Agriculture | Policy Briefs

Considering the impacts of eliminating the Harvest Price Option

September 2018. Congressional representatives have introduced legislation to eliminate the Harvest Price Subsidy included in the Federal Crop Insurance Act. The Federal Crop Insurance Act states the purpose of subsidizing a portion of crop insurance through legislations is to encourage maximum participation of producers in catastrophic risk protection. Opponents and proponents argue over the potential burden on taxpayers vs. the safety net for agricultural producers. 

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The Impact of Timely State Appropriations for Minnesota's Response to Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea

May 2015. The entry of a novel disease, Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea (PED), into the United States in 2013 caused the death of 7 million piglets, with Minnesota having the second highest number of farms affected. The Minnesota state-funded Rapid Agricultural Response Fund allocated $100,000 within two months of PED emergence for the development of essential diagnostic tests.The timely allocation of these state-appropriated funds early in the outbreak likely expedited the early detection of rapidly spreading PED and may have reduced overall losses to Minnesota’s pig industry.

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Policy Questions and Possible Implications Related to the use of Processed Animal Proteins in Pig Diets

February 2015. Pigs are naturally omnivores and require protein in their diets for health, growth, and productivity. A wide variety of proteins can be used in pig diets, including animal by-products. However, the spread of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv) has raised concern about the use of porcine by-products in pig feeding programs.

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Changing Agricultural Climate: Implications for Innovation Policies

December 2012. Average temperatures are rising, both globally and in the Midwest United States. Rainfall is increasing on average in the Midwest while also becoming more unpredictable on any given farm. Episodes of extreme air moisture content are increasing, affecting both animal and plant agriculture. Agriculture is especially sensitive to the ever-changing natural environments in which it operates, and given all this, Agricultural producers will need to respond to variations in climate given the right know-how and technologies.

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