AG/FDA Blog

By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. I want to cover some trade issues today, but first let’s take a look at our farm economy. It’s better than it was last year – better than it was the year before. $92 billion net income is the forecast. Where is it coming from? The answer according to […]

GSA’s System for Award Management is a comprehensive database of persons excluded from doing business with the federal government. Widely known as the SAM List, most of the people whose names can be found there were debarred or suspended from doing business with the federal government. Debarment and suspension are serious sanctions that prevent persons […]

By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. I have a number of subjects I will put on the table today. I want to open by reporting that I thought the National Association of Farm Broadcasters had an outstanding convention last week in Kansas City. I loved it. Then I went to my farm in Illinois on […]

By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. All we hear about are the trade deals we can’t get completed. Our new agreement with Mexico and Canada (USMCA) sits in limbo without Congressional approval. We withdrew from the newly negotiated Asian trade deal the day President Trump took office. We are still deeply concerned if we […]

In response to requests received from multiple stakeholders, FDA has agreed, in effect, to exercise enforcement discretion relative to the new Nutrition Facts panel (NFP) for six months following the initial January 1, 2020 compliance date. The agency is doing so through a new Question and Answer (Q&A) in the Compliance section of its Industry […]

By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. We are all quite aware that the Ag Industry has had it tough the last 3 or 4 years. Let’s look at what we have experienced. Some of these numbers come from Successful Farming and Top Producers. Look back to 2013, just 6 years ago, when net farm income […]

By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. The meat industry in the U.S. has been shaken by the explosion of fake meat. Go into your favorite fast food restaurant and you can order a burger that’s not meat. It tastes like a hamburger, but it is soybeans and peas and who knows what. Beyond Meat is […]

By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. Last week I was on the farm. Looking out over the fields of corn and soybeans, I couldn’t help but recall how hard it was to get this year’s crop in the ground. We did get some of our corn planted the last week of April and then the […]

By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. I will be on our farm in Illinois later in the week. We haven’t harvested any corn or beans yet, but it is time to get started. When I look out over our fields, I can’t help but think about the roller coaster ride it has been over the […]

By former USDA Secretary John R. Block. Ever since the past administration rewrote the WOTUS (Waters of the U.S.) rule, farmers have complained about the government’s over reach. President Trump has acted. Agriculture Secretary Perdue had this to say- “Repealing the WOTUS rule is a major win for American agriculture. President Trump is making good on […]