Feverish opposition doomed USDA's proposed National Animal Identification System, but the backup plan of 50 state systems isn't likely to provide the rapid traceability needed to head off the worst consequences of contagious animal diseases.
Despite talk of eliminating all farm programs, Iowa Farm Bureau members on Friday voted to defend most programs but proposed eliminating direct payments in exchange for improved risk-management tools.
USDA is trying to comply with a federal court ruling to complete an environmental impact statement for a crop that already has converted 95 percent of production to Roundup Ready seeds, even though a federal judge ruled USDA should not have deregulated the crop.
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