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Hemp as an Agricultural Commodity

Description: This report discusses the various industrial uses for hemp, a variety of Cannabis sativa that is of the same plant species as marijuana. It compares hemp with marijuana and discusses global production, legal status, and recent legislative activity.
Date: March 10, 2017
Creator: Johnson, Renée
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

The Federal Food Safety System: A Primer

Description: This report discusses concerns about food safety, the resources required to ensure food safety, and whether federal food safety laws themselves, first enacted in the early 1900s, have kept pace with the significant changes that have occurred in the food production, processing, and marketing sectors since then.
Date: December 16, 2016
Creator: Johnson, Renée
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Revisiting U.S.-Mexico Sugar Agreements

Description: This report discusses negotiations of the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) with the government of Mexico regarding consideration of changes to two sugar suspension agreements made in December 2014.
Date: August 12, 2016
Creator: McMinimy, Mark A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Financing U.S. Agricultural Exports to Cuba

Description: This report discusses a new policy approach toward Cuba that, in part, seeks to reduce the role of long-standing U.S. sanctions on commercial relations with Cuba while also promoting greater engagement and normal relations with the island nation.
Date: June 24, 2016
Creator: McMinimy, Mark A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

U.S. Sugar Program Fundamentals

Description: This report discusses the U.S. sugar program, which is singular among major agricultural commodity programs in that it combines a floor price guarantee with a supply management structure that encompasses both domestic production for human use and sugar imports.
Date: April 6, 2016
Creator: McMinimy, Mark A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

The Role of Local and Regional Food Systems in U.S. Farm Policy

Description: This report provides background information on many of the type of operations engaged in the U.S. local and regional food system. A wide range of farm businesses are involved in local foods, such as direct-to-consumer marketing, farmers' markets, farm-to-school programs, community-supported agriculture,6 community gardens, school gardens, food hubs and market aggregators, kitchen incubators, and mobile slaughter units. This report also highlights some of the available resources within existing … more
Date: February 18, 2016
Creator: Johnson, Renée
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

U.S. Farm Income Outlook for 2016

Description: This report discusses this the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) farm income outlook and its implications. According to USDA's Economic Research Service (ERS), national net farm income--a key indicator of U.S. farm well-being--is forecast at $54.8 billion in 2016, down 3% from last year. The 2016 forecast represents the third consecutive year of decline and would be the lowest since 2002 in both nominal and inflation-adjusted dollars.
Date: February 16, 2016
Creator: Schnepf, Randy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Agriculture and Related Agencies: FY2016 Appropriations

Description: This report discusses the Agriculture appropriations bill for FY 2016, which funds the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) -- except for the Forest Service -- as well as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and, in even-numbered fiscal years, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
Date: October 21, 2015
Creator: Monke, Jim
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

U.S. Agricultural Trade with Cuba: Current Limitations and Future Prospects

Description: This report reviews the current state of agricultural trade between the United States and Cuba, identifies key impediments to expanding bilateral trade in agricultural products and key provisions in the law to which these obstacles are anchored. It also summarizes several of the bills introduced in the 114th Congress that propose to remove specific restrictions that impede trade in agricultural goods or that seek to lift the embargo on Cuba entirely.
Date: October 1, 2015
Creator: McMinimy, Mark A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

U.S. Agricultural Trade with Cuba: Current Limitations and Future Prospects

Description: This report reviews the current state of agricultural trade between the United States and Cuba, identifies key impediments to expanding bilateral trade in agricultural products and key provisions in the law to which these obstacles are anchored. It also summarizes several of the bills introduced in the 114th Congress that propose to remove specific restrictions that impede trade in agricultural goods or that seek to lift the embargo on Cuba entirely.
Date: October 1, 2015
Creator: McMinimy, Mark A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Irrigation in U.S. Agriculture: On-Farm Technologies and Best Management Practices

Description: This report is intended to provide an overview of on-farm irrigation and does not cover storage and conveyance prior to the farm or how irrigation adoption may alter other farm practices, such as the use of fertilizers and pesticides or impacts off-farm (e.g., groundwater and surface water quality concerns).
Date: September 10, 2015
Creator: Stubbs, Megan
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Farm Safety Net Programs: Background and Issues

Description: This report discusses several programs operated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that supplement the income of farmers and ranchers in times of low farm prices and natural disasters. Federal crop insurance, farm programs, and disaster assistance are collectively called the farm safety net.
Date: August 21, 2015
Creator: Shields, Dennis A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Agricultural Biotechnology: Background, Regulation, and Policy Issues

Description: This report discusses the ethical and political issues surrounding contemporary biotechnology. Driving the discussion are inventions such as genetically engineered (GE) crops, which have increased from 3.6 million acres to 143 million acres in the United States. The report also raises concerns about regulations and the adequacy of environmental assessments.
Date: July 28, 2015
Creator: Cowan, Tadlock
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

U.S. Agricultural Trade with Cuba: Current Limitations and Future Prospects

Description: This report reviews the current state of agricultural trade between the United States and Cuba. It identifies key impediments to expanding bilateral trade in agricultural products and key provisions in the law to which these obstacles are anchored, and also considers the potential consequences for trade in agricultural goods if bilateral trade were returned to a more normal footing. It also summarizes several of the bills introduced in the 114th Congress that propose to remove specific restric… more
Date: July 23, 2015
Creator: McMinimy, Mark A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

FY2016 Agriculture and Related Agencies Appropriations: In Brief

Description: This report discusses the Agriculture appropriations bill for fiscal year 2016, which funds the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) -- except for the Forest Service -- as well as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and, in even-numbered fiscal years, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Agriculture appropriations include both mandatory and discretionary spending, however, mandatory amounts are general set by other authorizing laws (such as the farm bill).
Date: July 20, 2015
Creator: Monke, Jim
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Agricultural Research: Background and Issues

Description: This report considers the U.S. Department of Agriculture's program for Research, Education, and Economics (REE). Moreover, the report discusses the amount of funding for the REE and debates the direction of it.
Date: July 13, 2015
Creator: Monke, Jim
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Country-of-Origin Labeling for Foods and the WTO Trade Dispute on Meat Labeling

Description: This report covers the dispute between the U.S with its neighbors, Canada and Mexico, who say that the recent country-of-origin labeling (COOL) system implemented by the U.S. Department of Agriculture is unfair and does not meet its original objectives. This dispute was brought before the WTO dispute panel and found to be valid. The report ends with a discussion of options for the U.S. in regards to modifying COOL to follow WTO rulings.
Date: June 11, 2015
Creator: Greene, Joel L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Conservation Compliance and U.S. Farm Policy

Description: This report provides information about the Conservation Compliance and U.S. Farm Policy. Federal policies and programs have offered voluntary incentives to producers to plan and apply resource-conserving practices on private lands.
Date: May 29, 2015
Creator: Stubbs, Megan
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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