Ag Headlines, Monday, September 28, 2015

Vilsack: Boehner Resignation Likely Stops Shutdown, But Not Before Food Stamp Delays

The resignation of House Speaker John Boehner should allow passage of a continuing resolution by Wednesday. However, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack says there’s not enough certainty that food stamp benefits won’t be disrupted. Vilsack said USDA had notified states that it does not have enough money in the food stamp account to provide a month’s worth of benefits on October first. He said the states should tell vendors not to load the benefits onto the electronic benefit cards. Senate Agriculture Committee ranking member Debbie Stabenow said recently Congress needs to pass a spending bill by Monday to avoid the disruption in SNAP benefit delivery. Before commenting on the food stamp issue, Vilsack noted that even though he had sometimes disagreed with Boehner, the speaker had “dedicated a good part of his life to public service” at a time when it was not easy to be speaker, and that he wishes Boehner well, according to the Hagstrom Report.

Swine Health Information Center Launches Website

The Swine Health Information Center has launched a website to provide the latest information about emerging diseases that threaten the health of the U.S. swine herd. The site is available to help veterinarians, pork producers, researchers and others with an interest in the health of pigs stay up-to-date. The site offers developments in monitoring and managing diseases. The site will also have detailed information about specific emerging diseases. The Swine Health Information Center is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to improving non-regulatory disease preparedness, according to the website. Find the Swine Health Information Center online at  http://www.swinehealth.org

USTR to host TPP Ministers in Atlanta

U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman’s office will host trade ministers Wednesday and Thursday to further talks on the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The TPP chief negotiators will meet on Saturday to Tuesday, also in Atlanta. The announcement is a signal that the meeting may result in a final agreement, according to the Hagstrom Report. U.S. trade officials have said after a July meeting in Hawaii that ministers should not meet again until they are ready to finalize the deal. Representative Froman’s office said negotiators have been making good progress toward resolving the limited number of outstanding issues.

NAFB News