Legislation
Farm Bill, June 2013
June 27 2013
Hello everybody out there in farm country. This radio commentary is brought to you by Monsanto, and John Deere. They are all friends, supporters, and allies of a healthy farm economy and prosperous rural America. Thank you.
And now for today’s commentary—
Last week, I said the farm bill was fighting its way to the finish line. Well, it didn’t make it. In a vote of 234 to 195, agriculture was dealt a stunning defeat.
What happened? Only 21 Democrats voted for the bill. …
Farm Bill 2013
June 13 2013
Hello everybody out there in farm country. This radio commentary is brought to you by Monsanto, and John Deere. They are all friends, supporters, and allies of a healthy farm economy and prosperous rural America. Thank you.
And now for today’s commentary—
Here we are again, trying to get a farm bill passed. We have been operating under an extension of the old bill for the last year. Since I served as Secretary of Agriculture, the Congress has passed a new farm bill every 5 years. Although…
Issues
May 9 2013
Hello everybody out there in farm country. This radio commentary is brought to you by Monsanto, and John Deere. They are all friends, supporters, and allies of a healthy farm economy and prosperous rural America. Thank you.
And now for today’s commentary—
Last week, I talked about the farm bill and prospects for passage. This week, I want to focus on a series of current issues. These are my thoughts:
Immigration Reform – We desperately need to get it done. If we don’t, who’s going to milk the…
Farm Bill
May 2 2013
Hello everybody out there in farm country. This radio commentary is brought to you by Monsanto, and John Deere. They are all friends, supporters, and allies of a healthy farm economy and prosperous rural America. Thank you. And now for today’s commentary—
For more than a year now, the Congress has worked on a new farm bill, in fits and starts, but has never been able to get it together. We are farming now under an extension of the old bill. I think that, at long last, we are positioned to…
Budgets
April 18 2013
Hello everybody out there in farm country. This radio commentary is brought to you by Monsanto, and John Deere. They are all friends, supporters, and allies of a healthy farm economy and prosperous rural America. Thank you.
And now for today’s commentary—
At long last, the U.S. debt is front and center in the spotlight. We had gone 4 years without the Democratic Senate even passing a budget. In that timeframe, the Republican House did their legal obligation by passing budgets each year. Of…
Immigration
April 11 2013
Hello everybody out there in farm country. This radio commentary is brought to you by Monsanto, and John Deere. They are all friends, supporters, and allies of a healthy farm economy and prosperous rural America. Thank you.
And now for today’s commentary—
My issue this week is immigration, but first I want to pay respect to Margaret Thatcher, British Prime Minister for 11 years, who passed away this week. The “Iron Lady” joined with President Reagan in transforming governments in the U.S.,…
Mislabeled Products
February 28 2013
Hello everybody out there in farm country. This radio commentary is brought to you by the Renewable Fuels Association, Monsanto, and John Deere. They are all friends, supporters, and allies of a healthy farm economy and prosperous rural America. Thank you.
And now for today’s commentary—
Mislabeling food products has consumers up in arms in the U.S. and Europe. You can understand the customers’ concerns. Stop at the supermarket and pick up some beef stew. You would be angry to find that it…
The Postal Service
February 14 2013
Hello everybody out there in farm country. This radio commentary is brought to you by the Renewable Fuels Association, Monsanto, and John Deere. They are all friends, supporters, and allies of a healthy farm economy and prosperous rural America. Thank you.
And now for today’s commentary—
Do you know where to look for the poster child of government dysfunction? You don’t have to look very hard. Just look down the street in your little town, in your community. I’m talking about the Postal…
Immigration Reform
January 31 2013
Hello everybody out there in farm country. This radio commentary is brought to you by the Renewable Fuels Association, Monsanto, and John Deere. They are all friends, supporters, and allies of a healthy farm economy and prosperous rural America. Thank you.
And now for today’s commentary—
Let the debate begin. I guess we can’t say elections don’t matter. Republicans lost 70% of the Latino vote in last fall’s election. Suddenly, Republican leadership and Democrat leadership have joined together to…
FDA – Coming To A Farm Near You
January 24 2013
Hello everybody out there in farm country. This is Rick Frank sitting in for John Block. This radio commentary is brought to you by the Renewable Fuels Association, Monsanto, and John Deere. They are all friends, supporters, and allies of a healthy farm economy and prosperous rural America. Thank you.
And now for today’s commentary—
Just last week, marking the second anniversary of Congress’s passage of the Food Safety Modernization Act, FDA proposed comprehensive regulations for the growing,…