted in the nearby mountains getting pounded with rain some years and other years nothing. Farmers are forced to dig deeper and deeper wells to capture a steady supply of water. In 2015 area farmers used four times more water than was being recharged. It’s created a race to the bottom. But digging wells isn’t cheap and the more money you have the deeper you can dig. Imagine a friend offers to buy a drink to share. They sit down with a tall glass of your favorite icy concoction and then slide you a straw across the table as they dip theirs into the depths of the drink. You plunge yours in and take a long cool draw. Halfway through the drink you realize you’re only siphoning ice melt from the pile of cubes that have become exposed. Meanwhile your friend is happily slurping away from a straw longer than the glass. That’s when you realize your friend gave you a straw shorter than theirs. Some friend.The farmers in the Willcox basin have built short-straw wells over the years to grow everything from nuts, to cotton, to alfalfa. But many can’t afford to dig deeper. So Riverview swoops in and buys them out. Many are happy to take the money and run, some are hoping Riverview’s money will spill over into the community, and others feel isolated, stressed, and bewildered. Riverview is taking over the place. A money-rich mega-dairy from Minnesota who showed up with a straw twice as long as their neighbors. More short-straw farmers see wells run dry as desert dust turns green with grain to feed the thousands of Riverview cattle. To get as much milk out of their cows as possible, operations like Riverview load 90 cows into a carousal that slowly spins in constant motion. Cows enter, get milked as it turns, and then get dropped off. An area that used to get treated to a deep dark night sky lit only by the milky way is now blinded by the light pollution of a 24-7 dairy operation. A water sucking corporate machine who will surely deplete this ancient basin of its water and then move on to the next aquifer. If there are any left.WAVES OF WATERYou can see why my wife’s cousin, Terri, and her husband, Rick, can’t compete. They’re playing a different game. Having spent some time with them on the farm, I can tell you they have a love and respect for their cows and their land. And they’re proud of the thought somebody down the road, even in another state, is drinking milk they produced. In the presence of factory farming, in an era of ‘go big or go home’, Terri and Rick’s method of dairy farming is receding. That quaint, romantic, idealized grassy farm with a single cow that dairy’s print on their containers is vanishing faster than our water supply. And it will likely not return. I remember a slogan from an ad campaign paid for by the American Dairy Association that read, “Milk does the body good.” It indeed does. It’s tied with eggs as one of the highest quality, efficient, and micro-nutrient rich foods you can consume. There’s evidence that the earliest domestication of cattle was by nomadic hunter-gatherers who discovered how handy it was to have a food source walk alongside you. Talk about efficient. Energy we get from cow biproducts is minimal compared to what it takes to generate it. Feeding livestock requires tons of grain which requires tons of water. In the United States, roughly half of the water for agriculture comes from irrigation and the rest from local ground sources like the aquifer in the Willcox basin. But not all feed can be grown locally, so it’s grown elsewhere and trucked or shipped in. When I was born in 1965, 2.5 million acres of U.S. land was irrigated for corn and soybeans. In 2017 that had grown to 12 million.California, the country’s biggest milk producer, draws far more water than any other state. But most of that water is drying up. As the West dries up, irrigation moves east. Nebraska leads the country in the amount of land used for irrigation. California is number two.But Nebraska is drawing from the Ogallala reservoir. This High Plains aquifer is one of the largest in the world. But it too is getting depleted. Conservation efforts have helped. Programs have been underway for years and together with new genetically modified corn that requires less water, depletion rates have lessened. Increased in demand is coming from many sources: housing developments, corn and soybean crops, natural gas fracking, and hydraulic drills for oil pipelines to name a few. This, coupled with variation in replenishment rates from climate change, means natural habitat is at risk. A 2017 study used satellite imagery to examine the effects on wildfowl. Measuring multiple years of water inundation during replenishment cycles, they came to this conclusion: “These results indicated that realized inundation was well below the capacity of the landscape as indicated by maps of potential playas. Thus, even when holding water, the observations here indicated the area of available open-water habitats, for waterfowl, for example, was below the potential capacity described by wetland maps.”MILKING THE ALTERNATIVESBack in 2001, Rick and Terri drove their kids across the country in an RV. They passed by 3000 miles of farm country; over the Ogallala and across the arid West to our home in Kirkland, Washington. I was drinking soy milk at the time and had them all try their first swig of the so-called milk. Let’s just say not a single glass was emptied and the kids all looked at me sideways for awhile. Plant-based milks are growing in popularity, but it’s mostly an elite urban phenomenon right now. And you can bet most of those oat milk drinkers still like their cheese. Most of the milk from Riverview’s tens of thousands of cows goes toward cheese production. The truth is, we don’t have enough land and water to meet a growing worldwide demand for dairy products. Especially amidst exponential population growth. We’re facing a choice between sliced cheese on a dish or trees and the fish; ice cream in a bowl or a stream that meets the shoal. The Colorado River once rushed into the shoals of the salty Pacific Ocean, but now it runs dry inland in Mexico.  I can’t say I’m doing very well myself. I’ve reduced my dairy consumption and sometimes make my own Oregon sourced hazelnut ‘milk’, but I’m not fortifying it with the nutrients I get from dairy. And I’ve tried plant-based cheese. It’s not there yet. Perhaps I shouldn’t beat myself up. Maybe U.S. farmers should stop chasing profits found in lucrative foreign markets and conserve the natural resources this country depends on. Maybe grow more food for people and less food for livestock. More milk and cheese for me please, let them find their own dairy over seas. I now that sounds dogmatic, but maybe it’s just pragmatic. Besides, rainfall is getting sporadic and population growth is dramatic. Meanwhile, the amount of freshwater in the world remains static.Or maybe I stop hanging on to my Western dairy diet and seek appetizing alternatives. I may be better for it. Remember Rick and Terri’s advice? Gluttonous consumption of dairy can lead to an upset tummy. Greedy consumption of natural resources can lead to an upset global ecosystem. It’s time for a change. Terri and Rick are having to adjust to a new reality that challenges their past, maybe it’s time we all do. Especially companies like Riverview. 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Under former Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, Ted McKinney served as Under Secretary of Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs. He shared the motivations and considerations that shaped his approach to creating policies and the pursuit of global trade opportunities, his appreciation for farmers, and why he is hopeful for the future of agriculture.

Austin Chats with Sonny Perdue about the Senate run off. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We have some more #NAFB20 content coming at you! This time we are sharing a message (or a few) from U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue. Come back for part 2 tomorrow.

What do we mean by chlorinated chicken? Why is it such a bad thing? What exactly are the UK standards that we’re so keen to promote and protect? To what extent can shoppers afford to prioritise animal welfare over price? And will the government keep its pledge not to undercut our food producers? Using “chlorinated chicken” as a starting point, Charlotte Smith considers the questions around a future trade deal with the US - and others - on the British food sector. She speaks to Cath Elliston from the youth-led movement BiteBack about its ‘Save Our standards’ campaign – and asks US Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue why we should import US poultry. Charlotte discusses current UK poultry production standards and how we compare to other countries with Dr Siobhan Mullan from Bristol Veterinary School, and visits Gloucestershire farmer Charles Bourns, who sees a growing market for higher welfare chicken. We also hear from the Centre for Retail Research’s Professor Joshua Bamfield on consumer purchasing trends, and get more detail on our trade deal options from Emily Lydgate, a senior lecturer in law at the University of Sussex and deputy director of the UK Trade Policy Observatory. Presented by Charlotte Smith, produced by Lucy Taylor in Bristol.

Wes talks with Secretary of Agriculture, former Georgia Governor, host of Sonny Side of the Farm and citizen Sonny Perdue about election day and the excitement for President Trump in Georgia

A member of President Trump’s cabinet was in Iowa to campaign for the president. Join us today as Dr. Bob Leonard goes “In Depth” with Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue.

In this episode of The Produce Industry Podcast w/ Patrick Kelly we recognize that it is Day 2 of the United Fresh Washington Policy Conference. Patrick will review the Opening Session with Tom Stenzel, President of United Fresh, Chairman Of United Fresh Michael Muzyk and our key guest Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue. We will review the general session, the grower-shipper meeting, one education session and a small piece of the Networking call! We also chat with Alex DiNovo, President and COO of DNO Produce. Alex chats about getting involved, taking action and being engaged. There is nothing more annoying that listening to someone on the sideline doing nothing, but criticizing what you are doing! Get more Youth involved in politics - we need to understand that not using your voice to tell your story is more hurtful than you think! Tune in for DAY 2 of United Fresh Washington Policy Conference.

For today's #FriYAY episode, we have some audio from U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue's visit to Iowa. Tune in as Perdue answers questions about CFAP, sustainability, ethanol and more!

Farmers are asking for more federal aid from the financial hits during the coronavirus pandemic . In a recent multi-stop visit around the Midwest, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue told a group of Indiana farmers it will take billions of dollars on top of what has already been distributed.

In today’s hour of non-stop talk, the sudden conspiracy radio like tactics of the left-leaning media regarding the coronavirus vaccine should be universally condemned. We heard the serious side of Governor Cuomo as he continues to push blame off himself and onto President Trump for the handling of the coronavirus in New York. Rich was joined by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue who discussed the importance of keeping all food chain supply facilities open, safe and operational during the coronavirus pandemic. Plus, which Arnold Schwarzenneger movie does the woke crowd want cancelled now? Photo by: Paul Morigi / Stringer

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says he'll introduce a coronavirus bill in the next few days as Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue hints at another Coronavirus Food Assistance Program. Hear more in today's DriveTime.

House gears up to pass Department of Agriculture funding next week, Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue defends cattle country, and the Federal Communications Commission adopts rules to improve broadband coverage maps. Hear more in today's DriveTime.

Josh Umbehr: medical deregulation is the silver lining of Coronavirus * Brian Dumaine on "Bezonomics: How Amazon is Changing our Lives..." * Sec of Agriculture Sonny Perdue on Great American Outdoors act & sock/shoe! * Newt Gingrich: Italy update and new book "Trump and the American Future"

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue joins SVG Ventures CEO John Hartnett in a virtual fireside chat to discuss USDA’s Agriculture Innovation Agenda and the current impact of coronavirus on American agriculture.

Coronavirus is top-of-mind these days as it wreaks havoc on the economy and agriculture. And we keep on hitting key topics on that issue. But we're doing a little non-coronavirus coverage too because work is getting done on other fronts, including the Farm Progress Show and Husker Harvest Days. Both aid for coronavirus, and prep for the fall shows, are on the agenda for this episode of Around Farm Progress, a new podcast from Farm Progress.First up, we dig into the ag-focused aid announced by Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue with Jacqui Fatka, policy editor for Feedstuffs and Farm Futures. She also shares some insight into increased ag market scrutiny from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Farmers are getting some aid, but there are concerns about future market impacts of COVID-19 and packer closings.After that, we turn to the future and the 2020 Farm Progress Show and Husker Harvest Days with Matt Jungmann, national events manager, Farm Progress. He shares an update on planting progress, then digs in on what's coming to these big shows for 2020, including the Hemp Pavilion and the Autonomy Showcase. Jungmann also discusses what makes the two shows different, and special, for the markets they serve.He also shares a little insight on something called the "good idea fairy" which long-time show visitors will enjoy learning about. Oh, and he discusses an interesting challenge of planting a hemp plot at the show sites: a need to get his fingerprints to the FBI. Give the podcast a listen to learn more.Comments or questions? Just send a note to willie.vogt@farmprogress.com

For this episode of the No-Till Farmer podcast, brought to you by FR8STAR, we’ll hear from U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, who outlines the CFAP relief package and then takes questions from the press.

Recently U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program that includes $19 billion worth of aid for farmers. The post Welcome News for Farmers appeared first on Tennessee Farm Bureau.

Recently U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program that includes $19 billion worth of aid for farmers. The post Welcome News for Farmers appeared first on Tennessee Farm Bureau.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). This new U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) program will take several actions to assist farmers, ranchers, and consumers in response to the COVID-19 national emergency. President Trump directed USDA to craft this $19 billion immediate relief program to provide critical support to our farmers and ranchers, maintain the integrity of our food supply chain, and ensure every American continues to receive and have access to the food they need.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). This new U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) program will take several actions to assist farmers, ranchers, and consumers in response to the COVID-19 national emergency.

Since COVID-19 began ravaging the human race, Congress has passed three bills into law that are meant to respond to both the health care crisis and the financial crisis. In this episode, Jen highlights the first two laws in their entirety and the provisions from the third law that are most likely to help the most Americans - the cash payments and unemployment provisions. She also documents the process used to pass all three bills into law, because this is NOT the way Congress is supposed to function. We have some firing to do.  Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Click here to contribute monthly or a lump sum via PayPal Click here to support Congressional Dish for each episode via Patreon Send Zelle payments to: Donation@congressionaldish.com Send Venmo payments to: @Jennifer-Briney Send Cash App payments to: $CongressionalDish or Donation@congressionaldish.com Use your bank’s online bill pay function to mail contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North, Number 4576, Crestview, FL 32536 Please make checks payable to Congressional Dish Thank you for supporting truly independent media! Recommended Congressional Dish Episodes CD199: Surprise Medical Bills Bills HR 6074: Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020 Document Text: HR 6074: Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020 Summary: HR 6074: Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020 Passed 415-2 in the House on march 4 (two no votes were two GOP’s I’ve never heard of) Passed 96-1 in the Senate. Rand Paul was the only person to vote against it There was no rules committee hearing because they passed it bypasses suspending the rules of the house (requires 2/3rds of the house to vote yes to pass) Trump administration requested $2.5 billion Title III: $2.2 billion for the CDC that they can use until September 30, 2022 Requires $475 million of the CDC grants to be spent in 30 days Some of this money can be used to purchase and insure cars in foreign countries Title III: $836 million for NIH that they can use until September 30, 2024 - which is money that can be used here in the states or abroad Only $10 million was required to be spent on preventing and reducing exposure of hospital employees, emergency first responders, and other workers at risk of exposure = 1.2% of the total bill allocation Title III: $3.1 billion for the Public Health and Social Services fund, also available until September 2024. This is the largest batch of money in the bill (although there are permissions to move money around so it could be more or less depending upon the whims of the Trump administration) Can be used in the US or abroad Can be used to purchase medical supplies Can be used to pay private companies to develop and then buy vaccines Vaccines developed with this money must be purchased by the Federal government in accordance with existing guidance on fair and reasonable pricing but the HHS Secretary may use existing law to ensure the public can buy them at reasonable prices, he doesn’t have to do so. HHS Secretary is Alex Azar who made his millions as the President of the US division of Eli Lilly - one of the largest multinational drug companies in the world. On his watch, the company tippled the price of insulin so… Without that “shall”, we have no reason to believe that there will be a cap placed on the price gauging. The HHS Secretary can’t do anything that would “delay the development” of vaccines The vaccines can be purchased and stored in the Strategic National Stockpile The law allows our tax money to be used to build or upgrade the facilities of private companies that produce vaccines - so our tax money can be used to build and upgrade buildings for the pharmaceutical companies Sec. 303: Until September 30, 2024, the law allows contractors to be hired for “the provision of personal services”, but they must be contractors as “such individuals may not be deemed employees of the United States”. According to the Code of Federal Regulations, the government is normally required to get employees by direct hire and getting services by contract is a way to circumvent civil service laws Title IV: Provides $250 million for the State Department’s “Economic Support Fund” and this money will be allowed to be used to “address economic, security, and stabilization requirements” related somehow to coronavirus This money is allowed to be given to "international organizations” Sec. 506: “Coronavirus” means SARS-CoV-2 “or another coronavirus with pandemic potential” Division B, Sec 102: Allows Medicare to pay for Telehealth services during an emergency HR 6201: Families First Coronavirus Response Act outline Document Text: H.R.6201 - Families First Coronavirus Response Act, Congress.gov H.R.6201 - Families First Coronavirus Response Act, Congress.gov Money: $500 million for food stamps $400 million for the commodity assistance program $250 million for “aging and disability services programs” - more than half is for “home delivered nutrition services” Sec. 1101: If a school is closed for more than 5 consecutive days under a public health emergency designation, families of children who are eligible for free or discounted school lunches will be able to get benefits valued at least as much as the school meals. The level of benefits will be determined by the Secretary of Agriculture (Sonny Perdue). Benefits might be distributed via the food stamp program - with money on EBT cards. Appropriates unlimited funding and at least $100 million for the territories. Sec. 6001: Page 5 appropriates $1 billion or “public health and social services emergency fund” to pay the claims of health care providers for "in vitro diagnostic products” (testing) of COVID-19. Health insurance companies “shall provide coverage” and “shall not impose any cost sharing (including deductibles, copayments” and coinsurance” for tests for the detection of COVID-19 or the administration of those tests “furnished during any portion of the emergency period” (which began on March 13th). This includes in person and Telehealth visits, urgent care center visits, and emergency room visits that result in the ordering or administration of a COVID-19 test. Loopholes: Doesn’t seem to apply to people who got tested before March 13th, because that would be outside the “emergency period” If a doctor doesn’t order a test because there is no test available, the visit would be eligible for copays, deductibles, etc. It can be billed like any ordinary visit. There are also sections that prohibit cost-sharing for people on Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, people in the military, and veterans. Sec. 6004: The Federal government will pay 100% of the costs associated with States paying for testing for COVID-19 for uninsured individuals during the emergency period It’s not back dated Sec. 2301: Beginning in April 2020 and for each month end the month after the emergency declaration is lifted, work requirements for food stamps will not apply. Benefits can not be denied by States for people who had received food stamps for more than 3 months in the last 3 years while not working more than 20 hours per week, as is usually the case. Sec. 3102: Adds the COVID-19 public health emergency to the list of valid reasons that employees may get 12 workweeks of paid family and medical leave. To be eligible, you have to have been working for the company for at least 30 calendar days. The first 10 days are allowed to be unpaid days but the employee is allowed to use any accrued vacation leave, personal leave, or sick days. After 10 days, the employer “shall” provide paid leave for the following 10 weeks. The employee must be paid at least 2/3 of their regular pay, capped at $200/day and $10,000 total. For hourly workers, they will be paid based on the average numbers of hours worked per day for the 6 months prior. Employers required to provide leave are defined as someone with “fewer than 500 employees” instead of “50 or more employees”. Businesses with under 50 employees are exempt if the requirement could destroy the business. There are about 12 million private sector workers who work for companies with fewer than 50 employees and 59 million who work for companies with more than 500 employees - and 6.5 million of them have no paid sick leave. Not effective until April 2 Sec. 5102: Requires employers to provide paid sick time if the employee is subject to a mandated quarantine, has to self-quarantine for health reasons, is caring for someone sick with COVID-19, or if the employee’s child’s school or daycare is closed. Health care providers are exempt. Full time workers get 80 hours. Part time workers get paid based on the average amount of time they worked per day in the previous six months. The payments must be for the employees regular rate of pay if they are personally sick, no less than minimum wage, and 2/3rds their regular pay if they are caring for someone else. Payments are capped at $511/day and $5,110 total for sick employees and $200/day and $2,000 total for employees caring for children or sick family members. The paid sick time will not carry over to the following year and can’t be paid if an employee quits. Employers may not require employees to get their shift covered in order to receive their paid sick time. This is valid regardless of how long the employee has been with the company. Employer are not allowed to require employees to use their normally accrued sick time first. Employers can not punish employees for using their sick time. Employers who violate this law are subject to up to $10,000 in fines and up to 6 months in prison. Provision expires on December 31 Applies only to government workers and those working in companies with less than 500 employees. Businesses with fewer than 50 employees can apply for exemptions Sec. 4102: Gives States more money for unemployment insurance payments. Sec. 6005: Provides liability coverage to the manufacturers and distributors of personal respiratory protective devices subject to emergency use authorizations, including the one issued on March 2, 2020 and used in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency from January 27, 2020 through October 1, 2024. Sec. 7001 and Sec. 7003: Employers will be given a tax credit for 100% of the paid sick leave and paid family and medical leave provided to their employers, up to the limits in this law Sec. 7002 and Sec. 7004: Allows self-employed people to get a tax credit for the days they can’t work. The Secretary of the Treasury will write the regulation, including required documentation to be eligible H.R. 748: CARES Act Summary: H.R. 748: CARES Act Text: H.R. 748: CARES Act Record of House debate Vote Summary: Senate 96-0 on March 25 at 11:17pm Subtitle A: Unemployment Insurance Provisions Sec. 2102: Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Who qualifies: People who would qualify under existing State laws People who self-certify that are able to work except that the person has been diagnosed with COVID-19, someone in their home has been diagnosed with COVID-19, they are caring for someone with COVID-19, has a child whose daycare or school is closed due to COVID-19, can’t get to work because of a COVID-19 quarantine, their work is closed due to COVID-19, or they are self employed. People who do not qualify are people who have the ability to telework with pay or people who are receiving paid sick leave or other paid leave benefits Effective period: Beginning on or after January 27, 2020 and ending on or before December 31, 2020 Limits: No one can get unemployment benefits for more than 39 weeks, but this can be extended by the Secretary of Labor if needed Amounts: It’s the amount determined by your state’s unemployment law plus $600 per week if the state chooses to enter into an agreement with the Secretary of Labor. The Federal government will pay for 100% of the costs of the extra unemployment payments and the administration costs. It’s an unlimited appropriation and it’s valid until July 31, 2020. Sec. 2201: Issues a means tested “advanced refund" of $1,200 per adult and $500 per child. You only get the full amount as an adult if you make $75,000 per adult or less. People who make more than $75,000 per adult will have their check amount reduced based on their income up to about $100,000. People who make more than that will get nothing. The payment will be delivered via direct deposit to anyone who has authorized the IRS to do so since January 1, 2018 while everyone else will have to wait for checks. If we accidentally get overpaid, the IRS can’t charge us interest on that payment. The payments will be made for the 2019 tax year if you have already done your taxes for last year. If you haven’t, it’ll be based on 2018. They will send a notification in the mail to us about our payments to our last known address, which will tell us the amount and if it’s going to be delivered via direct deposit or by check. Articles/Documents Article: Federal government spent millions to ramp up mask readiness, but that isn't helping now By Jon Swaine, The Washington Post, April 3, 2020 Article: Inside America's mask crunch: A slow government reaction and an industry wary of liability By Jeanne Whalen, Rosalind S. Helderman and Tom Hamburger , The Washington Post, April 2, 2020 Article: How and When Can Americans Access the $1,200 Coronavirus Stimulus Checks? By Matt Stieb, New York Intelligencer, April 2, 2020 Article: Needy Will Face Hurdles to Getting Coronavirus Stimulus By Ron Lieber and Alan Rappeport, The New York Times, April 1, 2020 Article: Obamacare Markets Will Not Reopen, Trump Decides By Margot Sanger-Katz and Reed Abelson, The New York Times, April 1, 2020 Article: N.Y. CONGRESSWOMAN DIAGNOSED WITH CORONAVIRUS AFTER VOTING FOR STIMULUS BILL IN D.C. by Ramsey Touchberry, Newsweek, March 30, 2020 Article: He Got Tested for Coronavirus. Then Came the Flood of Medical Bills. By Elisabeth Rosenthal and Emmarie Huetteman, The New York Times, March 27, 2020 Article: Sweeping economic aid bill to counter coronavirus passes Senate By Jennifer Shutt, The New York Times, March 26, 2020 Article: Senate leaving DC until April 20 after coronavirus stimulus vote By Jordain Carney, The Hill, March 25, 2020 Article: How to Get Health Insurance if You’re Worried About Coronavirus or Have Lost Your Job By Margot Sanger-Katz and Reed Abelson, The New York Times, March 25, 2020 Article: Senate, White House reach $2 trillion stimulus deal to blunt coronavirus fallout By Erica Werner, Mike DeBonis, Paul Kane and Jeff Stein, The Washington Post, March 25, 2020 Article: The new Cold War with China has cost lives against coronavirus by Max Blumenthal, Chicago Reader, March 24, 2020 Article: Senate falls far short of votes needed to advance coronavirus bill, as clash between Republicans and Democrats intensifies By Erica Werner, Seung Min Kim, Rachael Bade and Jeff Stein, The Washington Post, March 24, 2020 Article: Here's how a new law giving workers paid sick leave amid coronavirus will affect you by Jennifer Ortakaless, Business Insider, March 20, 2020 Article: Trump Signs Law to Grant Paid Leave Benefits Amid Coronavirus Crisis—But Millions Won’t Be Eligible by Abby Vesoulis, Time, March 18, 2020 Article: Paid sick leave: Who gets it during the coronavirus outbreak by Heather Long, The Washington Post, March 17, 2020 Article: House Democrats just passed another version of their coronavirus bill that significantly scales back paid sick leave by Joseph Zeballos-Roig, Markets Insider, March 17, 2020 Article: March 4 coronavirus news By Julia Hollingsworth, Adam Renton, Steve George, Emma Reynolds, Mike Hayes, Rachel Bowman and Meg Wagner, CNN, March 4, 2020 Additional Resources Technical Guidance: Coronavirus disease 2019-and-the-virus-that-causes-it) World Health Organization Tables: Employee Benefits in the United States, March 2019 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Compensation Survey, March 2020 Vote Results: FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 86, Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020 Clerk of House of Representatives, March 4, 2020 Act: FOOD AND NUTRITION ACT OF 2008, As Amended Through P.L. 116-94, Enacted December 20, 2019 U.S. House of Representatives Legal Counsel, January 21, 2020 Booklet: Health, United States, 2016 - With Chartbook on Long-term Trends in Health U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, May 2017 Sound Clip Sources Transcript: Congressional Record, U.S. Senate, March 25, 2020 Transcript: Congressional Record, U.S. Senate, March 24, 2020 Interview: Watch CNBC’s full interview with House speaker Nancy Pelosi on coronavirus stimulus bill, CNBC, March 24, 2020 Press Conference: White House Coronavirus Update, White House, March 22, 2020 Transcript: President Donald Trump: We're a country not based on nationalizing our business. Call a person over in Venezuela ask them how did the nationalization of their businesses work out? Not too well, the concept of nationalizing our businesses is not a good concept, but I'll tell you why... Presidential Address: Presidential Address on the Coronavirus Outbreak, White House, Oval Office, C-SPAN, March 11, 2020 Meeting: Rules Committee Meeting on HR 6201-Families First Coronavirus Response Act, United States House of Representatives Rules Committee, March 11, 2020 Watch on Youtube Transcript: 15:00 Rep. Tom Cole (OK): I understand, as I'm sure all members do, the gravity of the situation and the extraordinary times we're in. But I also must make clear that we learned a couple of days ago, through the press, mind you, that the Speaker's office was beginning to work on a bill. Just a few short hours ago, members of the Majority Party apparently received a closed door briefing on the contents of this package, and already was not given that same consideration. Text wasn't made available until 11pm. And now the Rules Committee is meeting to consider a rule that will provide for consideration on the floor tomorrow. 24:30 Rep. Frank Pallone (NJ): Whether you're in the Medicare program, Medicaid program, whether you're in the Health Service or you're getting your insurance privately or you have no insurance, we're trying to make sure that you can go and have the test done without having any cost. Whether it's deductible, a copay or just outright, not having to pay for it if you have no insurance. 25:30 Rep. Frank Pallone (NJ): But I did want to mention two things and that is for people who don't have insurance. There's flexibility in this. So the states can basically cover them through Medicaid or have them enrolled in Medicaid without having to meet the income requirements that we have now, and they would be tested and that would be paid for under Medicaid solely for the testing for the virus. 25:45 Rep. Frank Pallone (NJ): And then we also have a pot of money that goes to the National Disaster Medical System to pay for the uninsured. And so essentially, if someone goes to a community health center, for example, and they have no insurance, it would be covered with that as an example. 26:00 Rep. Frank Pallone (NJ): For those states right now, as you know, depending on the state and the level of poverty in the state, have to pay at a minimum 50%, or the federal government pays at a minimum 50 percent of Medicaid costs, and that's matched by the states, depending on the state. And so the F map provision increases that federal match by 8%. And this is for Medicaid in general. In other words, anticipating that a lot more people will have to be covered by the - go on to the Medicaid rolls. 27:00 Rep. Frank Pallone (NJ): The masks because they've been a lot of concern about that. And whether or not masks for healthcare providers would be available. As you know, the companies have asked for liability exemption. And that has been the case in the past when we've had other public health emergencies, like I don't know, all or some of the other things that we've had for vaccines and other things. So we do accept and extend that for a limited purpose. So if the mask is is basically approved by the federal government, and during the time of this emergency, as declared by the President under the prep act, there would be the liability exemption for for those masks so that we make sure that they're out there, and they're distributed. 28:00 Rep. Michael Burgess (TX): Like my ranking member on the Rules Committee, I do have some concerns about the process about how this came together. I just saw the text for the very first time when I walked in here I had a chance to read the first four lines on the first page. Look forward to reading more between now and eight o'clock in the morning. 31:00 Rep. Michael Burgess (TX): It's important that the vaccine be established as safe. I am old enough to remember, an episode of the swine flu during the Ford administration, where a vaccine was hastily developed, and its administration was mandated across the country, and some serious complications occurred. And we certainly don't want to repeat that. So once the vaccine has been established to safe Dr. Fauci has assured us that he will proceed with all dispatch to make sure it is effective, and it will be brought online as as quickly as possible. And I think we have provided the funding to allow them to do that. 36:00 Rep. Bobby Scott (VA): Comments have been made about how quickly this has been put together, we have an emergency and I don't think we have much choice. I'd like to spend a lot more time on the legislation but the more time we take putting it together and getting it out there, people will die. And so we've done it as quickly as we possibly can and everybody would like more time. 41:00 Rep. Virginia Foxx (NC): When I heard about this bill today I remembered something that well known democrat said, 'Never let a crisis go to waste.' But then I also remember the phrase 'act in haste and repent at leisure.' 57:00 Rep. Tom Cole (OK): It'd be a shame for us to leave, honestly, without doing something together for the American people. I think they're looking for that almost more than the individual items in the package. They really want to see us, in a time of crisis, put aside differences, find common solutions, common ground that we can agree on, and work together for their interest. And if we managed to do that, I think that'll not only be good in a time of crisis, I think it'll hopefully reinstill some confidence in the process and the institutions that we all are very proud to be part of, and remind Americans that, hey, we're in our very, very best when we're at a time of crisis. We really are. 1:04:00 Rep. Norma Torres (CA): Last week, at a meeting with the Export Import Bank chair Kimberly Reed stated that the US Commerce Department is still promoting the sales of critical supplies that the American people need. What are those critical supplies? masks, masks, hand sanitizer? How can you know what happened to America first? We need those critical supplies here. So part of what we need to do is direct these uninformed officials that the left hand needs to talk to the right hand. That may be the Commerce Department should be consulting with this new Coronavirus Committee that has been set up by the President. Those are the things that we cannot leave undone when we leave here this week. 1:10:00 Rep. Ed Perlmutter (CO): How many hearings have we had on the bill that we've had before us tonight? None. Zero. I mean, that's that is a problem. And I my Republican colleagues have complained about it, but I, as a Democrat want to complain about it too. Because there's no question we have an emergency. Part of our emergency is we want to try to get out of here by tomorrow afternoon, or this afternoon. Okay, I mean, we're setting our own deadline here. Isn't that true? Am I mistaken on that? Rep. Frank Pallone (NJ): Well, look, I'm a big advocate for regular order. We don't always fall well. This is about as far for you're not gonna have you can't have regular order when you have an emergency. I mean, you know, it would for us to go. Rep. Ed Perlmutter (CO): And Mr. Chairman, I appreciate that. But I guess I would say is okay. Why aren't we doing this? You know, Friday. Today's what? Thursday? Now that we're - 12:15 Thursday. Okay, so I just want to get that out of the way. 1:14:00 Rep. Ed Perlmutter (CO): Well, these things are emergencies. Clearly the testing. But I thought part of the testing was what we did last week. Rep. Frank Pallone (NJ): The testing is essentially the authorizing language. In other words, it's not the it's not the spending. What we're saying is that, you know, whether it's federal programs like Medicaid or Indian Health Service, or it's private insurance or for the uninsured, we want to make sure that everybody can have the test and not have to pay for it not have to have any copay, deductible, or out of pocket expenses. That's what we're doing with that. Rep. Bobby Scott (VA): And some of this ought to be done anyway. I mean, if you're taking a vaccine that should be under prevention, and should be on the most plans, no copay and deductible. So it's not it's not a new idea. Rep. Terri Sewell (AL): And what we did last week was to authorize, give the money to states to actually purchase and have these kits on hand. So what we're doing now is for individuals to make sure that the individual who's trying to see testing actually it's free of charge. Whether have private insurance, government insurance or no insurance, that the testing would be free. Rep. Ed Perlmutter (CO): All right, so would have last week's bill would that have covered the protective gear for the health providers and the tents and the ventilators that we try to separate? Rep. Terri Sewell (AL): Yes. Rep. Ed Perlmutter (CO): Okay. Rep. Michael Burgess (TX): About the ventilators. And that's a very good question. We, we can understand that perhaps, on the testing, there were things could have been done better. Can you anticipate what the next part of this crisis will be? If you look at the experience in some of the other countries, the next part of this crisis is going to be an overwhelming load of patients in acute respiratory failure, presenting to hospitals, needing ICU beds needing ventilators. I don't know if we have the capacity. I don't know if anyone has done a survey of unused military facilities that might be available. I don't know if as part of the Ready Reserve, some One has looked into it. Again, that would be one of the questions I would have asked had we had a hearing. But I do think if we want to think over the horizon, we do need to think about the significant number of patients who could be in acute respiratory failure and the stories, and I realize you're reading them online, I'm reading them online. I don't know if they're true. But the crowd out of people with other medical conditions who show up at the hospitals who can't be seen, acute appendicitis now can be a fatal event, because everyone else is tied up taking care of people who are dying of pneumonia. So it is something we need to think about. I don't know if we've addressed it in this bill. I don't think we addressed it in the appropriation last week. 1:30:00 Rep. Michael Burgess (TX): People have spoken about testing at no cost to the patient. I think that's fine. I think it's a great idea. Do remember someone has to administer the test. There has to be overhead paid for the personnel to be in the office to administer the test. Someone has to pay the liability insurance if the test is reported incorrectly, and someone is going to have to report the test to a patient, that tested is positive, someone's got to do the follow through because now a doctor patient relationship has been established. So we do need to think about that. I'm not objecting to what has been described here tonight, but it just it seems to me that it's incomplete. 1:31:00 Rep. Frank Pallone (NJ): And could I say I'm not going to suggest that that everything that the Dr. Burgess mentioned is covered. But it's not just the test. It's also the provider visit, you know the visit of the patient that provided this cover and also without charge, but...I'm not saying that covers everything, but a lot of the things that he mentioned, it's not just the test. It's also the actual visit and the provider. Video: S. 716: "Gut the STOCK Act" Passes House, U.S. House of Representatives, April 20, 2013 Video: User Clip: Senate STOCK Act gutting, U.S. Senate, April 11, 2013 Cover Art Design by Only Child Imaginations Music Presented in This Episode Intro & Exit: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio)

Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue has a message for all involved in agriculture: thank you.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue was on the farm of Tennessee Ag Commissioner Charlie Hatcher recently to announce the investment of $9 million for four, high-speed broadband infrastructure projects. The post Broadband Expansion Continues appeared first on Tennessee Farm Bureau.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue discusses his ongoing work on behalf of the nation's farmers and ranchers, but also hunters and outdoorsmen, through his work with the U.S. Forest Service. Then, the new CEO of Ducks Unlimited, Adam Putnam, shares how he's settling into the new role, and the goals ahead for the organization. And finally, Sportsman’s Channel host, "The Sporting Chef", Scott Leyseth, shares his recipe for duck tacos and more!

Political volatility, uncertainty in the export markets, spring flooding and propane shortages… these are just a few of the big challenges that faced grain handlers and feed manufacturers in 2019. How did elevators and feed mills weather the literal and metaphorical storms of the year, and what is the outlook for the industry in 2020?In this episode we discuss those topics, and a few more, with Randy Gordon, president of the National Grain & Feed Assn.At NGFA's Country Elevator Conference in early December, Gordon hosted a fireside chat with Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue on trade issues from China to the USMCA agreement. Gordon discussed those issues with Feedstuffs policy editor Jacqui Fatka in this episode, and explained why trade is such an important issue for members of his organization.Gordon also discusses the work of an NGFA task force on issues related to the regulation of the U.S. rail industry and how some “systemic problems and flaws” in those regulations are problematic for the grain industry “given the ever-growing exercise of market power by Class I railroads."For more information, visit Feedstuffs online.Follow Feedstuffs on Twitter @Feedstuffs, or join the conversation via Facebook.

Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced plans to cut SNAP benefits that could drive millions further into poverty. Liz Theoharis of the Poor People's Campaign and Karen Dolan of IPS join us to discuss the implications.

Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue has announced the second round of Market Facilitation Program payments will begin for farmers nationwide this week. USDA News Release The post Second Round of MFP Payments Coming appeared first on Tennessee Farm Bureau.

On the final afternoon of the 2019 National Association of Farm Broadcasters Annual Convention- US Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue stopped by the meeting and had a thirty minute chat with the President of the NAFB, Lorrie Boyer of Colorado.

United States Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue recently made a lot of farmers angry. At a time when small dairy farms are going out of business at unprecedented rates (and small farms producing other crops are also struggling), Perdue made a comment that suggested the situation was par for the course. “In America, the big get bigger and the small go out,” he said. This week, host Lisa Held is joined by three guests—Brenda Cochran, dairy farmer and president of Farm Women United, Russell Diez-Canseco, president and CEO of Vital Farms, and Jordan Treakle, policy director at the National Family Farm Coalition—to discuss Perdue’s comments, what current challenges faced by America’s small farmers really look like, and what can be done to help small farms survive.Join Heritage Radio Network on Monday, November 11th, for a raucous feast to toast a decade of food radio. Our tenth anniversary bacchanal is a rare gathering of your favorite chefs, mixologists, storytellers, thought leaders, and culinary masterminds. We’ll salute the inductees of the newly minted HRN Hall of Fame, who embody our mission to further equity, sustainability, and deliciousness. Explore the beautiful Palm House and Yellow Magnolia Café, taste and imbibe to your heart’s content, and bid on once-in-a-lifetime experiences and tasty gifts for any budget at our silent auction. Tickets available now at heritageradionetwork.org/gala.The Farm Report is powered by Simplecast.

Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue was back in the Volunteer State to announce the first grant recipients under USDA’s Reconnect Pilot Program for expanding rural broadband. The post ReConnecting Economic Opportunities for Rural Tennessee appeared first on Tennessee Farm Bureau.

Host and American Family Farmer, Doug Stephan www.eastleighfarm.com begins with current AG News. One of the items are the words of Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, "Get big, or get out." He and the current administration are favoring big farms, over the small Family Farm. One example is of the dairy industry. Big dairies account for 80% of today's milk production versus the smaller dairy farms. Next, Doug welcomes Ben and Taryn Marcus, who own and operate Sheepscot General Store. www.sheepscotgeneral.com They tell us about they're latest venture, they are opening a Pick-Your-Own Hemp farm. Finally, Host Doug Stephan continues to opine about the large versus small farmer and the need for regenerative soil and how we treat our soil.

Vice President Mike Pence and US Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue were in Tennessee to promote the US Canada Mexico Trade Agreement. The post Support for Trade and our Farms appeared first on Tennessee Farm Bureau.

Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue attempted to sell the Dairy Margin Coverage Program at World Dairy Expo today, Ag groups are encouraging USDA to move forward with development of a Foot and Mouth Disease vaccine bank and producers are considerably more pessimistic about current conditions on the farm as harvest approaches.

Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue wants to welcome you to his very own podcast – “The Sonnyside of the Farm.” Born and raised on a family farm in middle Georgia, Secretary Perdue is an agriculturalist through and through – having worked as a veterinarian, owning his own grain business, serving as Governor of Georgia and now serving as a member of President Trump's cabinet as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. He'll be talking to everyone – from Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Farm Bureau President Zippy Duval, Farm Broadcaster Max Armstrong and so many others – about the issues facing America's farmers, ranchers, producers and foresters today. From USDA or out in the country, tune in the first Friday of every month to hear from Secretary Perdue himself.

The Trump administration is proposing a change to the rules that govern who is eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps. Under the proposed rule changes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates 3 million people would lose benefits, which includes an estimated 90,000 people in Massachusetts, according to the state's Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA). The proposed changes would prohibit the states from expanding who is eligible for the program beyond the federal baseline, which is $33,475 for a family of four — or 130 percent of the federal poverty level. Right now, 39 states, including Massachusetts, offer federally-funded SNAP benefits to people who make more than that — up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level — but still qualify for benefits because they have other expenses that make it hard for them to pay for food. In a statement, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue said the rule changes will “close a loophole” and will save the federal government an estimated $2.5 billion a year. The administration and some Republicans in Congress have highlighted a case that involves a wealthy Minnesota man who had extremely low income, but huge assets, and said he applied for and collected SNAP benefits. Corby Kummer, executive director of the food and society policy program at the Aspen Institute, told Boston Public Radio on Wednesday that the proposed change would also impact half a million children who currently get discounted school lunch. Kummer said that the administration's narrative harkens back to the derogatory trope of the welfare queen: that people rely on public services paid for by the rest of upstanding citizens, so they don't have to work themselves. "The whole premise of this welfare queen free-loader, people are gouging the government and taxpayers because they want free school lunches, is so absurd. It's so hateful that it's hard to believe the cynicism, Kummer said. "This whole idea that people would be deliberately trying to freeload off of the government for food stamps, as opposed to, for example, the multimillionaire large big-ag farmers who get huge subsidies for growing things like soybean ... that gets unstated because that's Trump's base." Corby Kummer is also a senior editor at The Atlantic and a senior lecturer at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy.

When U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced a few months ago he planned to move the department’s headquarters out of Washington, D.C., Purdue University President Mitch Daniels endorsed the idea every chance he got, and even started his school making some preparations in case Indiana was chosen as the new home. That honor went instead to Kansas City, Missouri – but was there more Indiana could have done to back up its bid?

USDA has announced a new trade mitigation package to help farmers, and Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue spoke about the package. View full statement from TFBF here. The post Trade Package to Help Farmers Endure Trade War appeared first on Tennessee Farm Bureau.

The U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue, joined Intercontinental Exchange Chairman and CEO Jeff Sprecher on stage at FIA Boca to talk agriculture, technology, commodities, and the Trump White House. Born into a farming family in Bonaire, Georgia, Sonny’s veterinary career was disrupted by a foray into politics. He served 11 years in the Georgia State Legislature and two terms as its Governor before being appointed the Secretary of Agriculture on April 25, 2017 by President Donald Trump.   Inside the ICE House: https://www.theice.com/insights/conversations/inside-the-ice-house

The team talks a busy Commodity Classic and hears from Sec. of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, Ohio Soybean Council's Kirk Merrit, Ohio Corn and Wheat's John Torres, and Mike Steenhoek of the Soy Transportation Coalition.

The Dow has gained over 500 points since January 1st. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue began his work to reverse and relax the 2012 Obama-era rules for school lunches for the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act. Today's Jobless Claims highlights the latest Economic Reports.Get The Word On Wall Street every Monday and Thursday at 8:25 when RBC Wealth Management's Holly Kennedy joins AM Quad Cities.

Agriculture Sonny Perdue has famously proposed moving the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) out of Washington. He said more than 100 entities from around the nation have expressed interest in hosting it. A former NIFA director isn't so sure it's a good idea. Sonny Ramaswamy, president of the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin to explain why not.

Sonny Perdue is the Secretary of Agriculture for the United States of America. We discuss his beginnings in business and why he decided to become a public servant. 

On today's show, we discuss the discovery of GM wheat in Alberta. Also, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue visits PEI.

Episode 82: Another day, another chapter in the new ways to screw workers. This time, the target is workers inside hog processing plants--who are already doing one of the most dangerous jobs in the country. I talk with expert Debbie Berkowitz about the Department of Agriculture's new proposal to speed up the processing line--so that Big Ag can pile up bigger profits even if workers get hurt and sick at an even higher rate. Today, the next teacher uprising is underway in North Carolina. I caught up with NC teacher union president Mark Jewell before the mass rally to hear about not just the short-term goals but the long term political strategy. Heidi Harmon, mayor of San Luis Obispo, California is a better example of "America's Mayor". She's a solid progressive who was elected in 2016 as part of a campaign run by a big progressive team. As she prepares to run for re-election I chat with her to hear her thoughts about lessons all progressives can learn about running a city and building a long-term progressive movement. Our Robber Baron of the week is Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue is on a four-state tour focusing on promoting President Trump's agenda on farming, food stamps and international trade and workers. Then, some people usually think of University of Colorado Boulder as a party school, but we some students graduated in a special ceremony honoring their recovery and sober lifestyles.

AJC’s Washington correspondent Tamar Hallerman joins host Greg Bluestein to discuss Georgia’s big issues and races ahead of the May 22, 2018 primaries. Hallerman also discusses an upcoming story on Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and James Salzer provides the Phrase of the Week.

A round table look back at 2017 NAFTA negotiations with clips from U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, David Warner of the U.S. National Pork Producers Council, Agripulse Senior Trade Editor, Bill Tomson and others. Panelists include: Allan Dawson of the Manitoba Co-operator, Bruce Burnett, Glacier FarmMedia’s Director of Weather […]

This week's guest on Open Mic is U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue. While countless farm groups and members of the agriculture industry have expressed concern with the Trump Administration's threats to pull out of the North American Free Trade Agreement, Secretary Perdue supports the president and anticipates a successful conclusion to the talks. The former Georgia governor says USDA service to farmers is being affected by key vacancies at the department. Perdue speaks to challenges against the RFS, identifies recent decisions regarding the nation's school lunch program and previews findings from the Rural Prosperity Task Force.

The Ohio Ag Net Podcast, brought to you by AgriGold, brings the crew of host Ty Higgins, Dale Minyo, Joel Penhorwood, and Matt Reese together after a busy week at the National Association of Farm Broadcasting annual convention in Kansas City. While there, Ty had the opportunity to sit down with Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue on a number of topics, including ongoing NAFTA renegotiations, Farm Bill work, and more. Ty also hears from John Newton, director of market intelligence with the American Farm Bureau. Along the way, Matt Reese spoke with Ohio farmer Zach Profit on this challenging year for ag. All that and more with the guys in the 33rd episode of the Ohio Ag Net Podcast.

The United States Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue was this year's keynote speaker at the Iowa Ag Summit. What do you think of the points he made?

​The Western Producer‘s Robert Arnason hosts a special edition of Between the ​Rows that looks at ​how ​possible changes to the North American Free Trade ​Agreement ​might affect Canadian farmers. Interviews also include Bruce Burnett, G​lacier ​FarmMedia Director of Weather & Market Information, ​and Sonny Perdue, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture​.​

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue visits Catoctin Elementary to relax school lunch regulations; Loudoun Valley High School mourns the loss of longtime custodian Freddie Wright while celebrating its first state boys basketball championship.

Episode #9 of the Ohio Ag Net Podcast courtesy of the good folks at AgriGold. Visit them at www.agrigold.com. This week, the crew talks rain around Ohio and where it puts planting progress. Ty Higgins takes a look at a very unique idea from out west — goat crossfit with DaNelle Wolford. Matt Reese, though absent from the roundtable discussion as he chases down turkeys, was at the No Show Lamb Show this weekend put on by the Ohio Sheep Improvement Association. He's joined by event co-chair Lisa Shearer. We wrap up the podcast hearing from the new Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue as he visited USDA offices in Kansas City.