Congressional Research Service Reports - 15 Matching Results

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Farm Bills: Major Legislative Actions, 1965-2018

Description: This report examines the major legislative milestones for the last 11 farm bills covering 53 years and illustrates trends that may provide useful background and context as the current farm bill debate proceeds.
Date: September 21, 2018
Creator: Monke, Jim
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Energy Provisions in the 2014 Farm Bill (P.L. 113-79): Status and Funding

Description: This report focuses on those policies contained in the 2014 farm bill that support agriculture-based renewable energy, especially biofuels. The introductory sections of this report briefly describe how USDA bioenergy policies evolved and how they fit into the larger context of U.S. biofuels policy. Then, each of the bioenergy provisions of the 2014 farm bill are defined in terms of their function, goals, administration, funding, and implementation status. In an appendix at the end of this repo… more
Date: September 21, 2017
Creator: Bracmort, Kelsi
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Farm Bill Programs Without a Budget Baseline Beyond FY2018

Description: This report discusses the 2014 farm bill, which contains 39 programs that received mandatory funding that do not have baseline beyond FY2018. These programs had estimated mandatory spending totaling $2.824 billion over the five-year farm bill.
Date: July 21, 2017
Creator: Monke, Jim
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

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

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

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
open access

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
open access

What Is the Farm Bill?

Description: Report that describes the Farm Bill (P.L. 110-246, "2008 farm bill"), the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, which was enacted into law on June 18, 2008. It discusses the most recent Congressional Budget Office (CBO) "baseline" budget (May 2013
Date: June 21, 2013
Creator: Johnson, Renée & Monke, Jim
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Hemp as an Agricultural Commodity

Description: This report discusses the various industrial uses for Hemp, a variety of Cannabis sativa and is of the same plant species as marijuana. The report compares Hemp with Marijuana and discusses global production, legal status, and recent legislative activity.
Date: March 21, 2013
Creator: Johnson, Renée
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

U.S. and EU Agricultural Support: Overview and Comparison

Description: This report uses data from two public sources to compare agricultural support between the United States and the European Union (EU): (1) estimates of domestic support for agricultural programs based on World Trade Organization (WTO) notifications; and (2) the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's (OECD's) country-level policy database. Each of these data sources uses a slightly different metric to evaluate agricultural support. The report includes an overview of farm programs… more
Date: March 21, 2011
Creator: Schnepf, Randy & Hanrahan, Charles E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Food Safety on the Farm: Federal Programs and Selected Proposals

Description: This report discusses comprehensive food safety bills that are progressing in the 111th Congress and could affect farmers and ranchers. Interest in on-farm practices was renewed after more than 1,300 persons in 43 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada were found to be infected with the same unusual strain of bacteria (Salmonella Saintpaul) in April-July 2008.
Date: April 21, 2010
Creator: Becker, Geoffrey S.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

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, intended to 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: January 21, 2009
Creator: Copeland, Claudia
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Animal Waste and Hazardous Substances: Current Laws and Legislative Issues

Description: This report describes the provisions of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA, the Superfund law) and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA), and enforcement actions under these laws that have increasingly been receiving attention. Congressional scrutiny in the form of legislative proposals and two House hearings are discussed. Bills intended to exempt animal manure from the requirements of Superfund and EPCRA were introduced i… more
Date: January 21, 2009
Creator: Copeland, Claudia
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Farm Product "Check-Off" Programs: A Constitutional Analysis

Description: This report begins with a brief introduction to check-off programs and then describes many of the First Amendment principles that have been discussed in checkoff cases. Next is an analysis of the first two challenges that reached the Supreme Court, as well as a brief discussion of subsequent lower court decisions. This report concludes with a discussion of Johanns v. Livestock Marketing Association and its possible implications for check-off programs.
Date: June 21, 2005
Creator: Vina, Stephen R
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Grazing Fees: An Overview

Description: This report briefly discusses charging fees for grazing private livestock on federal lands, which is a long-standing but contentious practice. Generally, livestock producers who use federal lands want to keep fees low, while conservation groups and others believe fees should be raised to approximate "fair market value."
Date: May 21, 1996
Creator: Cody, Betsy A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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