The Iowa Department of Agriculture is prepping for a potential avian influenza outbreak by recommending producers continue and improve biosecurity efforts. High pathogenic avian influenza was confirmed recently in Tennessee, and two outbreaks of low pathogenic avian influenza were confirmed in Tennessee and Wisconsin. Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus strains are extremely infectious, often fatal to domestic poultry, and can spread rapidly from flock-to-flock. Low pathogenic avian influenza virus strains occur naturally in wild migratory waterfowl and shorebirds without causing illness. Low-path influenza can occur in domestic poultry, with little or no signs of illness. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey says his state “saw firsthand” the devastation of HPAI in 2015. Northey says Iowa turkey, egg and broiler farmers have updated their biosecurity measures and made significant investments to help prevent the disease from getting on their farm. He stresses that all poultry farms need to have a biosecurity plan to qualify for USDA indemnification.

The White House has sent the Senate Agriculture Committee financial disclosure documents for Sonny Perdue, President Donald Trump’s Agriculture Secretary nominee. By sending the information to the committee, the White House has now opened a path to holding a confirmation hearing for Perdue. However, a committee spokesperson told the Hagstrom Report it is unlikely a hearing will be held until the week of March 20th because the committee will need a few days to review the paperwork, and the Senate will not be in session on Thursday and Friday. The Environmental Working Group claims that as Georgia’s governor, Perdue was “mired in ethical lapses” that “raise troubling questions about his fitness to run” the Department of Agriculture. A spokesperson for Perdue says that “political gamesmanship” was behind complaints of missteps by Perdue during his time as Georgia’s governor.

President Donald Trump will host Chinese President Xi Jinping in April at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. The two-day meeting is tentatively scheduled for April 6th and 7th. Reuters says the planned summit would follow a string of other recent U.S.-China meetings, and conversations seeking to reaffirm ties following months of strong rhetoric from Trump against China. During his presidential campaign, Trump accused China of unfair trade policies, among other claims. Trump has yet to take any action regarding trade with China, including his promise to formally label China as a currency manipulator on his first day in office. China has warned of a trade war with the U.S., should the Trump administration ignore World Trade Organization rules by implementing new tariffs. The meeting is seen as a potential step to calm some trade tensions between the U.S. and China.

Farmers Mom of the Year Contest program, sponsored by Monsanto, will help some of the most outstanding farm moms make an even bigger difference in their communities. In 2017, the program will focus even more on the communities in which these women live and work by providing financial support to nonprofit organizations these moms are passionate about. “Looking at our previous Farm Mom of the Year winners, one commonality stood out – their dedication to their communities,” said Tracy Mueller, Monsanto marketing communications manager. “This year we’ve enhanced the program to further highlight farm moms’ efforts in their local communities and provide financial support to nonprofit organizations they care about.” March 1 through March 31, an eligible person can nominate an eligible exceptional farm mom for the chance to be named America’s Farmers Mom of the Year. A panel of judges from American Agri-Women will judge the nominations based on published criteria and Monsanto will select five regional winners based on the judges’ decisions. Each of the regional winners will receive $2,000 to direct to an eligible nonprofit organization of her choice, as well as $3,000 for her personal use. Among the five regional winners, one woman will be named America’s Farmers Mom of the Year based on public voting and receive an additional $2,000 to direct to an eligible nonprofit she cares about in her community. To nominate your favorite farm mom, an eligible person can visit AmericasFarmers.com and complete an online entry or print a form for mailing by March 31, 2017. Nominations are limited to 300 words and should include details about the nominee’s contributions to her farm, family, community and the agricultural industry. For the Official Contest Rules, including a complete list of program rules and eligibility information, please visit AmericasFarmers.com/community-outreach/farm-mom-program-rules/. More information on the America’s Farmers Farm Mom of the Year program can also be found at facebook.com/AmericasFarmers. “It’s so humbling to read about all of the amazing farm moms who give so much of themselves and ask for nothing in return,” says Doris Mold, American Agri-Women President “It’s their selflessness that makes our job to judge the nominations extremely difficult, but also so rewarding.”

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The governors of Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas and New Mexico are seeking temporary suspension of grazing restrictions for farmers and ranchers because of wildfires.

The fires have burned more than 2,300 square miles in the four states, forcing farmers and ranchers to move their livestock.

The letter from the governors to acting Secretary of Agriculture Mike Young asks that the restrictions in the Conservation Reserve Program be lifted to provide more land for grazing.

The program is a voluntary land conservation program of the Farm Service Agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help agricultural producers protect environmentally sensitive land.

According to the agency, emergency grazing of CRP land is authorized under certain conditions to provide relief to livestock producers due to some natural disasters.

The American Soybean Association recently set its policy positions for 2017. The list of priorities established at the Commodity Classic in San Antonio includes a strong farm safety net, increased funding for ag export programs, ambitious global trade negotiations, aggressive support for biodiesel, and robust funding for ag research and conservation programs. The just-beginning debate on the new Farm Bill was the subject of several new resolutions this year. Many of the resolutions focused on improving the risk management programs in Title 1 of the legislation. ASA wants a stronger farm safety net, which is necessary to offset lower commodity prices and the resulting drop in farm incomes. The soybean organization also wants to double funding for the Foreign Market Development Program as well as the Market Access Program. ASA will also support increasing the acreage cap for the Conservation Reserve Program. They also expressed strong support for keeping the Farm Bill together with the nutrition program. Delegates also supported several tax-related resolutions, including the renewal of the biodiesel tax credit and a restructuring of the credit to promote domestic production.

Kansas Governor Sam Brownback is in talks with the Trump Administration about a potential ambassador position. Sources close to the governor say no offer has been extended yet. A Kansas City Dot Com article says Brownback is talking with the administration about taking the position of U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations for Food and Agriculture. Brownback is a close friend of Vice President Mike Pence and would need to move from the Midwest all the way to Rome if he does take the position. Kansas Public Radio called it a done deal, citing a source close to the situation. Another source close to the governor says the report is premature but does call Brownback a great fit for the position. He served as the Kansas Secretary of Agriculture and spent 14 years with the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The ambassador is the liaison for the U.S. government to three different organizations that combat world hunger. They include the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Food Program, and the International Fund for Agricultural Development.

An open markets advocate told the National Farmers Union’s political action committee that Donald Trump should make it a goal to re-establish country-of-origin labeling for beef and pork during the upcoming NAFTA negotiations. “Trump is going to renegotiate NAFTA. This is an opportunity to put COOL back into law,” says Barry Lynn, a Senior Fellow at New America, a Washington think tank. He also wants the president to “do a deal with Canada and Mexico to make sure they don’t challenge our rights before the World Trade Organization again.” He was referring to the case brought before the WTO by Canada and Mexico challenging the U.S. labeling law. The panel ruled against COOL, saying it discriminated against Canada and Mexico. Lynn says Congress and the Obama Administration “caved” by giving into the ruling. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative defended the move for several years, but Lynn says if the U.S. had to pay damages to keep the program, they should have done so. The National Farmers Union was a strong supporter of COOL while it was in effect, but they’ve not taken a position on how to get the program going again.

Former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue is still waiting for a nomination hearing before the Senate as the presumptive Secretary of Agriculture. While he waits, Perdue has come under scrutiny this week from certain groups regarding his time as governor. A New York Times article this week includes complaints about Perdue signing legislation that would save him $100,000 in taxes as well as questions about Perdue getting nearly $300,000 in farm subsidies. Politico’s Morning Agriculture Report says the Times article chronicles some of the 13 complaints filed against Perdue before the Georgia State Board of Ethics. The article does note that Perdue has his defenders. American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall is a fellow Georgian who says, “I don’t think you’re going to find a man any more ethical than Sonny Perdue. He is as ethical as it comes.” However, the Environmental Working Group raised questions about Perdue this week about farm subsidies and his many business connections. The Group says Perdue received $278,000 between 1996 and 2004 when he was simultaneously running three businesses and serving as a state senator. They say there is “scant evidence he was actively engaged in farming, which is a requirement for receiving subsidies.”