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<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>C-SPAN</span></p><p class="caption">We're back!</p></div><p></p></div></div>And we're back!</p>
<p>The Senate returns today after being off since December 20 while the House comes back in session having been off since December 13.</p>
<p>After the nasty fiscal cliff fight at the end of 2012, lawmakers (and journalists) were happy to have a few weeks off to return to their districts and spend time with their families over the holidays.</p>
<p>Now that that's over, Congress has a few things to take care of in the next few weeks.</p>
<p>Here are the details:</p>
<p><strong>Omnibus Spending Bill - </strong> Passage of the Murray-Ryan budget deal didn't ensure that we would avoid another government shutdown. Each house must still pass a major spending bill that uses the top line spending number agreed upon in the budget deal to appropriate where the money goes. Congress must pass the bill by January 15 to avoid another shutdown, although it could (and might) pass a short continuing resolution to give lawmakers a few more days to work out the legislation.</p>
<p><strong>Farm Bill </strong>- House and Senate Agriculture Committee negotiators are also working against the clock to complete a five-year farm bill as well. The sides are working to compromise over the House and Senate passed bills. Speaker John Boehner struggled to pass a comprehensive farm bill last year, forcing him to break it into two separate bills - one for farm programs and another with $40 billion in cuts to food stamps. The Senate bill cut food stamps by $4 billion. If the sides do not come to an agreement, food stamps will be unaffected, but milk prices could rise significantly and various farm subsidies will be altered.</p>
<p><strong>Unemployment Insurance </strong>-<strong> </strong>The Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) program that allowed unemployed workers to collect benefits for up to 73 weeks (instead of the normal 26) expired on December 28. Senate Democrats are bringing up a bill today that would extend the EUC program for another three months, at a cost of $6.4 billion. Only one Republican, Dean Heller, supports the bill, though other say they are open to it if Democrats include a spending offset.</p>
<p><strong>Obamacare Security </strong>-<strong> </strong>The House returns this week and immediately gets to work on a bill that would require the federal government to inform an individual if their personal information was breached on the federal exchange website. The Obama administration maintains that no such breaches have occurred, despite repeated warnings from Republicans, and that the House bill is fear mongering to scare potential Obamacare enrollees.</p>
<p><strong>Janet Yellen Confirmation </strong>- Janet Yellen's nomination for chairman of the Federal Reserve will receive a vote in the upcoming days, possibly as soon as today. Yellen passed through the Senate Banking Committee by a 14-8 vote in November and is certain to be confirmed. She needs just a bare majority (51) of votes after Democrats changed the Senate rules to eliminate the filibuster for executive and judicial branch nominees last year.</p>
<p>Other than that, Democrats are still holding out hope that Boehner will bring up some form of an immigration bill, or many small bills in the coming months. Congress will also have to raise the debt ceiling sometime in the spring.</p>

Congress Is Back: Here's What's Coming Up

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation</span></p><p class="caption">Bill Gates and his team on a farm in Karsana, Abuja, Nigeria in 2006.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation recently announced that it will invest $40 million into a nonprofit that researches livestock vaccinations and genetics. One goal is to breed higher-yielding dairy cows.</strong></li><li><strong>Nearly half of all crop yields are lost to climate change-related weather patterns, pests, and diseases in developing countries.</strong></li><li><strong>Boosting local livestock production could help address hunger in developing countries in Asia and Africa.</strong></li><li><strong>Gates also sees agricultural research as a way to help lift struggling farmers and their communities out of poverty.</strong></li></ul><p><span><br />Around <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/britain-aid-agriculture-idAFL8N1PL2T3">750 million people</a> in low- and middle-income countries depend on livestock farming as a source of food and income, according to the International Livestock Research Institute.</span></p><p><span>Drought, disease, and unpredictable weather put these farms at risk.</span></p><p><span>Solutions may lie in more research on livestock and crop health, according to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In late January, the organization said it will invest <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/bill-gates-dfid-investment-galvmed-perfect-cow-edinburgh-2018-1">$40 million</a> in projects to breed cows that produce more milk and chickens that lay better-quality eggs, focusing on farms in South Asian and African countries.</span></p><p><span>The foundation's interest in agricultural research is a testament to the challenges faced by the world's farms. In the developing world, <a href="https://nifa.usda.gov/blog/global-scientists-meet-integrated-pest-management-idea-sharing">40% to 50% of all crop yields</a> are lost to pests, diseases, or post-harvest losses. Famine from food insecurity is a serious issue in places like Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Nepal, as well as other countries with burgeoning populations. </span><span>Beefing up <a href="http://www.latimes.com/world/global-development/la-fg-global-steve-staal-oped-20170706-story.html">small-scale livestock farming</a> could help address hunger there, according to the United Nations.</span><span></span></p><p><span>In coming decades, Asian farms could see an even greater strain. The continent is already the world's largest food market, and by 2050, its population could grow to <a href="http://www.eco-business.com/opinion/the-future-of-asias-farms/">five billion</a> - an increase of 900 million people. Over the next three decades, urbanization will likely boost the number of people in cities by <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/world-cities-home-to-most-people-to-add-2-5-billion-more-by-2050/">2.5 billion</a>, with much of that growth in developing countries, especially in Asia and Africa. That means farms there will need to keep up with both local and global food demand.</span></p><p>This is not the first time the Gates Foundation has bolstered agricultural projects. In December, it pledged <a href="https://www.gatesfoundation.org/Media-Center/Press-Releases/2017/12/Gates-Foundation-Commits-300M-USD-to-Help-Farmers-in-Africa-and-Asia-Cope-with-Climate-Change">$300 million</a> over the next three years to support agricultural research that will help low-income farmers <span>in Asia and Africa </span>adapt to climate change (including <span>rising temperatures, extreme weather patterns, and diseases). And in the past decade, the foundation has devoted more than <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewherper/2012/01/24/bill-gates-next-target-revolutionize-farming/#48380df168de">$2 billion</a> toward similar initiatives around the world.</span></p><p><span>The latest investment will go to the Global Alliance for Livestock Veterinary Medicines, an Edinburgh-based nonprofit that conducts research into livestock vaccinations and genetics. </span></p><p><span>The UK's Department for International Development is partnering with the Gates Foundation to give an additional $128 million to the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, which works toward growing </span>"super crops" that are more resilient to climate change. A further $5.7 million from the British government will go to the Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health, a venture intended to improve the productivity and health of livestock in sub-Saharan Africa.</p><p>Gates sees this research as a way to address global poverty.</p><p>"If you care about the poor, you should care about agriculture. And if you care about agriculture, you care about livestock," he <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/britain-aid-agriculture/super-crops-and-cows-bill-gates-uk-inject-cash-into-farm-science-idUSL8N1PL2T3?mc_cid=34f1f1f114&amp;mc_eid=7a04b229d7">told</a> an audience at the University of Edinburgh. "What that means in this context is helping poor farmers get as much as possible out of their animals."</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ohio-congressman-tim-ryan-on-the-benefits-of-practicing-mindfulness-2018-1">How mindfulness helps this top congressman stay calm in DC</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

Bill Gates' investment in 'super cows' shows that many of the world's farms are in crisis mode

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://flic.kr/p/pir6Ch">Flickr/Phil Roeder</a></span></p></div><p></p></div></div>The US is quietly making historic progress on farm animal welfare, with ten states and hundreds of brands coming out against the most notorious kinds of factory farming.</p><p><span>"You're seeing almost every major retailer, almost every major fast food producer and restaurant chain committing to phasing out the use of battery cages and/or gestation crates," <span>ASPCA Farm Welfare director Daisy Freund tells Business Insider. </span></span>"We are going beyond our dreams here, and yet we're really just getting started."</p><p>Wins for farm animal welfare in the past few years include:</p><p>-<span><a href="http://cagefreefuture.com/docs/Cage%20Free%20Corporate%20Policies.pdf">More than 100 big brands</a>, from Walmart to McDonalds,</span> committing to phasing out battery cages for egg-laying hens over the next 3 to 10 years.</p><p>-Lots of big brands committing to <a href="http://www.humanesociety.org/assets/pdfs/farm/gestation-crate-policies.pdf"><span>phasing out gestation crates</span></a> for pigs.</p><p><span><span></span></span>-Big brands including Whole Foods, Aramark, and Compass committing to <a href="https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/whole-foods-commits-to-slow-growing-chickens-better-living-conditions-031716.html"><span>humane conditions for broiler chickens</span></a> by 2024.</p><p>-Ten states banning excessive animal confinement in one form or another, with Massachusetts passing <a href="http://www.wbur.org/politicker/2016/11/08/question-three-animal-confinement-results"><span>the most comprehensive bill yet</span></a> in November.</p><p>-State legislatures repeatedly rejecting "Ag-Gag" or "Right to Farm" bills that prohibit investigations into industrial farms, with the latest example <a href="http://www.news9.com/story/33661946/support-for-right-to-farm-ballot-measure-experiencing-ups-downs"><span>in Oklahoma</span></a>.</p><p><span>-The USDA introducing a new rule mandating <a href="http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-organic-meat-eggs-20170118-story.html"><span>better living conditions for organic-certified animal products</span></a>.</span></p><p><span>These developments could be enough to force changes in the industry.</span></p><p><span>"The market is shifting," says Freund. "[Producers] have to move forward, </span><span>they have to start adjusting their infrastructure, they have to start investing in cage-free environments at the very least."</span></p><p>Changes in the US market could also have global effects, especially when commitments by US brands apply to their international businesses. In many cases, the international markets are already <a href="http://aldf.org/blog/u-s-lags-far-behind-europe-in-protections-for-farmed-animals/">far ahead of the US on farm animal protection</a>.</p><p>It's not all good for farm welfare advocates. Indeed, President Donald Trump has some people worried, with <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2016/12/trump-just-wrapped-nice-double-gift-meat-industry"><span>Mother Jones</span></a> warning that his nominee for ambassador to China is in deep with the meat industry and his nominee for head of the EPA is a supporter of Ag-Gag bills; and Forbes warning that <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelpellmanrowland/2017/02/02/organic-animal-welfare-standards/#703205906458"><span>Trump could jeopardize the USDA's new organic rules</span></a>.</p><p>Still, the ASPCA is celebrating 2016 as <a href="http://www.aspca.org/news/huge-year-animals-aspcas-top-10-legislative-wins-2016"><span>a great year for animal rights</span></a> and the past few years as good for farm animals in particular.</p><p>"In the last five years, especially, this has gone from being a fringe issue … to where it is now, where through investigations and media coverage and documentaries and corporate commitments to change, it's increasingly clear to the American public that what's happening on factory farms is unacceptable," Freund says.</p><p>Currently, <a href="http://www.aspca.org/animal-cruelty/farm-animal-welfare">99% of US farm animals</a> are raised on factory farms, according to the ASPCA. That number could go down in the coming years, or <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/phillempert/2015/06/15/why-factory-farming-isnt-what-you-think/#5e03e5d959d0">factory farms themselves could evolve</a>.</p><p>Because these changes are only beginning, however, concerned shoppers still need to be careful what they buy. The ASPCA offers <a href="http://www.aspca.org/shopwithyourheart#shopping-tools"><span>a shopping guide</span></a> and endorses three animal welfare certifications: Animal Welfare Approved, Global Animal Partnership (steps 2 and above), and Certified Humane. (Labels like "Natural" and even "grass-fed" or "cage-free" are <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/what-natural-meat-food-label-means-2016-3"><span>often unregulated and unaudited</span></a>.)</p><p>Improving conditions for chickens doesn't take a lot. Getting to step 2 on the Global Animal Partnership, for instance, means providing both cage-free living conditions and enrichments like perches, hay bales, and hanging CDs that reflect the light.</p><p>"These can seem silly, but they're extremely important," Freund says. "Chickens are sentient, intelligent creatures, and having interesting objects that they can jump up on or hide behind is not not only good for their own physical health … but also allows them to exercise their natural curiosity and their natural desire to do things like perch, which if denied to them is really a form of cruelty."</p>     <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/red-flags-goldman-sachs-bank-interviews-jobs-2017-1">This behavior could kill your chances in a Goldman Sachs interview</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="wxbjFnMzE6KLizh2hBTQSDvLOgNQGzpH" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

The US is making a big shift away from factory farming

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Grant Lamos IV/Getty Images</span></p><p class="caption">NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 24: Jon Stewart and Tracey Stewart attend the 2015 Farm Sanctuary Gala at The Plaza Hotel on October 24, 2015 in New York City.</p></div><p></p></div>We finally know what Jon Stewart is doing with his free time after "The Daily Show": He's opening an animal sanctuary. </p><p>Stewart confirmed his post-late night plans, <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/comedy-jon-stewart-start-animal-sanctuary-203311634.html" target="_blank">Yahoo News reports</a>, this past weekend as he and his wife Tracey were honored at a gala hosted by <a href="http://www.farmsanctuary.org/the-sanctuaries/">Farm Sanctuary</a>,<span> a nonprofit dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of farm animals.</span></p><p>Tracey said the couple purchased a 12-acre farm in New Jersey back in <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/25/nyregion/tracey-stewart-counts-her-sheep-and-more.html">2013</a> with the intention of creating a safe haven for rescued farm animals. As a team venture with Farm Sanctuary, the farm will also provide educational resources for those seeking more information.</p><p>The Stewarts have been animal rights activists for years. Jon hosted Gene Baur, president and cofounder of Farm Sanctuary, on "The Daily Show" earlier this year, and last year, he produced a 5-minute <a href="http://www.cc.com/video-clips/9cn7ye/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-porks-and-habitation">segment</a> criticizing New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's refusal to pass a bill that would ban pig gestation crates. <br /><br />Tracey works closely with Farm Sanctuary and Animal Haven Shelter and recently published "<span>Do Unto Animals: A Friendly Guide to How Animals Live, and How We Can Make Their Lives Better," an <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Do-Unto-Animals-Friendly-Better/dp/1579656234" target="_blank">illustrated book</a> about interacting with animals. Some proceeds from the book's sales will benefit Farm Sanctuary. </span></p><p>Started in 1986, Farm Sanctuary currently operates three shelters: one in upstate New York and two in California. </p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/underwater-video-exotic-animals-drinking-water-gopro-2015-4">Amazing video captures how exotic animals drink water</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="95anFqdDpZz-f4bxCYOiHu9hiC_Derrr" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

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Congress Is Back: Here's What's Coming Up

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Bill Gates' investment in 'super cows' shows that many of the world's farms are in crisis mode

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The US is making a big shift away from factory farming

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Jon Stewart confirms post-"Daily Show" plans to open animal sanctuary

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