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Farm Bill Focus Shifts to 2024 as Congress Avoids Government Shutdown
Tuesday evening, the House of Representatives passed a funding measure that would keep the government open into January 2024. The continuing resolution also includes a provision that would extend the Farm Bill through September of 2024 effectively cutting off any fear that Farm Bill programs will expire completely before Congress is able to pass a new Farm Bill. The measure passed 336-95 with 127 Republicans and over 209 democrats voting in favor. The funding resolution contains two separate funding deadlines, one in January and another in February. Georgia Reps. Rick Allen, Sanford Bishop, Buddy Carter, Drew Ferguson, Hank Johnson, Barry Loudermilk, Lucy McBath, Rich McCormick, Austin Scott, David Scott, and Nikema Williams all voted to pass the resolution.
Late Wednesday evening, the Senate passed the funding measure by a 87-11 margin. The measure is headed to President Biden’s desk where his signature will finalize the process of avoiding a government shutdown and extending the 2018 Farm Bill.
Our E-News has featured several stories on the fight over the USDA and FDA appropriations bill. This bill is a different piece of legislation from the Farm Bill and would fund the operations of the USDA and FDA while also directing certain policy decisions for both agencies. With the House’s C.R., USDA and FDA will be funded until January 19, 2024.
Georgia Recorder: US House Passes Stopgap Spending Bill
AgWeek: Farm Bill Extension Goes to President Biden’s Desk
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EPD Considers Modifications to LAS Large and LAS Medium Permits
All LAS permit holders in Georgia should have received an email from Georgia EPD this week announcing the agency’s review of the General LAS-Large and Medium Permits. Both permits are due for renewal on March 31, 2024, and EPD has proposed a series of changes to the permits.
These changes are a preliminary draft and official public notice on the final rule will follow any discussions with stakeholders. The official public notice will also include a 30-day comment period.\
The proposed changes for both Large and Medium Permits include:
- Revising Section 1.C.1 to clarify the NOI differences for general and individual permitholders.
- Updated the NMP approval date to April 1, 2019.
- Adding a requirement that permittees file a semi-annual progress report when reporting the cessation of operations until the closure is certified.
- Revising the definition of an “animal unit” to align with the Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia (391-3-6.21).
The following change has been proposed for LAS Large permits:
- Adding clarification that monitoring wells are required for all operations commencing or expanding on or after September 15, 2003.
EPD will host virtual stakeholder meetings on December 6 (9:00 AM) and December 12 (2:00 PM) for interested parties to provide feedback on the proposed changes. Email gaepd.wrp@dnr.ga.gov to RSVP and receive the meeting information. EPD will also accept written comments to be submitted to the same email address until December 13, 2023.
Draft Permit - LAS LARGE
DRAFT PERMIT - LAS MEDIUM
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Dairy Is a Staple In Spite of Inflation
Below is an excerpt from an article by National Milk Producers Federation’s Allison Wilton that ran originally on Hoard’s Dairyman.
“In 2022, consumers started to really take notice of rising grocery and food costs. Prices for goods across all categories, not just dairy, were starting to climb more than usual due to several factors, including the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and international supply chain disruptions. Inflation reached a peak in summer of 2022, and though it has eased slightly since, prices are still significantly higher compared to three years ago.
"Grocery and food items were some of the most prevalent and hardest hit areas by inflation, and dairy products were not immune. The price of dairy in food and beverage stores rose by more than 15% in 2022 compared to 2021, the highest jump in prices of all categories. The value of dairy sales grew significantly in 2022. Even so, and although this can partially be attributed to the higher prices, the growth in dairy sales (up 14.7%) outpaced that of non-dairy categories (8.3% greater).
"Additionally, though all categories’ volume fell, the volume of dairy products sold fell less than that of non-dairy products. In other words: even though dairy had higher inflation rates, the slide in volume sold was less than the dip of other food and beverage categories. Shoppers were continuing to put dairy products in their cart despite the higher prices. That’s a testament to the dairy’s place as a dietary staple for many around the country and the world.”
To read Allison’s full article on dairy demand and inflation impacts on dairy sales, check out Hoard’s Dairyman
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Queen Latifah Reminds You It's "OK2MILK"
In a new social media campaign from MilkPep, Queen Latifah highlights the (comically absurd) stories of 3 people who were bullied for drinking milk. This funny video pokes fun at the ridiculousness of groups who try to shame others from drinking milk.
Like the Wood Milk campaign from earlier this year, this campaign also includes a charitable element. You can purchase OK2MILK apparel online at OK2MILK.org and support the Stomp Out Bullying initiative which works to reduce and prevent bullying and cyberbullying.
The campaign also include a 1-888 hotline featuring Queen Latifah where you can call for “helpful advice” on how to handle “milk shaming.”
AD AGE: Watch Queen Latifah Take on Milk Shaming in Dairy Industry Ad
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