Policy
There’s light at the end of the tunnel, but we might not see it completely turn around for two to three years,” says Grant Gardner, University of Kentucky ag economist.
Farm Journal’s September Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor found nearly half of the ag economists surveyed say the U.S. ag economy is worse off than a month ago and will remain depressed or even worsen over the next 12 months.
The House and Senate Ag Committees are planning to work on language yet this fall on a Farm bill 2.0., but at least one Washington ag lobbyist says he expects it will be difficult to get passed.
With most input prices still record or near-record high, farmers in parts of the country have seen eroding balance sheets for four straight years. Now the concern is more farmers will be forced out of farming this year, unless they see some type of market or government intervention.
Ag applauds the MAHA commission for providing farmers with a “seat at the table” as it developed the action plan unveiled earlier this week, but says some reservations remain.
The 20-page strategy laid out by the Department of Health and Human Services commission on Tuesday offers 120-plus initiatives to reduce what it terms as the root causes of childhood chronic disease.
The inescapable crop math of sustained crippling commodity prices and high input costs has many growers screaming for immediate relief. However, bailouts are Band-Aids over bullet holes, contend farmers desperate for fundamental change.
If the legal challenge succeeds, the federal court decision would result in making the technology unavailable for sale or distribution to U.S. farmers.
Labor costs continue to rise for California farmers, but skilled labor isn’t something growers are able to find with the current H-2A program. Labor experts, economists and farmers agree the current immigration system is “broken,” but a solution could be on the horizon.
Economist Dan Basse predicts a bullish outlook for the beef industry, with projected 2025 revenue of $113 billion — compared with $57 billion for corn.
The move is the latest by the Trump administration to stall development of wind and solar energy, which Trump says are unreliable, expensive and dependent on Chinese supply chains.
A federal court has vacated the Biden-Harris administration’s rule that listed the lesser prairie-chicken as an endangered species.
Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins has announced a plan to build a facility near Edinburg, Texas. It will be capable of producing 300 million sterile flies per week to combat New World screwworm and is estimated to be in production in one year.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin proposes rescinding the 2009 Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding. If the proposal goes into effect, it could potentially lead to DEF systems no longer being required in tractors, trucks and other equipment using diesel-powered engines — a decision many farmers and others in the ag community would applaud.
Find out how one leader in Congress is advocating a grounded approach to the Make American Healthy Again agenda.
The department says it will relocate more than half of its Washington, D.C., staff to five hubs around the country, as well as consolidate or eliminate regional offices.
After months of negotiations, the two countries struck a deal to lower the so-called “reciprocal tariffs” from a proposed 25% to 15%, and said increased rice shipments from the U.S. to Japan are part of the deal.
The industry is seeking clarity after President Trump said Coca-Cola was switching its Coke formula to use cane sugar versus high-fructose corn syrup. If true, the move would benefit U.S. sugar producers at the expense of corn farmers.
At least nine dairies in Texas were targets of I-9 audits over the weekend. Producers argue it’s a “broken” immigration system, and the recent audits prove the E-Verify program has flaws. Despite criticism, the dairy industry is pushing to be included in the H-2A guest worker program.
On Saturday, President Trump threatened to impose 30% tariffs on Mexico and the European Union starting on August 1. The announcement came after a string of new tariff threats last week.
The new rule is part of the Trump administration’s directives to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion policies across the federal government.
The thought in some ag circles is that the One Big Beautiful Bill is a farm bill prototype or laying the groundwork for its development. Farmers and Sen. John Boozman weigh in with their perspectives.
The $16 billion in disaster aid covers crop losses due to natural disasters from 2023 and 2024. It’s the largest chunk of the $21 billion approved by Congress at the end of 2024.
In what it calls a comprehensive action plan for agriculture security, USDA unveiled seven critical areas the Trump administration will address, and securing and protecting U.S. farmland from being owned by China topped that list.
In addition to major tax provisions, the bill enhances the current safety net, providing $66 billion in new spending for farm programs.
The deal, according to President Trump, allows the U.S. “total access” to Vietnam’s markets with a zero tariff on U.S. products exported to Vietnam.
Following a New World screwworm assessment by USDA staff in Mexico and ongoing conversations between Secretary Rollins and the Mexican Secretary of Agriculture, USDA will start reopening the ports for cattle, bison and equine.
The groups are urging the administration to “formally include farmers, ranchers and food producers in a collaborative stakeholder process.” An action report — a follow-up to the MAHA report released in May — is due by August 12.
Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins says the administration plans to announce some updates soon to make the guestworker program more efficient and easier to use.
On a more hopeful note, some industry analysts believe the number has reached its peak and will start to move down this summer. Certainly, some trade deals that would open markets for U.S. ag products would help.