john thune

Last week, senators John Thune, of South Dakota, and Minnesota’s Tina Smith reintroduced the Strengthening Local Processing Act.  They said the bipartisan legislation would provide support to America’s small meat and poultry processors to strengthen and upgrade their operations.   The bil...

Senate Majority Leader John Thune believes China will come to deal with President Trump on tariffs, though farm groups still worry about trade damage from steep levies in place for now.  Thune said he sees an upside to President Trump’s tariffs on China, now boosted to more than 100%.   “I’m h...

U.S. Senators John Thune, of South Dakota, and New Mexico's Ben Ray Luján recently reintroduced a bill to assist agricultural producers after adverse weather events.  The Livestock Disaster Assistance Improvement Act directs the USDA to improve the accuracy of the U.S. Drought ...

Last week, Idaho senator Mike Crapo, Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, joined Senate Majority Leader John Thune and 44 additional Senate colleagues in reintroducing legislation that would permanently repeal the federal estate tax, commonly known as the death tax...

Recently, South Dakota Republican Senator John Thune and New Jersey Democrat Cory Booker introduced the American Beef Labeling Act.  Support for the legislation is starting to role in.   National Farmers Union announced this week its support of the bipartisan legislation, which, if passed would codify mandatory country-of-origin labeling, or MCOOL, for beef sold in the U.S.  Accor...

South Dakota Senator and Senate Majority Leader John Thune and New Jersey Senator Cory Booker reintroduced bipartisan legislation that would reinstate mandatory country-of-origin labeling for beef.  The American Beef Labeling Act would require the U.S. Trade ...

Earlier this week, the Senate Agriculture Committee unanimously voted to advance Brooke Rollins to be the Secretary of Agriculture.  Rollins will now be considered by the full U.S. Senate.   Ranking Democrat Amy Klobuchar said she would support the nomination, but Democrats are worried about workforce, tariff, and conservation issues.  Senate Major...

As the 119th Congress gets underway, New Senate Majority Leader John Thune laid out his priorities, including a new Farm Bill.  Thune said he understands rural America, growing up in a small South Dakota town.   “The town of Murdo, population today, roughly around 500 people. We didn’t even have...

Representatives Chellie Pingree of Maine and Jim Baird of Indiana, along with Senators John Thune of South Dakota and Sherrod Brown of Ohio, plan to reintroduce legislation to support small meat and poultry processors.  Supporters of the Strengthening Local Processing Act say the legislation will diversify and make U.S. m...

A bipartisan group of Senators recently introduced legislation to merge USDA broadband programs.  New Mexico Democrat Ben Ray Luján and South Dakota Republican John Thune reintroduced the Rural Internet Improvement Act.  The legislation would streamline and bolster USDA Rural Development broadband programs and ensure their funding is targeted to rural areas that need it the most.     "Our bip