WASHINGTON, Dec. 28, 2015 - On Jan. 6, 2016, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will honor Bob Stallman's tenure as President of the American Farm Bureau Federation. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Agriculture Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden will proclaim Jan. 6, Bob Stallman Appreciation Day, presenting the honoree with an official proclamation in recognition of Stallman's commitment to strengthening rural American families and communities.

Stallman, a recognized champion of agriculture, has served as President of the American Farm Bureau Federation for 16 years, tirelessly supporting U.S. farmers and ranchers as they help feed the world, protect and preserve the environment, provide jobs, and contribute to the nation's economy.

WHAT: Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Agriculture Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden will proclaim Jan. 6, Bob Stallman Appreciation Day.

WHEN: Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016

10 a.m. EST

WHERE: U.S. Department of Agriculture - Whitten Patio

1400 Jefferson Ave SW, Washington, D.C.

For questions, please email gwen.sparks@oc.usda.gov.

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Senator Chuck Grassley made the following statement after the U.S. Department of Agriculture released the final rules on the actively engaged provisions of the 2014 farm bill.  Grassley led the effort to get passed in both the Senate and the House provisions that would have established a farm payment cap of $250,000 and tightened loopholes that have allowed some non-farmers to game the system.  Despite receiving a majority of support in both bodies of Congress, the conference committee tied the hands of the U.S. Department of Agriculture by including a watered down version that allowed loopholes to remain.

"The final rule issued by the Department of Agriculture to reduce abuses of the actively engaged loophole is a first step.  While this rule still isn't as stringent as the reforms approved by both bodies of Congress through my payment limit amendment, it represents a good faith effort by the department to make the farm bill more defensible, despite the indefensible loopholes left open by the conference committee.

"Meaningful and enforceable limits on farm subsidies are the right thing to do.  Taking steps to end farm payments to people who don't farm is good for agriculture going forward and helps begin to bring the program back to its original intent.

"If the farm bill is reopened in the omnibus appropriations bill by allowing unlimited subsidies to farmers by reviving commodity certificates, it creates long-term consequences for agriculture and puts at risk the positive step this final rule takes."

ST. LOUIS (Dec. 9, 2015) –Having achieved U.S. soybean farmer strategic goals for market growth, the American Soybean Association's World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH) transitioned its Bangladesh country programs to the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC).

"Demand for U.S. soy protein has taken off in this South Asian country that is the eighth most populous country in the world," said WISHH Program Committee Chairman Lucas Heinen, a Kansas soybean grower. "Soybean growers planned for such success when they created WISHH as a trailblazer for trade through long-term demand building in developing countries."

Bangladesh is home to more than 168 million people and has a rapidly growing middle-class economy. The country has purchased more than $500 million of U.S. soy in the last five years with those purchases accelerating in the last couple years.

Pakistan, the sixth most populous country in the world, is the next market that WISHH will transition to USSEC. Planning and coordination discussions have begun for a 2017 transfer.

The U.S. Soybean Export Council aims to maximize the use of U.S. Soy internationally by differentiating and building a preference for U.S. Soy while also keeping trade lanes open so international buyers have full market access to U.S. Soy.   The organization uses a global team of 130 members that work with numerous stakeholders including soybean farmers, exporters, agribusinesses, agricultural organizations, researchers and government agencies, to accomplish that mission.

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WASHINGTON - Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington today introduced legislation to reform and extend the biodiesel tax credit.  The legislation is similar to the provision that passed out of the Finance Committee in July.

"This provision should be included in the tax extenders package under discussion," Grassley said.  "Converting to a production credit would improve the biodiesel incentive in many ways.  It would make the biodiesel incentive easier to administer.  Also, a credit for domestic production would ensure that we're incentivizing a domestic industry rather than subsidizing imported biofuels.  The goal is to meet the country's biodiesel needs and support domestic producers at the same time.  And it would save money over the current biodiesel tax incentive."

"Investing in America's clean energy economy is the smart thing to do for our environment and America's energy security," Cantwell said. "The biodiesel tax credit has been an extremely successful energy tax policy, allowing biodiesel to become America's first advanced biofuel. Since the credit was created in 2005, 8.2 billion gallons of biodiesel have replaced traditional diesel, the equivalent of removing nearly 16 million vehicles from our roadways. This bill gives businesses the certainty they need to invest in biodiesel, create jobs here in America, and continue the development of affordable, domestic alternatives to fossil fuels."

The senators' Biodiesel Tax Incentive Reform and Extension Act of 2015 would modify the biodiesel fuel blenders credit to a domestic production credit and extend the credit through 2018.

The change would offer numerous benefits, Grassley and Cantwell said.  The blenders credit can be difficult to administer, because the blending of the fuel can occur at many different stages of the fuel distribution.  This can make it difficult to ensure that only fuel that qualifies for the credit claims the incentive.  It has been susceptible to abuse because of this.

A credit for domestic production would ensure that the United States is incentivizing the domestic industry rather than subsidizing imported biofuels.  It's projected that imports from Argentina, Singapore, the European Union, South Korea and others could exceed 1.5 billion gallons over this year and next.   In many cases, foreign biodiesel is already heavily subsidized, so U.S. taxpayers should not be providing a subsidy to such imports.

Grassley and Cantwell said modifying the credit would have little to no impact on the consumer.  Much of the credit would continue to be passed on to the blender and ultimately, the consumer.  Additionally, the U.S. biodiesel industry is currently operating at only 60 percent of capacity.  The domestic biodiesel industry has the capacity and access to affordable feedstocks to meet the demand of U.S. consumers, the senators said.

The Biodiesel Tax Incentive Reform and Extension Act of 2015 would allow the nation to continue enjoying the significant benefits of biodiesel since Congress created the biodiesel tax incentive in 2005.  As a result of this incentive, the Renewable Fuel Standard, and consumer interest, biodiesel is providing significant benefits to the nation.  Domestic biodiesel production supports tens of thousands of jobs.  Replacing traditional diesel with biodiesel reduces emissions and creates cleaner air.  Homegrown biodiesel improves U.S. energy security by diversifying  transportation fuels and reducing dependence on foreign oil.  Biodiesel itself is a diverse fuel that can be produced from a wide array of resources such as recycled cooking oil, soybean and other plant oils, and animal fats.

The text of the Biodiesel Tax Incentive Reform and Extension Act of 2015 is available here.