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The U.S. Trade Situation for Fruit and Vegetable Products

Description: This report presents recent trends in U.S. fruit and vegetable trade, and highlights some of the factors contributing to these trends. This summary excludes trade data for tree nuts and processed tree nut products. Although not presented here, U.S. exports and imports of tree nuts and processed tree nut products (excluding peanuts) have shown continued increases, with a growing trade surplus of $1.8 billion in 2006.
Date: April 30, 2008
Creator: Johnson, Renée
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Conservation Security Program: Implementation and Current Issues

Description: The Conservation Security Program, authorized in the 2002 farm bill, is a voluntary program providing financial and technical assistance for within selected watersheds. This report contains information on the background of the program and related issues for congress.
Date: April 24, 2008
Creator: Cowen, Tadlock
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S. Food and Agricultural Imports: Safeguards and Selected Issues

Description: The report provides background information in the increase of food and agricultural imports and federal oversight responsibilities. It discusses international trade considerations, import refusals by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), administration, and legislative proposals.
Date: April 16, 2008
Creator: Becker, Geoffrey S.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Animal Identification: Overview and Issues

Description: Livestock industry groups, animal health officials, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture have been working to establish a nationwide identification system capable of quickly tracking animals from birth to slaughter, in order to combat a serious animal disease and/or to satisfy foreign market specifications. Some consumer groups are among those who believe animal identification also would be useful for food safety or retail labeling purposes. Some producers oppose new programs, fearing they wi… more
Date: April 26, 2007
Creator: Becker, Geoffrey S.
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: April 11, 2007
Creator: Copeland, Claudia
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Animal Agriculture: 2007 Farm Bill Issues

Description: With a few exceptions (such as milk), the products of animal agriculture are not eligible for the price and income supports that Congress historically has written into farm bills for major row crops such as grains, cottons, and oilseeds. However, the meat and poultry industries do look to the federal government for leadership and support in prompting their exports, resolving trade disputes, and reassuring markets that their products are safe, of high quality, and disease free. Farm bills can co… more
Date: April 11, 2007
Creator: Becker, Geoffrey S.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Soil and Water Conservation: An Overview

Description: This report discusses soil and water conservation topics, which are prominent in discussions of policy options for the next farm bill. Two omnibus conservation proposals have been introduced (H.R. 1551 and H.R. 1600), and many interest groups continue to offer policy recommendations ranging from general concepts to specific legislative language.
Date: April 10, 2007
Creator: Zinn, Jeffrey A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S.-Canada Wheat Trade Dispute

Description: This report provides background for understanding the U.S. and Canadian wheat trade dispute, as well as timelines, rulings, and other details for the International Trade Commission (ITC) and World Trade Organization (WTO) cases brought by the United States against Canadian wheat trading practices and the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB).
Date: April 19, 2006
Creator: Schnepf, Randy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Exempting Food and Agriculture Products from U.S. Economic Sanctions: Status and Implementation

Description: Falling agricultural exports and declining commodity prices led farm groups and agribusiness firms to urge the 106th Congress to pass legislation exempting foods and agricultural commodities from U.S. economic sanctions against certain countries. In completing action on the FY2001 agriculture appropriations bill, Congress codified the lifting of unilateral sanctions on commercial sales of food, agricultural commodities, medicine, and medical products to Iran, Libya, North Korea, and Sudan, and … more
Date: April 18, 2006
Creator: Jurenas, Remy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Pigford Case: USDA Settlement of a Discrimination Suit by Black Farmers

Description: This report highlights some of the events that led up to the Pigford class action suit and outlines the structure of the settlement agreement. It also discusses the number of claims reviewed, denied, and awarded, and some of the issues raised by various parties.
Date: April 18, 2006
Creator: Vina, Stephen R. & Cowan, Tadlock
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Agriculture Conservation Programs: A Scorecard

Description: This report provides basic information on several agriculture conservation programs, primarily drawn from agency budget presentations and websites, about each program using a consistent format. This information should help respond to basic questions and resolve many common sources of confusion about the purposes of the program, program participation and policy topics.
Date: April 10, 2006
Creator: Zinn, Jeffrey & Cowan, Tadlock
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Agricultural Issues in the 109th Congress

Description: This report discusses a number of issues affecting U.S. agriculture have been or are being addressed by the 109th Congress. The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-171), enacted in February 2006, included a net reduction in spending on U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) mandatory programs of $2.7 billion over five years, and the reauthorization of a dairy income support program. Other issues of importance to agriculture during the second session of the 109th Congress include the consider… more
Date: April 7, 2006
Creator: Chite, Ralph M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Emergency Funding for Agriculture: A Brief History of Supplemental Appropriations, FY1989-FY2006

Description: From FY1989 through FY2006, 33 appropriations, authorization, or farm disaster acts added approximately $55.4 billion in supplemental funding for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs. The two most recent supplemental appropriations were provided in response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the Gulf of Mexico and in preparation for a possible U.S. outbreak of avian influenza. Some FY1989, the vast majority of the total supplemental funding has been paid directly to farmers, primarily … more
Date: April 3, 2006
Creator: Chite, Ralph M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Farm Labor: The Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR)

Description: American agricultural employers have long utilized foreign workers on a temporary basis, regarding them as an important labor resource. At the same time, the relatively low wages and adverse working conditions of such workers have caused them to be viewed as a threat to domestic American workers. Some have argued that foreign guest workers compete unfairly with U.S. workers — both in terms of compensation that they are willing to accept and by making it somewhat more difficult for domestic work… more
Date: April 14, 2005
Creator: Whittaker, William G.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Agricultural Export and Food Aid Programs

Description: This report discusses projected agricultural imports and exports for FY2005, as well as legislation that deals with federal programs in support of agricultural exports and federal aid dedicated to farms and agricultural reform.
Date: April 11, 2005
Creator: Hanrahan, Charles E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Dairy Policy Issues

Description: This report gives an overview of Dairy policy issues and the contents include Dairy forward pricing pilot program, Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC) payments, Milk protein concentrate trade issues, and dairy price support program
Date: April 8, 2005
Creator: Chite, Ralph M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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