NRCS solicits grant proposals for water quality credits
Farmers could actually “sell” their water conservation work to the highest bidder if a viable market for water quality credit trading is set up. Seeking to set up such a market, the USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) is soliciting project ideas until a March 2 deadline.
$308 million more in disaster assistance to 33 states
In the aftermath of a string of natural disasters during the 2011 cropping season, the USDA has announced $308 million will be provided in aid to 33 states and Puerto Rico. The funds will come in addition to crop insurance and disaster payments previously promised under SURE and the Livestock Indemnity Program.
GE salmon focus of Senate hearing
A recent Senate hearing placed a spotlight on the regulatory tangle surrounding the approval process for genetically-engineered salmon. Potentially the country’s first GE animal for human consumption, the salmon have raised a host of worries among critics.
Did MF Global executives know about lost funds?
Duffy, who followed the testimony of a trio of MF Global executives, said that the firm’s brass were not as clueless to the loss of customer funds as they have claimed. Duffy, said Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts, had “sort of tossed a bomb” with the revelations.
MF Global revelations, allegations and collective amnesia
Following nearly three hours of not answering Senate Agriculture Committee questions on Tuesday, a trio of MF Global executives may have thought they’d slipped the noose. But immediately after the executives were dismissed, the CME Group’s Terrance Duffy gave testimony under oath that contradicted former MF Global head Jon Corzine’s claims of ignorance regarding the disappearance of customer funds.
MF Global, lost funds, and proper oversight
Jon Corzine, former head of the failed investment firm MF Global, was subpoenaed to appear before the House Agriculture Committee on Dec. 8. Having run MF Global when a suspected $1.2 billion worth of customer funds went missing, Corzine walked into the hearing surely knowing he’d be roughed up.
MF Global’s Corzine feels the heat
In prepared testimony, Corzine acknowledged the impact of the firm’s fall and subsequent problems faced by customers whose funds have been frozen in bankruptcy proceedings.However, Corzine did not shoulder full blame and said trades at MF Global were done without his full participation.
MF Global bankruptcy hits farmers, ranchers
Fallout over the late-October bankruptcy of MF Global Holdings Ltd. has spawned FBI and Justice Department investigations and left many wondering how, in the wake of supposed Wall Street reforms, government oversight of another financial institution was so lax. More importantly for the agriculture sector, the bankruptcy and government response has prompted many questions about the safety of futures trading.
Farm bill submitted to ‘super committee’
Specifics remain fuzzy, but following a week of vigorous debate the House and Senate agreed to a farm bill that was submitted to the “super committee” on Friday.
Can GPS and broadband co-exist?
With precision agriculture now firmly entrenched on the farm, it is inevitable that anything interfering with the necessary GPS signals won’t be accepted with a smile. At the same time, growers know that rural America would massively benefit from reliable broadband coverage.
