By Mayhah Suri
GMO Labeling Bill Has Been Signed by Obama Nullifying Vermont’s Labeling Law President Barack Obama has signed into law a bill that will require labeling of genetically modified ingredients for the first time. The legislation passed by Congress two weeks ago will require most food packages to carry a text label, a symbol or an electronic code readable by smartphone that indicates whether the food contains genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. The details of this new bill have yet to be worked out. That responsibility falls on the Department of Agriculture, which will have two years to write up the rules. To read the full story visit: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/obama-signs-bill-requiring-labeling-of-gmo-foods/2016/07/29/1f071d66-55d2-11e6-b652-315ae5d4d4dd_story.html
Updated Organic Crop Insurance Publication Available The Risk Management Agency (RMA) has been working to improve the federal crop insurance program to work for organic growers. RMA in 2016 and in 2017 will increase the number of organic crops covered under the program. To assist producers in understanding how crop insurance works for organic growers, Paul Goeringer and Howard Leathers have published an overview to help organic producers understand these changes. The publication is available at http://go.umd.edu/Organic.
Updated Crop Insurance for Maryland Field Crops and Livestock Released Many producers may not understand how the crop insurance program works, typical claims, and the types of commodities covered. To assist producers in understanding many of the basics related to crop insurance, Jay Harper, Penn State University, and Paul Goeringer have updated a popular crop insurance publication, Crop Insurance for Maryland Field Crops and Livestock. To view the publication, see http://go.umd.edu/CIFMFCL
Reminder MPP Signup Ends on Sept. 1 For those dairy producers who have not enrolled yet in MPP and are not participating in the Livestock Gross Margin Dairy program from RMA, Sept. 1 is the date you need to enroll in Margin Protection Program with Farm Service Agency. Although, Sept. 1 is the deadline some members of Congress are pushing USDA to extend that signup period to December 31. To learn more about this and the MPP, click here http://bit.ly/2a7uo4V.
Save the Date- November 18th, Annapolis, Maryland- Second Annual Ag and Environmental Law Conference– more information to come!