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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: June 11, 2015
Creator: Greene, Joel L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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2014 Farm Bill Provisions and WTO Compliance

Description: This report briefly describes the relevant World Trade Organization (WTO) rules governing domestic support programs under the Agreement on Agriculture (AoA) and the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (SCM). The report then reviews the current U.S. farm safety net programs in light of their potential for compliance with the AoA and SCM and their potential to affect the success of the current Doha Round of multilateral trade negotiations.
Date: April 22, 2015
Creator: Schnepf, Randy
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: April 20, 2015
Creator: Schnepf, Randy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S. Farm Income Outlook for 2015

Description: This report discusses national net farm income, which is a key indicator of U.S. farm well-being. The outlook for lower net farm income, coupled with record farm wealth, suggests a mixed financial picture heading into 2015 for the agricultural sector as a whole, with substantial regional variation.
Date: February 18, 2015
Creator: Schnepf, Randy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Bee Health: The Role of Pesticides

Description: This report briefly describes recent scientific research and analysis regarding the potential role of pesticides among the factors affecting the health and well-being of bees.
Date: February 17, 2015
Creator: Johnson, Renée & Corn, M. Lynne
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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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: February 6, 2015
Creator: Shields, Dennis A.
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: January 29, 2015
Creator: Greene, Joel L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

U.S.-EU Poultry Dispute on the Use of Pathogen Reduction Treatments (PRTs)

Description: This report highlights the dispute between the U.S. and EU over the use of Pathogen Reduction Treatments (PRTs) during the processing of poultry products. PRT's are antimicrobial rinses--including chlorine dioxide, acidified sodium chlorite, trisodium phosphate, and peroxyacids, among others--that have been approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for use in poultry processing to reduce the amount of microbes on meat.
Date: January 15, 2015
Creator: Johnson, Renée
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Emergency Assistance for Agricultural Land Rehabilitation

Description: This report describes emergency agricultural land assistance programs designed to repair agricultural and forest land following a natural disaster and potentially mitigate future risk. It presents background on the programs--purpose, activities, authority, eligibility requirements, and authorized program funding levels, as well as current congressional issues.
Date: January 5, 2015
Creator: Stubbs, Megan
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

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
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

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
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, 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
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: 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
open access

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
open access

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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