Policy
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed record blending mandates for biomass based diesel in the Renewable Fuels Standard.
The Office of Management and Budget is currently holding stakeholder meetings on the mandated biofuels blending levels. However, EPA is also considering the backlog of Small Refinery Exemptions.
The Nebraska was the “largest worksite enforcement operation” in the state during the Trump presidency, the Homeland Security Department said. U.S. Congressman Don Bacon told local media 75-80 people were detained.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) says one of the challenges the U.S. is dealing with is trying to negotiate agreements with 18 of its biggest trading partners simultaneously. Grassley would like to see a dialed-back strategy used instead.
While the 1,000-page bill includes spending increases for agriculture-facing programs by $56.6 billion over the next decade, there’s one major priority that didn’t make it into the House’s version.
Another Chinese researcher has been detained by federal agents for unlawfully shipping roundworms into the U.S. for work she planned to conduct at a University of Michigan laboratory
A 25-page criminal complaint alleges the researcher and her boyfriend were attempting to bring Fusarium graminearum into the country. The fungus causes significant diseases in a number of food crops, including corn, wheat, barley, soybeans and rice. Toxins from the fungus are harmful to humans and livestock.
The third round of disaster aid payments through the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program is the largest amount appropriated by Congress. USDA Deputy Undersecretary Brooke Appleton says those payments are being prepared now.
Emergency Livestock Relief Program payments will be automatically distributed to eligible producers to cover grazing losses due to drought or wildfire events in 2023 and/or 2024.
A federal court ruled Wednesday that an emergency law does not provide President Trump with unilateral authority to impose tariffs on nearly every country. The interruption was short-lived after a federal appeals court granted the Trump administration’s request to temporarily pause a lower-court ruling.
The commission now has about 80 days to create a strategy for how the federal government should respond to the report findings, per President Trump’s original order in February.
Recent rumors put volumes for biomass-based diesel at 4.65 billion gallons, but Paul Winters, director of public affairs, Clean Fuel Alliance America, says EPA has assured them that number is false.
USDA’s Brooke Rollins and more than 300 farm groups went to bat for agriculture leading up to the report’s release on Thursday. Yet farmers were excluded from having a voice at the table in the development process. That needs to change before the next report – which will provide policy recommendations – is issued within the next 80 days.
Many farm organizations say the 68-page document released on Thursday is filled with “fear-based rather than science-based information about pesticides,” positioning that will sow seeds of distrust with the American public.
A chief concern is whether glyphosate will be targeted by the report, which is expected to be unveiled on Thursday. A number of farmers have voiced concerns collectively and individually this week.
Top of the list: Reforming the FSA loan program, regulatory action to disincentivize federal funding for solar panels on productive farmland and expanding permitting of unused or underused federal land for long-term leases.
The massive bill faced two major hurdles, passing out of both the House Agriculture and House Ways and Means Committees. While the legislation is filled with positive tax provisions for farmers, potential cuts to SNAP are creating controversy.
“China and Brazil are getting together. They’re going to build infrastructure, and they’re going to make SAF and they’re going to build railroads, and it’s not good for us and our future. That’s why we need new markets,” says Iowa farmer Tim Burrack.
Due to the northward spread of New World Screwworm, a month-by-month suspension is effective immediately and will continue until a significant window of containment is achieved.
The deal decreases U.K.’s ethanol tariff from 19% to 0%, creates an opportunity for cattle ranchers to export millions more and opens a $100 million market with free access for rice farmers, says Brooke Rollins, Secretary of Agriculture.
The April Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor found most agricultural economists think it could be 2026 before we see Congress final pass a new bill. One reason why is the fact Congress passed $10 billion in ECAP payments late last year.
While 56% of farmers say they believe the ongoing trade disputes with China and other countries will hurt them financially this year, 70% say they believe the U.S. and agriculture specifically will benefit in the long-term.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins testified in front of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday, fielding questions on everything from USDA’s bold budget cuts and frozen funding to the fate of the nearly $21 billion in disaster aid.
The agency plans to cut staff to Reagan administration levels and shift research to office run by political appointees. Advocacy groups are concerned about scientific independence.
Accounting for about 15% of USDA’s total workforce and representing FSA, NRCS, FSIS, APHIS and other departments, 3,877 staff signed contracts in February for the first deferred resignation program and 11,305 in the second round in April.
The stakes are high with the latest trade war. While the risks of losing more market share into China are a concern, the upside potential of a trade deal with China could be monumental.
Agriculture is an export dependent business. At peak uncertainty, the industry could go either way: Gain ground with new trade deals or take a big hit as exports further decline.
Dozens of speakers told EPA and the Corps that ag has borne the brunt of unclear, inconsistent regulations for too long.
Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. joined Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins on a tour of Texas, including a stop at a family farm. USDA says the trip focused on food security and learning how farmers are working to make America healthy again.
Following the announcement that criminal charges against Charles and Heather Maude were being dropped, USDA asks any other individuals or businesses to submit their concerns and experiences so the agency can address their situation.