Congressional Research Service Reports - 76 Matching Results

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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
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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
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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
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Agriculture and Related Agencies: FY2015 Appropriations

Description: This report discusses various policy aspects of the Agriculture appropriations bill for FY2015, which funds the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), except for the Forest Service.
Date: October 22, 2014
Creator: Monke, Jim
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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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: October 11, 2013
Creator: Johnson, Renée & Monke, Jim
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Agriculture and Related Agencies: FY2012 Appropriations

Description: This report considers the Agriculture and Related Agencies appropriations bill. The report compares and contrasts the Senate and House versions of the bill in terms of budgeting.
Date: October 7, 2011
Creator: Monke, Jim
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Agriculture in Pending U.S. Free Trade Agreements with South Korea, Colombia, and Panama

Description: This report discusses pending U.S. free trade agreements (FTAs) with South Korea, Colombia, and Panama. The bills to implement these agreements will now be debated under trade promotion authority, or fast-track rules, designed to expedite congressional consideration. The report includes an overview of agricultural issues regarding FTAs and pending FTA partners, as well as a closer breakdown of the specific issues for each of the countries.
Date: October 6, 2011
Creator: Jurenas, Remy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Farm Safety Net Proposals for the 2012 Farm Bill

Description: This report discusses three proposals-one by the National Cotton Council, one by Representative Neugebauer, and another by a private crop insurance company-focus on modifications to crop insurance programs. The National Farmers Union proposes to replace existing farm programs with a combination of farmer-owned-reserves, increased loan rates, and set asides. A proposed new dairy program-the Dairy Security Act-would provide a voluntary margin insurance program and market stabilization activities … more
Date: October 6, 2011
Creator: Shields, Dennis A. & Schnepf, Randy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Biomass: Comparison of Definitions in Legislation Through the 111th Congress

Description: This report discusses the use of biomass as an energy feedstock, which is emerging as a potentially viable alternative to address U.S. energy security concerns, foreign oil dependence, rural economic development, and diminishing sources of conventional energy. Biomass (organic matter that can be converted into energy) may include food crops, crops for energy (e.g., switchgrass or prairie perennials), crop residues, wood waste and byproducts, and animal manure. This report discusses legislation … more
Date: October 28, 2010
Creator: Bracmort, Kelsi & Gorte, Ross W.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Agricultural Disaster Assistance

Description: This report has two sections. The first provides an overview of the current U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) disaster assistance programs: federal crop insurance, NAP payments, emergency disaster loans, the new Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments Program (SURE), and four other smaller disaster programs authorized in the 2008 farm bill. The second section reviews the recent history of emergency supplemental farm disaster assistance.
Date: October 25, 2010
Creator: Shields, Dennis A. & Chite, Ralph M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Agriculture-Based Biofuels: Overview and Emerging Issues

Description: This report reviews the evolution of the U.S. biofuels sector and the role that federal policy has played in shaping its development. In addition, it highlights emerging issues that are critical to the biofuels sector and of relevance to Congress.
Date: October 14, 2010
Creator: Schnepf, Randy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Actual Farm Bill Spending and Cost Estimates

Description: This report discusses the budget for the 2008 Farm Bill, and its reauthorization. Moreover, the report discusses the increasing level of demand for fiscal constraint and the current large budget deficits.
Date: October 7, 2010
Creator: Monke, Jim & Johnson, Renée
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Broadband Loan and Grant Programs in the USDA’s Rural Utilities Service

Description: Given the large potential impact broadband access may have on the economic development of rural America, concern has been raised over a "digital divide" between rural and urban or suburban areas with respect to broadband deployment. While there are many examples of rural communities with state of the art telecommunications facilities, recent surveys and studies have indicated that, in general, rural areas tend to lag behind urban and suburban areas in broadband deployment. This report provides … more
Date: October 7, 2010
Creator: Kruger, Lennard G.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Food Safety on the Farm: Federal Programs and Legislative Action

Description: In recent years, major outbreaks of foodborne illnesses, product recalls, and reports about unsafe food imports have caused some to question the adequacy of the U.S. food safety system. Stakeholders appear to agree that an optimal system should encompass a comprehensive, preventive approach to food safety, focusing on those foods and points in the food system that pose the greatest public health risks, starting at the point of production - that is, on farms and ranches. This report discusses di… more
Date: October 5, 2010
Creator: Johnson, Renée
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Dairy Market and Policy Issues

Description: The contents of this report detail the information related to U.S dairy market situation, current policies, and current regulatory issues.
Date: October 7, 2009
Creator: Shields, Dennis A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Broadband Loan and Grant Programs in the USDA’s Rural Utilities Service

Description: Given the large potential impact broadband access may have on the economic development of rural America, concern has been raised over a "digital divide" between rural and urban or suburban areas with respect to broadband deployment. While there are many examples of rural communities with state of the art telecommunications facilities, recent surveys and studies have indicated that, in general, rural areas tend to lag behind urban and suburban areas in broadband deployment. This report provides … more
Date: October 6, 2009
Creator: Kruger, Lennard G.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Federal Farm Promotion ("Check-off") Programs

Description: The U.S. Supreme Court in 2005 affirmed the constitutionality of the so-called beef check-off program, one of the 18 generic promotion programs for agricultural products that are now active nationally. Supporters view check-offs as economically beneficial self-help activities that need minimal government involvement or taxpayer funding. Producers, handlers, and/or importers are required to pay an assessment, usually deducted from revenue at time of sale - thus the name check-off. However, some … more
Date: October 20, 2008
Creator: Becker, Geoffrey S.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Measuring and Monitoring Carbon in the Agricultural and Forestry Sectors

Description: Proposals to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases often include the use of forestry and agricultural practices and lands for carbon sequestration. However, uncertainty about the accuracy of measuring carbon from these activities has led some to question this potential. Basic approaches for measuring forest and agricultural carbon include on-site measurement; indirect measurement from off-site tools; and estimation using models or inferences. Because of challenges associ… more
Date: October 6, 2008
Creator: Gorte, Ross W. & Johnson, Renée
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The 2008 Farm Bill: Major Provisions and Legislative Action

Description: The report discusses the 2008 farm bill (H.R. 2419), covering a wide range of programs including The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, farm credit, agricultural conservation, research, rural development, and foreign and domestic food programs, among others.
Date: October 3, 2008
Creator: Johnson, Renée; Becker, Geoffrey S.; Capehart, Tom; Chite, Ralph M.; Cowan, Tadlock; Gorte, Ross W. et al.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Agricultural Exports and the 2007 Farm Bill

Description: This report assesses 2007 farm bill trade title provisions for U.S. agricultural export programs. Moreover, the report considers the modifications made to both the Senate and House of Representatives version of the bill to meet World Trade Organization (WTO) regulations.
Date: October 31, 2007
Creator: Hanrahan, Charles E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Agriculture-Based Renewable Energy Production

Description: This report discusses federal programs on agriculture-based renewable energy and how people associated with agriculture have reacted. Moreover, the report discusses how this reaction has been positive and taken the form of an increase in ethanol production along with wind energy.
Date: October 16, 2007
Creator: Schnepf, Randy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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