by Jim Trezise, President Farm Bill Moves Ahead The Senate and House were both in session this week, and the respective Chairs of both Agriculture Committees—Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Representative Glenn Thompson (R-PA)—seem intent on advancing the massive five-year Farm Bill. President Biden has proposed an increase of 14%, to $30.1 billion, for the … Read more
Idaho has a long history of grape and wine production, with the first vineyards planted in 1864 even before neighboring Oregon and Washington, which have evolved into much larger industries that supply some grapes for some Idaho wineries. The large Snake River Valley AVA, established in 2007, has been joined by two others: Eagle Foothills, … Read more
As I reported last week, the President’s budget proposal includes a 14% boost for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to support the Farm Bill plus additional research. How wise. A few recent developments have reminded me of how research pays off in so many ways, even though it typically takes time to do … Read more
Thanks to the Aloha State, we have direct interstate wine shipping in America today. If you go back almost 40 years, to 1984, the U.S. Supreme Court’s Bacchus decision ruled that giving Hawaiian pineapple wine favorable treatment in terms of excise taxes would be unfair discrimination under the Commerce Clause. That same year, when wine … Read more
Biden Budget and Farm Bill The Biden Administration unveiled its 2024 Budget proposal which, like all of them in any year, is basically DOA in Congress but also a reflection of priorities. In this case, agriculture got a nice boost, up 14% to $30.1 billion for the United States Department of Agriculture to support increased … Read more