A USDA-inspected processor in North Carolina serving producers of pasture-raised poultry in six states has suspended operations, citing a lack of capital. Cool Hand Meats of Marion, N.C., began as the Foothills Pilot Plant with funding from a patchwork of USDA, state and local sources before becoming a for-profit business on March 1, said owner Amanda Carter, who also served as general manager of the Foothills project for four years.About $1.2 million was invested over the years with the goal of creating a model for-profit meat-packing plant that would serve local independent farmers. [node:read-more:link]

A bipartisan group of 64 lawmakers in the United States House of Representatives on Wednesday asked U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt to consider what they say are the negative effects of the Renewable Fuel Standard, in a letter sent to Pruitt. Pressure applied to EPA on potential changes to the RFS in recent weeks by Midwest members of Congress, led the agency to back down. This week, the EPA sent the final 2018 renewable volume obligations in the RFS to the Office of Management and Budget.As a result of the agency's actions, Sen. [node:read-more:link]

 The House Republican tax-reform bill would preserve interest expensing for most farmers and would phase out the estate tax, but some producers would lose a tax deduction that their cooperatives pass on to them.  The bill also significantly expands immediate expensing and depreciation provisions that are in current law. However, tax experts say there are other provisions, including new rules for pass-through entities and self-employment taxes, that could offset some of the benefits. [node:read-more:link]

The GOP says its plan is an effort to “fix our broken tax code,” and there can be no doubt that the code is broken. Our fabulously wealthy nation is mysteriously plagued by poverty. More than 40 million Americans currently live in poverty, including 11.5 million children. Over 41 million people live in what the U.S. Department of Agriculture defines as “food insecure households.” Millions of Americans literally could not afford to eat at some point during 2016. [node:read-more:link]

The pioneers of the sustainable farming movement are mourning what they call the downfall of the organic program, following a Wednesday night vote by a group of government farming advisers that could determine the future of the $50 billion organic industry. At issue was whether a booming generation of hydroponic, aquaponic and aeroponic farms — which grow plants in nutrients without using soil, frequently indoors — could continue to sell their produce under the “organic” label.In a series of narrow votes, an advisory board to the U.S. [node:read-more:link]

By a vote of 8 to 7, the National Organic Standards Board on Nov. 1 rejected proposals to make hydroponic and aquaponic production methods prohibited under the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program.The board did vote to make aeroponics a prohibited practice by a vote of 14 in favor of the ban, with one member abstaining. That won’t have an impact on organic supply, Frankel said, as he understands there are no aeroponic operations currently certified as organic. [node:read-more:link]

On November 1st, the National Organic Standards Board finally made a decision on one of the most divisive issues in the organic world: should crops grown in water, containers, or otherwise not in the ground be allowed to call themselves organic? The decision is thus: hydroponic and container gardens will remain eligible for organic certification.This is a debate that’s much more complicated than it seems. [node:read-more:link]

K-Coe Isom, an agricultural accounting and consulting firm,  said there were provisions in the tax bill that would hamper growth for farmers and ranchers and could increase their taxes. These include caps on the interest-expense deduction, scaling back carry-back of losses, the elimination of the Domestic Production Activities Deduction and limits on like-kind exchanges.The tax plan would cap business-interest deductions at 30% of adjusted taxable income. [node:read-more:link]

The Georgia House and the Senate have appointed study committees to examine issues in rural development. Attendance at the meetings has been strong. Rural hospitals top the list. Communities with no healthcare facilities are pretty much dead in the water for economic development.There’s the fear that an existing hospital will close its doors and a community will be perceived as without a future.This has caused local governments to support their hospitals with local tax dollars. [node:read-more:link]

A pair of bills that Republicans say will reduce fraud in food stamp, Medicaid and welfare programs, but Democrats say are misguided, easily passed the House on Wednesday. The goal is “to protect the integrity of the entire SNAP program,” and “get the benefits to people who need them,” Rep. [node:read-more:link]