Agribusiness Update for Tuesday 09/17/13

We may see a House vote on the bill that would cut food stamp spending by 40-billion dollars over 10-years sometime between Wednesday and Friday this week. The House also will vote on a continuing resolution to fund the government beyond September 30th. While the House is scheduled to recess this Friday until September 30th - leaders on both sides of the aisle say the House may have to stay and work during that period.

New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has introduced legislation in an effort to preserve current staffing levels of USDA inspectors in meat plants. This comes as the department is promoting a new model that would cut the federal inspection force. USDA inspection staffs have been cut by about 40-percent in poultry plants and 50-percent in five hog plants under a 15-year-old pilot program.

USDA is partnering with Coca-Cola to restore and protect damaged watersheds on national lands. They are aiming to return more than a billion liters of water to the National Forest System - which provides drinking water to more than 60-million Americans. The partnership between federal, private and non-profit partners is just one example of the strong collaboration that allows government to continue providing results for the American people during challenging budget times.

That's today's Agribusiness Update from the Ag Information Network.