john thune

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

Senators John Thune of South Dakota and Minnesota’s Amy Klobuchar reintroduced the Conservation Reserve Program Improvement Act.  The bipartisan bill looks to bolster CRP by improving access to grazing, maximizing enrollment options for producers, and addressing implementation issues following the 2018 Farm Bill.   “After...

Despite being rescinded in 2015 due to NAFTA concerns, a host of farm groups are working to restore Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling, or MCOOL.  The American Beef Labeling Act was introduced in Congress last year, which looks to reinstate MCOOL for beef and pork.  Fifty c...

R-CALF USA is making a push for Congress to consider mandatory country-of-origin labeling of beef.  The organization is encouraging its members and others to show their support to lawmakers for the American Beef Labeling Act.  The bill was introduced by Republican Senators John Thune and Mike Rounds, alongside Democrats Jon Tester and Cory Booker last month.     The legi...

Senators John Thune and Ben Ray Luján recently introduced the Livestock Disaster Assistance Improvement Act.  The bipartisan legislation by the South Dakota Republican and New Mexico Democrat would improve the effectiveness and timeliness of multiple Department of Agriculture programs that assist farmers and ranchers in the aftermath of adverse weather events.  The legislatio...

Staggering farm input costs are driving Ag profits into the ground.  South Dakota Senator John Thune said it’s a tale of two economies: one, the economy of scale, and two, the cost of farming.   “This year will be the record year in terms of gross farm receipts.  In other words, top-line...