Latest News From Ag Policy

The Livestock Consolidation Research Act would direct a study on the impact of livestock industry consolidation, and a report about how this has affected new market entrants, access to resources and purchasing power.

China's GDP growth could possibly drop lower than the U.S. this year. In fact, fewer and fewer sectors are healthy, and only then by direct government intervention.

A half-century after Richard Nixon signed it into law, the Endangered Species Act now has a user manual to help farmers, thanks to the National Agricultural Law Center.

Waters of the U.S. rules have evolved many times in the past 50 years. EPA announced another round of changes on Tuesday, following a May Supreme Court ruling that required EPA to revise the definition.

USDA on Thursday lowered expectations for both ag exports and imports in FY 2023. The export decline is linked to corn and wheat, while the import decline is correlated with easing prices.

More than 150 members of the U.S. House sent a letter to U.S. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “G.T.” Thompson, R-Pa., and Ranking Member David Scott, R-Ga., on Monday citing their opposition to the EATS Act.

The EPA has rejected two petitions seeking stricter regulation of animal feeding operations, and will be establishing a federal advisory committee to study the matter. 

“Mexico’s decree, which runs counter to scientific findings and is in direct violation of USMCA, is negatively impacting American corn growers,” said Tom Haag, NCGA president.

Just in time for school to start, in the midst of the Illinois State Fair, students across the state will no longer be penalized for participating in a 4-H or FFA event.

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird led 16 states in a letter to U.S. Congressional leadership, urging the passage of the EATS Act. "California’s radical-drafted requirements for farmers are hog wild," the authors wrote.

John Phipps says there are signs that water is the new oil as water rights turn into water fights across the western U.S. He thinks it's a battle that could only heat up in the coming years.

President Joe Biden on Tuesday designated his fifth national monument in Arizona, an action embraced by Native American tribes in the area and opposed by mining companies and cattlemen.

Sens. Chuck Grassley and Sherrod Brown have introduced the Farm Program Integrity Act. It would create a cap of $250,000 in commodity support for a single farm operation and, potentially, some undesirable side effects.

“Producers looking to adopt precision ag technologies need network connectivity that extends far past their residences. They need to be able to make real-time decisions that increase yields," says Sen. Fischer (R-Neb.).

Charlie Besher, the chairman of NCBA’s Property Rights and Environmental Management Committee, told a U.S. House committee how predatory black vultures take a toll on cattle producers’ livestock and livelihoods.

New Jersey must "adopt rules and regulations concerning the confinement, care and treatment of breeding pigs and calves raised for veal," according to legislation signed into law by Governor Phil Murphy on Wednesday.

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) President Todd Wilkinson, a South Dakota cattle producer, responded to attacks on the Beef Checkoff and NCBA from animal rights activists and their allies in Congress.

Roughly 37.6 million acres of U.S. ag land is foreign owned, according to USDA. However, select purchases of U.S. land could come to an end following a Senate vote this week.

House Republicans, particularly on the House Ag Committee, are debating changes to the Conservation Reserve Program as part of the upcoming farm bill reauthorization.

EPA has been asked to exclude ditches from the definition of federal waters, include wetlands when they can't be distinguished from navigable waters, and erase the independent interstate waters and wetlands category.

Farm Bill discussions and debates don't pack as much drama for producers. According to JohnPhipps, there's an unspoken realization that the Farm Bill doesn’t have the same influence on the farm economy it once did.

The Farmland Security Act of 2023 seeks to further boost transparency in foreign ownership of U.S. farmland.

The leaders also drafted a proposed legislation earlier this month that promises treaty-like benefits for businesses seeking cross-border investment opportunities via the tax code.

House Ag Committee Chairman G.T. Thompson, along with other members, is seeking additional funding sources for the bill, but that will likely be the biggest farm bill hurdle that may trip up lawmakers.

The majority of ag economists don’t expect a farm bill to be written by the upcoming deadline, but a few think it could happen by the end of the year, according to the most recent Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor.

EPA has a deadline from the Eight Circuit Court of Appeals to offer a progress report on the Waters of the U.S. rule by Sept. 15.

Canada's red meat sector expressed deep disappointment after the announcement that the United Kingdom joined the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). 

The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) introduced an act to prevent foreign adversaries from exploiting U.S. land near security sites, and would push a review of current ownership in these areas.

State officials find these states serve as early examples of the challenges other places may face in response to the recent Sackett ruling on WOTUS.

Cattle industry leaders on Thursday (July 13) praised the introduction of a bipartisan congressional resolution recognizing the importance of commodity checkoff programs, including the Beef Checkoff.

USDA looks to improve the future measure, monitoring, reporting and verification of ag climate emissions via a $300 million investment announced on Wednesday.

Dr. Carl Zulauf of Ohio State University, via a FarmDoc Daily article, proposes merging General CRP and Continuous CRP into a Site Specific CRP.

The program targets those who were discriminated against before Jan. 1, 2021, or those still in debt from discriminatory USDA farm loans. 

During a bilateral meeting on Thursday, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai discussed with Mexico's Secretary of Economy Tatiana Clouthier various issues concerning energy and biotech corn.

Erik Lichtenberg, University of Maryland professor, says Congress could reorient farm bill conservation funds for climate change, but it could cut into their support.

Representatives from the U.S., Mexico and Canada will meet in Cancun, Mexico this week to discuss a series of disputes, including Mexican energy and biotech policies and Canadian dairy barriers.

Beijing on Monday announced export controls on gallium and germanium. Now the Biden administration is set to restrict Chinese companies’ access to U.S. cloud-computing services that use AI chips.

EPA plans to revise the "Waters of the United States" (WOTUS) regulation by Sept. 1. Both the EPA and the Corps of Engineers have regulatory duties for federal waterways.

While Sen. McConnell says the budget has little give, Sen. Boozeman has consistently said he will not support a farm bill that doesn't provide an increase in the Price Loss Coverage (PLC) program's reference prices.

The anti-farmer movement now underway by fringe extremist groups is not pro-animal. It is extremism promoting regressive policies that will chip away at America's historically stable -- and affordable -- food supply.

Senate Ag Chair Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) opened the door to shifting almost $20 billion from her party’s climate and tax credit law enacted last year to more general spending in the upcoming farm bill.

The Committee on Ag is looking to solve workforce issues with the formation of the Ag Labor Working Group. "Reforms are desperately needed to address this pressing issue," said Co-Chair Rick Crawford (R-Ar.).

Under the bill, the USDA and the FDA would become members of CFIUS and their powers would be expanded to better consider ag needs when it decides if a purchase would create national security risks.

According to USDA, Russian-speaking hackers are the likely suspects. The Office of Personnel Management and two organizations within the Department of Energy also were apparently targeted or breached.

The Food and Drug Administration would have authority to inspect large feedlots linked to salmonella outbreaks and other foodborne illnesses under the Expanded Food Safety Investigation Act.

Over the 29 years of free trade, U.S. ag exports to Mexico increased both in terms of volume and value, although there were some years where growth was not positive.

The Packers and Stockyards Act changes may be coming, as the Fiscal Year 2024 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Bill has been sent to the full House for consideration.

The tentative agreement that's been reached with the West Coast longshoremen is of paramount importance for U.S. red meat, says USMEF President and CEO Dan Halstrom. Here's why.

It's not as simple as you might think. House Ag Chair G.T. Thompson shares a rundown of the funding and extension processes. He says the ag committees need to find new dollars to expand the farm bill budget.

USDA announced on June 14 that it is implementing a multi-step effort aimed at strengthening the substantiation of animal-raising claims.