BUFFALO – Now that Election Day has come and gone, ag communities and their advocates are hoping that Congress can come together to pass an updated farm bill by the end of this year. Typically updated every five years, the latest iteration of the legislation that governs most of the nation’s agriculture and food policies dates back to 2018. Politics have stalled a new farm bill since last year, and a one-year extension on the current bill expired on Sept. 30. The farm bill funds programs related to conservation, disaster assistance, crop insurance, food security and more. Because it’s such a large legislative package, lawmakers are currently at an impasse over the exorbitant price tag – expected to top $1.5 trillion – as well as what priorities are highlighted in the bill. In Johnson County and other ag communities, the stall puts federal agricultural programs in limbo. Allison McKenzie, district conservationist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, said that despite the uncertainty, her office is still moving forward with signups and funding applications for the coming year. “Even though we don’t have a farm bill, Congress has given us funds and we’ve gotten an allocation to move forward for this next year,” she said. “We’re still working on 2018 farm bill rules. Luckily, we still have programs available.” Where the farm bill comes to bear on Wyomingites is largely the voluntary conservation programs and the overall security of the U.S. food system. Locally, a conservation working group composed of local, state and federal agency officials meets annually to discuss priorities for farm bill dollars. McKenzie said at the local working group meeting in May that the county office obligated $1.3 million in project funding last year for 45 applications. Producers can apply for funding through several programs, including the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and the Conservation Stewardship Program. The bill also impacts forestry programs, noted Wyoming State Forester Kelly Norris. “Having an updated and new farm bill, that included proposed changes to Good Neighbor Authority, provides more funding to Joint Chiefs, and modernizing the Volunteer Fire Assistance program are very important tools that can improve our efficiencies and effectiveness to getting more good work and protection done on-the-ground,” Norris wrote in an email. “Not having an updated farm bill is making it harder and harder to expand the Good Neighbor Authority program, as there are too many unknowns with where the program will go in the near future.” Zach Byram, Clear Creek Conservation District manager, is part of the local conservation working group. The conservation district works closely with NRCS and can help fund producers’ portion of federal cost-share programs. “If there’s no farm bill, there’s no EQIP programs, and if there’s no EQIP programs, these producers are out the opportunity to receive up to $450,000 – that’s a significant amount of money,” Byram said. “They’re missing out on the opportunity to do a large-scale project that, when planned and designed correctly, can have significant positive impacts on natural resources.” Brett Moline, the Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation’s director of public and governmental affairs, said that even an extension of the 2018 bill leaves producers with some uncertainty, considering inflation has driven up prices in the past six years and federal assistance hasn’t kept up. The American Farm Bureau Federation in a blog post noted that the dollar is now worth 80% of its 2018 value. A more consistent schedule is also important for producers as natural-resource- specific projects – prescribed grazing, for example – take several years to complete, Moline said. “That’s one of our frustrations, we’re not getting things done so we’re doing it year by year,” he said. “A lot of times, you’ll want to do those projects in five-year increments. For example, putting in a pipeline, you don’t do it all in one year, you do a little at a time. If you have a five-year project and got two years done and they don’t continue funding, well, whoops.” According to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, extensions on the farm bill used to be rare but have occurred during three of the past four reauthorizations. Republican lawmakers control the House Agriculture Committee, while Democrats control the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, leaving the farm bill at the center of the political parties’ strife. Lawmakers in both chambers returned to Washington last week to hash out both this legislation and appropriations bills. Moline said that the politics associated with the farm bill, which was established to maintain food security in the U.S., are frustrating. “When one bill has 600 topics on it, how do you know if it’s good or bad?” he said. “That’s what I love about Wyoming’s legislative system, is single topic bills. The farm bill is what riders you get on it that makes it politically viable. That’s more of a systematic frustration that the system doesn’t work.” None of Wyoming’s three congressional delegates are part of either the House or Senate ag committees. In statements provided to the Bulletin, Rep. Harriet Hageman, Sen. John Barrasso and Sen. Cynthia Lummis, all Republicans, emphasized the need for a new farm bill. “Anyone from an ag state like Wyoming knows you plan ahead, not behind,” Hageman said. “Our ag producers are severely constrained in their planning if they do not know what programs will ultimately be authorized. Congress passes a lot of nonsensical bills; we should be able to pass one that is so important to our food supply.” While Wyoming and Johnson County lack crops that are such a large concern in the farm bill, Moline said that producers here are concerned with the crop market in Midwestern states due to implications for the country’s food system. “We have to remember we don’t raise any beef in this state – we raise beef cattle. They have to go somewhere else to get fed,” Moline siad. “We need corn that’s grown in Iowa, Kansas, Illinois; we need that to take our cattle to beef. If one part of the system falls down, the whole system breaks. It’s important to Wyoming to have a stable, reliable crop system so we know we can get our animals fed.” Jim Magagna, executive vice president of the Wyoming Stockgrowers Association, agreed that while crop-producing states have more at stake when it comes to the farm bill, “that doesn’t mean it’s unimportant” locally. He pointed out that the farm bill also funds disaster assistance, which several Wyoming counties, including Johnson, will benefit from after wildland fires burned thousands of acres of private land this year. “When Congress gets back in session here after the election, they’re going to have to pass a new farm bill, which is what we’d like to see so we get some updated provisions,” Magagna said. “I’ll be pessimistic until I can see that it’s happened.” Get any of our free email newsletters — news headlines, sports, arts & entertainment, state legislature, CFD news, and more.10jili app 。

None

Black Monday is still a few weeks out, but Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated’s “Monday Morning Quarterback” is already predicting a pretty grim day. During an appearance Tuesday on “The Dan Patrick Show,” the NFL insider suggested there could be seven to 10 head coaching openings following the 2024 season, with the Jets’ Robert Saleh and the Saints’ Dennis Allen being fired mid-year. “We have two, we have the Saints and the Jets, I think we can agree the Jags are sort of fait accompli, so that’s three, Dallas looks like it’s going that way, that’s four. So now, you only need three more so, I think it’s somewhere between seven and 10,” Breer said. “I don’t think it’s going to be record-breaking or anything like that, but I think it’s somewhere between seven and 10.” Dallas coach Mike McCarthy is in the final year of his contract , and the Cowboys enter their Thanksgiving tilt against the Giants at an underwhelming 4-7. The Jaguars are two seasons removed from a playoff appearance. But Doug Pederson’s squad, which was led by quarterback Trevor Lawrence before getting injured after nine games, has underperformed all year at 2-9. Jets owner Woody Johnson pulled the plug on Saleh after a 2-3 start in October, while the Saints axed Allen earlier this month after losing seven straight. Breer also called attention to Chicago “if [coach] Matt Eberflus doesn’t turn it around over the next six weeks.” The Bears and prized rookie quarterback Caleb Williams have been riding a five-game skid since October. They fell to the Vikings in overtime on Sunday, 30-27. Beyond the Bears (4-7), the Bengals (4-7) and the Raiders (2-9) are other teams who could potentially make changes after lost seasons under Zac Taylor and Antonio Pierce, respectively. Although Giants owner John Mara gave a vote of confidence to coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen in October, stating in part, “I do not anticipate making any changes in the offseason either,” much has happened between now and then. In the wake of a Week 10 loss to the woeful Panthers, Daboll benched starting quarterback Daniel Jones following a 2-8 start for Tommy DeVito. Jones, the team’s sixth overall pick in 2019, was later released and is signing with the Vikings. The Giants are coming off an embarrassing loss to the Buccaneers, who demolished Big Blue at home on Sunday, 30-7. They’ll visit McCarthy on the Cowboys on Thursday, with backup Drew Lock likely to start for the Giants after DeVito suffered an injury in the Week 12 thrashing. The regular season concludes on Sunday, Jan. 5.I'm A Celeb's Dean McCullough 'surprises' viewers in latest Bushtucker TrialGreen Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love played interception-free football for the first time this season during a home rout of the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. The Packers' Thanksgiving night home clash with the Miami Dolphins offers a chance to be equally efficient. Just don't expect Love to scale back his approach in the meeting of playoff contenders. ADVERTISEMENT "I definitely am a guy who always wants those big plays, want to put that pressure on the defense and take some of those shots," Love said. Love threw for a season-low 163 yards on 13-of-23 passing to go with two touchdowns against the 49ers. Still, with Josh Jacobs (26 carries, 106 yards, three touchdowns) wreaking havoc in the running game, Love found opportunities to strike a balance. "Those are the lessons that I had to learn last year and I'll continue to learn: just when the right time (is) to take those shots," he said. "If guys get a step or we're in the right coverage versus just finding those completions. Because these check-downs and just finding those completions turn into big plays, as well, sometimes." Green Bay (8-3) is third in the rugged NFC North but holds a two-game lead in the loss column for the No. 6 seed in the conference playoff race. Winners of three straight, the Dolphins (5-6) are 1 1/2 games behind the Denver Broncos for the seventh seed in the AFC. "I think this is an awesome opportunity," Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa said. "Being able to play Thursday night football, prime time on Thanksgiving." Tagovailoa continues to surge since returning from injured reserve in Week 8. With four touchdown passes during a 34-15 home win against the New England Patriots on Sunday, he has 11 TDs through the air against just one interception in his five games back. ADVERTISEMENT Tagovailoa dismissed the notion that chilly temperatures in Green Bay on Thursday could be enough to cool him. The Hawaiian-born signal-caller is 0-7 when the temperature is 40 degrees or lower. "To me, it's just a mindset," he said. "That's really all there is." Added Miami defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver: "I've never lost a game and thought, 'Guys, it was too cold outside.'" Miami boasts a versatile set of playmakers for Green Bay to defend. Running back De'Von Achane also is active in the passing game, as he made two touchdown receptions against New England. Among the Dolphins' receivers, wideouts Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle and tight end Jonnu Smith each have at least 41 receptions and 535 yards. The three have combined for nine TDs. Green Bay is hoping for another jolt from second-year linebacker Lukas Van Ness, whose strip-sack against the 49ers was the big play he said he needed for his confidence. It led to Jacobs' third TD. "I told myself I'm going to get off the ball, use my God-given abilities and just get in the backfield and make a play," Van Ness said. "So I think that's what I've wanted to do all year. I just need to continue that." ADVERTISEMENT The Dolphins said Wednesday that Hill, who has dealt with wrist and personal issues this week, does not have an injury designation and will play against the Packers. Cornerback Kendall Fuller (concussion) and linebackers Tyus Bowser (knee/calf) and Anthony Walker Jr. (hamstring) have been ruled out, and offensive tackle Terron Armstead (knee) is questionable. The Packers ruled out wide receiver Romeo Doubs (concussion), cornerback Jaire Alexander (knee) and linebacker Edgerrin Cooper (hamstring) after they did not practice all week. Tight end John FitzPatrick (back), linebacker Isaiah McDuffie (ankle) and offensive lineman Josh Myers (pectoral) were listed as questionable. Miami leads the all-time series 10-6, but Green Bay has won five of the past six matchups. The teams' most recent meeting also came on a holiday, with the visiting Packers prevailing 26-20 on Christmas Day 2022. Green Bay won each of its previous November home games against Miami, in 2002 and 2018. ______________________________________________________ This story was written by one of our partner news agencies. Forum Communications Company uses content from agencies such as Reuters, Kaiser Health News, Tribune News Service and others to provide a wider range of news to our readers. Learn more about the news services FCC uses here .

New bridge over Buddha Dariya may calm choppy waters