Policy Brief – June 25, 2024

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Summary

  • There are Congressional hearings in the Senate Agriculture Committee as well as the House Natural Resource Committee this week that may have Tribal food and agriculture implications. 
  • IFAI published comment template letters for Tribes to help draft official responses to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Tribal Self-Determination Consultations at NCAI Mid-Year Conference earlier this month. Deadlines to submit comments are first week of July. 
  • Check out the Farm Bill Progress Q&A with Kristiana Coutu, IFAI’s Director of Policy, Research and Tribal Governance.  

Key Policy-Related Dates

 

Congressional updates   

Looking Back

There were no Congressional hearings relevant to Tribal food and agriculture last week.  

Looking Ahead

Hearing: Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry– Wednesday, June 26 at 11 a.m. eastern 

Topic: Hearing on the High Plains: Combating Drought with Innovation 

 

Hearing: House Natural Resource Committee- Wednesday, June 26 at 10:15 a.m. eastern 

Topic: Legislative Hearing on: 

  • H.R. 1208 To amend the Act of June 18, 1934, to reaffirm the authority of the Secretary of the Interior to take land into trust for Indian Tribes, and for other purposes; and 
  • H.R. 6180 Poarch Band of Creek Indians Lands Act. 

 

Hearing: House Natural Resource Committee– Wednesday, June 26 at 2:00 p.m. eastern 

Topic: Full Committee Mark Up- H.R. 8790 Fix Our Forests Act 

Nominations

What is the nomination for?  Federal Advisory Committee for Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production  Description:  

  • USDA seeks nominations for four positions on the Federal Advisory Committee for Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production. This 12-member committee is part of USDA’s efforts to increase support for urban agriculture and innovative production.  
  • Members provide input on policy development and help identify barriers to urban agriculture. 

Deadline for submission? July 6, 2024  Where can I submit a nomination?  

  • Nomination packages must be submitted by email to UrbanAgricultureFederalAdvisoryCommittee@usda.gov or postmarked by July 6, 2024. If sent by mail, packages should be addressed to USDA NRCS, Attn: Brian Guse, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Room 4083, Washington, DC 20250. Any interested person or organization may nominate qualified individuals for membership, including self-nominations. For special accommodations, contact Markus Holliday at UrbanAgricultureFederalAdvisoryCommittee@usda.gov.

What is this nomination for? FSA County Committees 

Description: USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) county committees are an important part of the day-to-day operations of FSA. These committees allow grassroots input and location administration of federal farm programs. More than 7,700 dedicated members of the agricultural community serve on FSA county committees across the U.S. The committees are made up of three to 11 members who serve three-year terms. County committees impact the administration of the Farm Service Agency within a community. They help make determinations on programs such as disaster assistance, hiring decisions, and assist with outreach. County committee members can impact producers through their decision-making and help shape the culture of a local FSA office. 

Where can I submit a nomination: Find out where and how to nominate qualified individuals in your FSA Local Administrative Areas (LAA) on FSA’s website here. 

Deadline: Aug. 1, 2024 

Regulatory/Rulemaking Actions:   

Title: Notice of Request for an Extension of a Currently Approved Information Collection re Agency Service Delivery 

  • USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) requests an extension on a currently approved information collection activity about Agency service delivery.  
  • AMS seeks to gather qualitative customer and stakeholder feedback such as information that provides useful insights on perceptions and opinions (not statistical survey) that can be generalized.  
  • The solicitation of feedback will target areas such as: timeliness, appropriateness, accuracy of information, courtesy, efficiency of service delivery, and resolution of issues with service delivery. 
  • Comments must be received by Aug. 12, 2024. 

Posted:  Week of June 17 

Poultry Grower Payment Systems and Capital Improvement Systems 

  • USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) seeks public comments on proposed revisions to its regulations under the Packers and Stockyards Act of 1921.  
  • AMS is proposing amendments such as (1) prohibiting live poultry dealers (LPDs) from discounting or reducing the grower’s rate of compensation based on the grower’s grouping, ranking, or comparison to others; and (2) requiring LPDs to establish and maintain written documentation of their processes for the design and operation of a broiler grower ranking system.  
  • Comments must be received by Aug. 9, 2024. 

Posted: Week of June 10