U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack is laying out USDA’s farm bill priorities this week.

But given the current economic climate and the efforts of the Congressional super committee tasked with finding more than a trillion dollars in budget cuts.

Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says USDA’s leadership may not carry much weight. That’s because the leaders of the Ag Committees – Debbie Stabenow, Pat Roberts, Frank Lucas and Collin Peterson – have told the members of the Super Committee that they’ll have a detailed set of 2012 Farm Bill policy suggestions aimed at achieving the 23-billion dollars in savings they previously recommended by November 1st.

Grassley believes it will mostly affect Title I, food stamps and perhaps conservation. His understanding is that programs outside those areas will be handled next year. He admits this is an unusual way to write a farm bill – but says it’s necessary if you believe farmers should have a safety net.

Grassley says the people who know something about agriculture should write the farm bill – rather than leaving it entirely to the super committee. Though that group will still have the final say

Whatever the super committee decides, once they present a measure to the Congress, it must be voted up or down without amendment.

 

St. Joseph
Yellow Corn	6.36
White Corn	no bid
Soybeans	11.74 – 11.83
LifeLine Foods
Yellow Corn	Existing contracts only. 6.36
Atchison, Kansas
Yellow Corn	6.45 – 6.53
Soybeans	11.71
Hard Wheat	6.95
Soft Wheat	no bid
Kansas City, Missouri Truck Bid
Yellow Corn	6.45 – 6.53
White Corn*	7.07 – 7.22
Soybeans	12.05 – 12.07
Hard Wheat	7.15
Soft Wheat	6.19 – 6.23
Sorghum	11.36
*this bid is only updated weekly from USDA and is a Kansas City rail bid. Call your grain merchandiser for the most current bid.

	Future Prices Grain futures from the Chicago and Kansas City Board of Trade and livestock futures from the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.
	USDA Market News – Kansas City Truck Bids
	For questions please contact 680 KFEQ Farm Department at [email protected]

The next stop in our series of harvest report takes us to Mound City where we talk with Mitchell Corbin.

[audio:http://www.stjosephpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/1020Corbin.mp3|titles=1020Corbin]

St. Joseph
Yellow Corn	6.34
White Corn	no bid
Soybeans	11.60 – 11.69
LifeLine Foods
Yellow Corn	Existing contracts only. 6.34
Atchison, Kansas
Yellow Corn	6.46 – 6.51
Soybeans	11.57
Hard Wheat	no bid
Soft Wheat	no bid
Kansas City, Missouri Truck Bid
Yellow Corn	6.49
White Corn*	6.85 – 6.97
Soybeans	11.90 – 11.93
Hard Wheat	7.03
Soft Wheat	6.12
Sorghum	11.23
*this bid is only updated weekly from USDA and is a Kansas City rail bid. Call your grain merchandiser for the most current bid.

	Future Prices Grain futures from the Chicago and Kansas City Board of Trade and livestock futures from the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.
	USDA Market News – Kansas City Truck Bids
	For questions please contact 680 KFEQ Farm Department at [email protected]

For the next KFEQ harvest report, we talk with Michael Willis, a young farmer from the King City area.

[audio:http://www.stjosephpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/1018willis.mp3|titles=Willis]

 

Arizona Senator John McCain has withdrawn his amendment that would have prevented USDA from funding Flex Fuel pump infrastructure and limit the fuel’s marketplace competition. Growth Energy called the amendment – anti-consumer. Growth Energy CEO Tom Buis says – this was an ill-conceived amendment that would have put OPEC further in control of our economy and limited consumer choice at the pump.

While the withdrawal of this amendment is an important milestone, Buis says, – we will continue to encourage Congress to oppose any other effort that would erect new barriers to the market

The Superfund Common-Sense Act of 2011 – S. 1729 – has been introduced in the U.S. Senate. Sponsored by Senators Roy Blunt of Missouri and Mike Crapo of Idaho, the act would prevent the Environmental Protection Agency and the courts from imposing what the policymakers call another – needless and burdensome – regulation on U.S. agriculture. A companion bill was introduced earlier in the House by Representative Billy Long of Missouri.

Ashley Lyon, Deputy Environmental Counsel for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, says the legislation would restore the original intent of Congress under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, more commonly called the Superfund Law, and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act. She says the Superfund Law was originally passed to prevent toxic waste from polluting U.S. waters and Congress never intended manure to fall under the jurisdiction of CERCLA.

Lyon says both bills would amend CERCLA to provide that naturally occurring, organic manure and its nutrient components are not considered a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant. She says NCBA strongly supports the legislation, which would prevent EPA and the courts from imposing more regulations, liability and reporting requirements on livestock producers and bring much needed economic certainty.

 

A coalition of organizations in signing a letter to U.S. Senators urging them to oppose amendments to the Fiscal Year 2012 Agriculture Appropriations Bill that would affect mandatory funding for U.S. farm policies. The amendments come on the heels of a letter by leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate Agriculture Committees to the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction outlining a plan to reduce the deficit.

In their letter the organizations wrote – this is the end of the fourth year of the current five-year farm bill upon which U.S. farmers and ranchers and their lenders have already made financial decisions. The letter continued: – amendments to an appropriations bill that would alter the terms of this contract with our producers occur at the wrong time and in the wrong venue.

National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson says – leadership of both the House and Senate Agriculture Committees continue to work very hard to find areas to help reduce the federal deficit while maintaining sound policy for America’s family farmers and ranchers. These additional cuts could have very damaging effects on U.S. agriculture and should be opposed by members of the Senate.