(NAFB)

The House Ways and Means Committee tax overhaul plan released Thursday provides a blueprint for tax reform. The plan is essentially a set of promotional documents, with many details unaccounted for.

The documents say the estate tax would be repealed, and that the legislation will lower individual and corporate tax rates. Agriculture groups are reviewing the first draft of the legislation.

The American Farm Bureau Federation applauded the introduction, but acknowledged that AFBF staff will be studying the proposal to ensure the plan “reduces the tax burden” on farmers and ranchers.

The National Farmers Union opposes the tax plan, while supporting efforts to simplify the tax code. Farmers Union President Roger Johnson says the tax plan would “shift the nation’s tax burden from the top earners in our country to the backs of American family farmers, ranchers and the middle class.”

The National Biodiesel Board expressed disappointment because the plan does not include an extension of the biodiesel tax incentives. And, the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives also expressed opposition to the tax plan, as the organization says eliminating Section 199 “would raise taxes on millions of farmers.”

The National Pork Producers Council in testimony delivered today urged Congress to renew its commitment to funding agricultural research to help America’s farmers feed a growing world population, improve public health and strengthen U.S. national security by ensuring America’s food security.

NPPC chief veterinarian Dr. Liz Wagstrom told the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology Subcommittee on Research and Technology that the United States is the “lowest-cost and most technologically innovative producer of food in the world… and has the safest food on the planet” because of the country’s historical commitment to research.

She pointed out that research helped the U.S. pork industry deal with diseases such as Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome and the H1N1 influenza virus. But, she added, U.S. agriculture remains vulnerable to emerging and foreign animal diseases.

A disease the pork industry and other livestock sectors are particularly concerned about, Wagstrom testified, is Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD).

The United States doesn’t have enough vaccine to address an FMD outbreak, which, if unchecked, would cost the pork, beef, corn and soybean sectors, alone, $200 billion over 10 years. NPPC is urging Congress to establish and fund through the next Farm Bill a manufacturer-managed FMD vaccine bank and is requesting funds for animal disease diagnostics and research that “can help address the alarming gap in the government’s preparedness for an FMD outbreak.”

Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz wants the Trump administration to organize a meeting on the Renewable Fuel Standard and is holding up the Bill Northey nomination until the meeting is planned. Cruz has placed a hold on Northey’s nomination as the Department of Agriculture undersecretary for farm production and conservation. Eight other Senators are also seeking a compromise on the RFS to protect refiners from job losses. Politico reports that Northey was a nominee in the wrong place at the wrong time, as Cruz looked for a way to strike back corn state Senators that got the administration to pull back two RFS proposals. Any compromise or changes to the RFS need to be completed before the end of this month, as the deadline for the Environmental Protection Agency to release its final RFS volume requirements.

Kansas soybean farmers and their industry partners will gather Jan. 10, 2018, in Topeka for the Kansas Soybean Expo. The Kansas Soybean Association organizes the annual event, with checkoff funding from the Kansas Soybean Commission, to coincide with the Topeka Farm Show.

The free event returns to the Capitol Plaza Hotel’s Maner Conference Center at the Kansas Expocentre. Registration and exhibits open at 8:30 a.m., with the program scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. A reception with KSA and KSC leaders will follow.

The welcome will come from KSA President Lucas Heinen, Everest, and KSC Chairman Kurt Maurath, Oakley. The opening session will offer checkoff-partner updates from Jennifer Geck Ott, director of allied industry relations for the USA Poultry and Egg Export Council, and Kevin Roepke, regional director for the Americas at the U.S. Soybean Export Council. The keynote address will be Roger Radley, who is a farm-boy-turned-comedian.

A complete, detailed agenda and the preregistration form are available at http://KansasSoybeans.org/expo on the web or by calling 877-KS-SOYBEAN (877-577-6923). Those who preregister by Jan. 3, 2018, will have guaranteed seats at the luncheon and be eligible for the early-bird prize drawing.

The National Corn Growers Association and BASF Corporation are now accepting applications for five $1,000 scholarships to be awarded to undergraduate and graduate students pursuing a degree in an agriculture-related field during the 2018-19 school year. While these scholarships are open to any NCGA members and their children or legal guardians, all submissions must be postmarked on or before December 1, 2017 for consideration. Applicants for the NCGA William C. Berg Academic Excellence in Agriculture Scholarship Program must be entering at least their second undergraduate year or any year of graduate study, and they or a parent or legal guardian must be an NCGA member. Scholarship applications must be postmarked on or before December 1, 2017. Scholarship recipients will be selected in early 2018. Recipients and a parent or guardian will enjoy travel and lodging to attend the 2018 Commodity Classic in Anaheim, California, to be recognized at the NCGA Banquet and have the opportunity to learn more about modern agriculture.

A new survey of bankers shows 82 percent of agricultural lenders reported a decline in farm profitability in the last 12 months. However, the pace of the decline has slowed. The survey produced by the American Bankers Association and Farmer Mac shows 51 percent of agricultural lenders noted an increase in the demand for agricultural operating loans, while there was no notable change in the demand for agricultural real estate loans. Despite the findings, the survey of more than 580 agricultural lenders revealed that the agricultural loan approval rate is 84 percent. An ABA spokesperson says that overall, the data shows that lenders are “a little more optimistic about what’s ahead,” compared to last year. The survey, conducted twice per year, is a joint effort to provide a look at the agricultural economy and market forces from the perspective of ag lenders. The next survey is scheduled to launch in December 2017.

(NAFB) A lobbyist close to the farm bill effort told the Hagstrom Report this week that the House Agriculture Committee staff is close to being done preparing the bill for consideration. However, the lobbyist says Chairman Mike Conaway will likely keep the bill “under lock and key” until House leadership guarantees floor time for the legislation. That points to the bill being introduced in early 2018. Conaway has previously mentioned he was hoping to move the bill to the full House for consideration late this year. Many have expected the bill to be introduced early next year by the House Agriculture Committee. Meanwhile, the Senate Agriculture Committee is reportedly still in the early stages of drafting its version of the 2018 Farm Bill.