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Agriculture in the WTO Bali Ministerial Agreement

Description: At the World Trade Organization's (WTO's) Ninth Ministerial Conference in Bali, Indonesia, December 3-7, 2013, ministers adopted the so-called Bali Package--a series of decisions aimed at streamlining trade (referred to as trade facilitation), allowing developing countries more options for providing food security, boosting least-developed-country trade, and helping development more generally. This report focuses on those aspects of the Bali Package that deal with and are specific to agriculture… more
Date: November 13, 2014
Creator: Schnepf, Randy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Bee Health: Background and Issues for Congress

Description: Bees, both commercially managed honey bees and wild bees, play an important role in global food production. In the United States alone, the value of insect pollination to U.S. agricultural production is estimated at $16 billion annually, of which about three-fourths is attributable to honey bees. Worldwide, the contribution of bees and other insects to global crop production for human food is valued at about $190 billion. Given the importance of honey needs and other bee species to food product… more
Date: November 3, 2014
Creator: Johnson, Renée & Corn, M. Lynne
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Farm Safety Net: In Brief

Description: This report discusses the 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. The programs are collectively called the farm safety net.
Date: October 21, 2014
Creator: Shields, Dennis A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Agriculture in the WTO: Rules and Limits on Domestic Support

Description: This report provides a brief overview of the World Trade Organization (WTO) commitments most relevant for U.S. domestic farm policy. The report discusses a key question that policy makers ask of virtually every new farm proposal is, how will it affect U.S. commitments under the WTO? The answer depends not only on cost, but also on the proposal's design and objectives, as described below.
Date: September 18, 2014
Creator: Schnepf, Randy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Air Quality Issues and Animal Agriculture: EPA’s Air Compliance Agreement

Description: This report discusses a plan announced by EPA in January 2005, called the Air Compliance Agreement, that would produce air quality monitoring data on animal agriculture emissions from a small number of farms, while at the same time protecting all participants (including farms where no monitoring takes place) through a “safe harbor” from liability under certain provisions of federal environmental laws.
Date: August 18, 2014
Creator: Copeland, Claudia
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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What Is the Farm Bill?

Description: This report describes the Farm Bill (P.L. 110-246, Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, which was enacted into law on June 18, 2008.
Date: July 23, 2014
Creator: Johnson, Renée & Monke, Jim
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Environmental Regulation and Agriculture

Description: This report provides the background, status, and issues related to selected environmental regulations or initiatives possibly affecting agriculture that have drawn attention in and beyond Congress.
Date: June 16, 2014
Creator: Stubbs, Megan
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Conservation Compliance and U.S. Farm Policy

Description: This report discusses various provisions designed to reduce production and conserve soil and water resources. Many of the provisions remain in effect today, including the two compliance provisions--highly erodible land conservation (sodbuster) and wetland conservation (swampbuster).
Date: June 9, 2014
Creator: Stubbs, Megan
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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What Is the Farm Bill?

Description: This report discusses the farm bill, which is an omnibus, multi-year piece of authorizing legislation that governs an array of agricultural and food programs.
Date: April 7, 2014
Creator: Johnson, Renée & Monke, Jim
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Farm Commodity Provisions in the 2014 Farm Bill (P.L. 113-79)

Description: This report describes the farm commodity programs in Title I of the 2014 farm bill for "covered commodities" such as wheat, corn, soybeans, rice, and peanuts. Producer support is provided for the 2014-2018 crop years primarily through either statutory ("reference") prices or historical revenue guarantees based on the five most recent years of crop prices and yields.
Date: March 28, 2014
Creator: Shields, Dennis A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Geographical Indications in U.S.-EU Trade Negotiations

Description: This report covers Geographical indications (GIs) which are geographical names that act to protect the quality and reputation of a distinctive product originating in a certain region. The term is most often, although not exclusively, applied to wines, spirits, and agricultural products. In the United States, many food manufacturers view the use of such common or traditional names as generic terms, and view the EU's protection of its registered GIs as a way to monopolize the use of certain wine … more
Date: March 28, 2014
Creator: Johnson, Renée
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The 2014 Farm Bill (Agricultural Act of 2014, P.L. 113-79)

Description: This report briefly informs the reader about what the Farm Bill of 2014 is, what is at stake, and the cost of it. The report also includes information about the involvement of interest groups and the effect the Farm Bill has on food issues.
Date: March 12, 2014
Creator: Johnson, Renée & Monke, Jim
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

What Is the Farm Bill?

Description: This report describes the Farm Bill (P.L. 110-246, Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008), which was enacted into law on June 18, 2008.
Date: March 12, 2014
Creator: Johnson, Renée
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Agriculture and Related Agencies: FY2014 and FY2013 (Post-Sequestration) Appropriations

Description: This report considers the Agriculture and Related Agencies appropriations bill. Moreover, the report includes a list of the largest discretionary items that add up to 20.88 billion. The list includes information on the budgets of agricultural research, rural development, and the FDA.
Date: March 10, 2014
Creator: Monke, Jim
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Status of the WTO Brazil-U.S. Cotton Case

Description: This report provides a description and status report on Brazil's challenge to certain aspects of the U.S. cotton program under the rules of the World Trade Organization's (WTO's) dispute settlement process in case DS267.
Date: February 21, 2014
Creator: Schnepf, Randy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The 2014 Farm Bill (P.L. 113-79): Summary and Side-by-Side

Description: This report provides various summaries of the 2014 Farm Bill such as but not limited to: conservation, trade, and nutrition. The report also describes the insurance and disaster relief provisions implemented within the bill. The report also summarizes the budgetary philosophy when constructing the bill and the estimated cost of it.
Date: February 12, 2014
Creator: Chite, Ralph M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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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: January 28, 2014
Creator: Jurenas, Remy & Greene, Joel L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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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: January 28, 2014
Creator: Jurenas, Remy & Greene, Joel L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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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: January 17, 2014
Creator: Johnson, Renée
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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