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The Food and Drug Administration is reopening the comment period for the interim final rule entitled ‘Use of Materials Derived From Cattle in Human Food and Cosmetics.’ The interim final rule protects consumers from exposure to bovine spongiform encephalopathy by prohibiting the use of certain cattle parts in human food, including dietary supplements, and cosmetics. more… 
In the wake of the European scandals over unlabeled horse meat turning up in prepared foods, the issue of horse slaughter in the U.S. has returned to the headlines this week. Horse slaughter has essentially been banned in the United States since 2007, when Congress passed an appropriations bill that specifically prevented the USDA from using funds to inspect horse-slaughter plants. Horses processed for meat in this country must by law have USDA inspection. Congress dropped the ban in 2011, but USDA has yet to approve any horse plants for inspection through its Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). more… 
Writing a new farm bill just got harder. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released new estimates on Friday, substantially downgrading the promised savings from House and Senate proposals last summer. The CBO says the Senate-passed farm bill will save only $13.1 billion in 10 years, compared with a promised $23.1 billion last July. The House Agriculture Committee plan, which never made it to the floor, fares better but comes down as well from $35.1 billion to $26.6 billion in 10-year savings. more… 
U.S. Senator John Cornyn introduced the Endangered Species Act (ESA) Settlement Reform Act this week, which will give impacted local parties a say in the settlement of ESA litigation between special interest groups and the Fish and Wildlife Service. more… 
Texas Comptroller Susan Combs discusses how Texas is facing the challenge of endangered species in this op-ed in The Washington Times. more… 
The Texas Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal from LaSalle Pipeline LP over a jury award to a McMullen County family that has been battling the pipeline company since 2009. The case created a precedent for ensuring that pipeline firms pay something for the diminished value of the so-called “remainder” property that isn’t taken under an easement. And it caused pipeline companies to offer more money for easements. more… 02-27-13 |  Issues & Policy 
This week during The House Committee on Agriculture’s Ag Minute radio show, guest host Rep. Rick Crawford discusses the recent trade setback with one of our major markets for U.S. meat products. Russia’s closed market illustrates the need for effective enforcement by our trade agencies. International trade rules require policies that are based on sound science. more… 
Last week HR 763 Safe and Efficient Transportation Act was introduced in Congress which would give states the option to allow 6-axle 90,000 pound trucks on the interstate system within their borders. This is an issue that the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and many other ag organizations have worked hard to get in place for quite a while. more… 02-21-13 | Issues & Policy
U.S. Sen. Mike Johanns (R-Neb.) introduced Wednesday a package of legislation promoting greater transparency and accountability in the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) regulatory process. The package contains four individual pieces of legislation. more… 
As a reminder, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is hosting a public hearing in Lubbock on Monday, Feb. 11, regarding their proposal to list the lesser prairie chicken (LPC) as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. Landowners within the habitat range of the LPC are highly encouraged to attend. more…
Public meetings are scheduled for Monday, Feb. 11, in Lubbock for updates on the status of efforts to keep the lesser prairie-chicken from being listed as a threatened species. The US Fish and Wildlife Service will take comments on the proposed listing at the meeting, by mail and electronically via the Internet, through March 11. more… 
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing the 2013 percentage standards for four fuel categories that are part of the agency’s Renewable Fuel Standard program (RFS2). The proposal announced Jan. 31 will be open for a 45-day public comment period and the EPA will consider feedback from a range of stakeholders before the proposal is finalized. more… 
Gov. Rick Perry in his State of the State address recommended lawmakers provide at least $1.8 billion in tax relief and pull $3.7 billion from the rainy day fund for a “one-time investment” in water and transportation infrastructure. Dave Scott, TSCRA past president, and Jason Skaggs, TSCRA executive director of government and public affairs, attended the event. more…
Joe Parker Jr., president of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, made a statement Jan. 28 following the announcement by U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack that the U.S. and Japan have agreed on new terms and conditions to expand U.S. beef exports to Japan. The new terms will go into effect Feb. 1, 2013. more… 
He says it’s important to convince Congress to pass a farm bill this year with the drought and looming sequester as important reasons for a farm bill to be passed quickly. While there is a farm bill extension to work with Vilsack says USDA will allow farmers to opt in or opt out of the Average Crop Revenue Election program. more… 01-17-13 | Issues & Policy 
Throughout the opening of the 83rd Texas Legislature last week, one of the most frequently discussed topics had bipartisan support: improving the state’s water infrastructure as the population booms and a devastating two-year drought drags on. more… 
New York Congressman Tim Bishop has introduced legislation that would exempt farms and conservation lands from estate taxes as long as they remain in those uses. the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) is hailing the move and their Vice President of Government Affairs Colin Woodall says that although it doesn’t permanently eliminate the estate tax like they wanted, it’s at least a major step in the right direction. more… Sen. Pat Roberts, promised farmers Wednesday he would dig his boot heel into formation of a new five-year farm bill covering crop insurance, production incentives and nutrition programs. The Kansas Republican, who serves on the Senate Agriculture Committee, said during a Topeka meeting of the Kansas Soybean Association that decline in the number of farmers in the U.S. House and Senate weakened the political coalition that traditionally gave rise to federal farm legislation. more… 01-10-13 | Issues & Policy With the publication of the final Animal Disease Traceability (ADT) rule in the Federal Register on Jan. 9, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) compliments the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) on creating a final rule that includes many of the comments submitted by NCBA on behalf of cattle producers across the country. more… 
In the January edition of TSCRA’s Cattlemen’s Column, association President Joe Parker Jr., Byers, discusses the fiscal cliff and farm bill from a rancher’s perspective. more… 01-04-13 | Issues & Policy |
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