From Washington with Karina Jones is brought to you by BillionAuto.com one of the nation’s largest automotive websites!
Karina Jones is a real-life ranch wife in the Nebraska Sandhills, former Field Director for R-CalfUSA and one of the most highly sought-after speakers in the cattle industry nationwide!
Good day everyone in Farm and Ranch country. An arctic blast is sweeping across much of America. It should be expected to slow those diesel engines hauling grain to town and cattle feeding gains. In a bright spot the feeder calf market has been on fire despite the dropping mercury. We will continue to hold all of our farmers and ranchers in our thoughts as you get through these tough winter days.
When it comes to Farm Bill progress, it looks like Congress is starting off the new year right where they left off in 2023, focusing on other priorities. In a recent event at the Pennsylvania Farm Show, House agriculture committee chairman Glenn (GT) Thompson, R-PA, said that March is the soonest that he can expect to get a farm bill to the House floor. I have seen no promises out of the Senate ag committee on the release of draft legislation. It continues to be the concern in the countryside that if we don’t see the Farm Bill come out of both chambers in the first half of this year, we will like not happen until 2025 when a new Congress settles.
One piece of legislation that is receiving positive vibes from both sides of the aisle is an interest to better help rural America with its lack of childcare. The bipartisan, bicameral Expanding Childcare in Rural America (ECRA) Act of 2023 aims to improve the availability and quality, and lower the cost, of childcare in agricultural and rural communities. In a Marketplace article this week, Layla Soberanis with the National Farmers Union said, “the new attention on rural childcare access is also about “empowering women to be a part of decision making and be a part of farming,” rather than assuming they’ll focus on childcare on the family farm.
With support from the National Farmers Union, the American Farm Bureau Federation and lawmakers from both parties, the Expanding Childcare in Rural America Act is expected to be included in the next farm bill. That legislation would make loans and grants available through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s rural development funds to help childcare centers improve their facilities and hire and train more staff.
Another task facing the USDA is planning for the release of the upcoming 2025 Dietary Guidelines. This body of work will determine the food guidelines for all government nutrition programs including the school lunch program. If you have children or loved ones who are recipients of government nutrition programs or if you are a food commodity producer, there are opportunities for you to weigh in on the shaping of these guidelines. You can visit dietaryguidelines.gov to learn how you can submit public comments and be present on upcoming virtual public meetings, including one coming up January 19.
This week, we celebrated National Milk Day. USDA’s Economic Research Service reports that in 2022, 226.46 billion pounds of milk were produced in the U.S., generating $57.51 billion (source). According to the International Dairy Foods Association, The U.S. dairy industry supports 3.2 million jobs (source).
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Karina ranches with her husband, Marty, and 4 children near Broken Bow, NE. She grew up in western NE, with roots also in southwest SD. The cattle industry and raising kids is her passion.
Tune in Fridays on The Hot Barn Report, where she deep dives into cattle industry issues and highlights industry reforms or listen to Ranch Raised with Karina Jones a slice of daily life on the Jones Ranch.
