Latest News From Ag Policy

"In this current situation, the traditional approach to free trade agreements — which isn't just tariff cuts, but that they do tariff cuts on a fully comprehensive basis — isn't what we need right now,” Tai says.

“There are so many legislators in policy-making that are unaware of the issues in rural veterinary medicine and rural agriculture today,” says Dr. Jody Kull, owner of Valley Mobile Veterinary Service, Danville, Pa. 

SNAP, which historically receives the greatest amount of farm bill funding, will see an 82% increase of a quarter-trillion-dollars.

“Over the long term, our projections suggest that changes in fiscal policy must be made to address the rising costs of interest and mitigate other adverse consequences of high and rising debt," CBO Director Swagel said

The House will take the reins in writing farm bill 2023. House Ag Chairman Thompson says the pen is “firmly” in his hand, with few tweaks to be made from 2018. The Senate says their version is nearly complete.

A Senate Ag Committee hearing Thursday on the new farm bill raised a issue that is now evident: the Title 1 farm bill safety net can no longer deal with the current ag environment.

USDA’s first official net farm income forecast shows an expected 16% drop in 2023 net farm income, largely due to a decline in commodity prices and government payments with higher expenses and costs at the farm level.

The 2018 farm bill was stamped with a $428 billon price tag when passed. With the bill set to expire on Sept. 30, here’s a breakdown of the topics ag groups look to push on the negotiating table.

The price surge comes as Europe announced a ban on Russian diesel fuel and G7 countries vowed to price-cap Russian oil products.

On Thursday, Senators Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), John Tester (D-Mont.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) reintroduced the Cattle Price Discovery and Transparency Act in the 118th Congress.

With Republicans now in control of the House, Rep. RandyFeenstra (R-Iowa) said he wants to introduce legislation shielding the stepped-up basis and like-kind exchanges.

“It’s a mystery as to why the USDA began to hide the names of many recipients,” said Scott Faber, senior vice president for government affairs for the Environmental Working Group.

The revamped foods program would absorb the functions of Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition and the Office of Food Policy and Response, as well as some of the work of the Office of Regulatory Affairs.

According to USDA, the pilot will mirror the working library that was shared with stakeholders in 2022 but will now contain active contracts.

Vilsack said USDA believes there are more options for farmers other than “get big or get out. There’s got to be a system in which the many and most have a fair shot.”

Reps. Dusty Johnson and Jim Costa on Tuesday introduced the Safer Highways and Increased Performance for Interstate Trucking (SHIP IT) Act to expand the trucking workforce and offer flexibility in times of need.

For example, Rep. Ralph Norman in the past unsuccessfully pushed crop insurance amendments that would have cut premium incentives/subsidies by 15% for producers with specified adjusted gross incomes.

Some legislative officials have discussed the possibility that the Treasury could use an obscure law authorizing platinum coins to circumvent Congress if lawmakers don't raise the debt ceiling.

Sen. Anderson introduced a resolution last Friday aimed at phasing out electric vehicle sales in Wyoming by 2035. The resolution was referred to the state's minerals committee, who tabled it until 2024.

Farm Bureau's Duvall says the rule puts farmers and ranchers in a position where they will have to hire lawyers and consultants to establish the boundaries of farming.

Under the rule, APHIS would require tags that are both visually and electronically readable for interstate movement of cattle and bison six months after a final rule is published in the Federal Register.

Speaker McCarthy agreed that the House wouldn’t lift the debt ceiling unless Congress slashes federal spending next fiscal year. Because of this, Bank of America is telling clients to expect a debt default this fall.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announced $40 million in funding to help complete Phase 2 of Iowa State University’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. Here's why it matters to all of animal agriculture.

If the nation’s debt hits $31.4 trillion—it’s on track to do so by this Thurs.—the Treasury will need to take “extraordinary measures” to help pay the government's operations and ward off a historic default.

Mexican President López Obrador hosted President Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau this week to discuss everything from methane reduction to the U.S./Mexico border wall.

Fifty groups and organizations recently sent a letter to Congress members encouraging reintroduction of the American Beef Labeling Act in 2023.

The additional payments will be equal to 15% of the producer’s previous CFAP 2 payments.

Farm Bureau hosted Secretary Vilsack at its annual convention in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he announced the details of ERP Phase 2 and PARP, U.S.-made fertilizer and new meat and poultry processing facility plans.

President Biden traveled on Sunday to the U.S./Mexico border amid a surge in illegal border crossings. The administration announced a new program for up to 30,000 migrants a month to enter the U.S. legally.

After four days and 15 rounds of voting, McCarthy’s wait to become Speaker of the House has ended. During his first year as Speaker, he will need to raise the debt limit and fund the government.

The Biden administration is awarding an additional $9.6 million in grants and loans to expand meat processing across the country, it announced on Thursday as the government tries to diversify the industry.

“For the next two years, I am intensely focused on… leading the passage of the next five-year Farm Bill, which determines our nation’s food and agriculture policies," says Sen. Stabenow.

ERP Phase Two is likely to be announced by USDA in coming weeks, according to Jim Wiesemeyer. In a farm bill year, he says there might be more opportunities to capture additional profit.

The definition maintains longstanding exemptions for farming activities but trims an exclusion for prior converted cropland that had been in the Trump administration’s Navigable Waters Protection Rule.

Big moves in Washington in 2023 could impact your farm.

Export tariffs on aluminum and aluminum alloys will be raised. The current import tariff will stay on seven types of coal until March 31, with tariffs adopted for most favored nations from April 1.

The prospect of Title 42 ending prompted crowds to form on the Mexican side of the border of the U.S. as they awaited to cross the border.

The House on Friday averted a government shutdown by voting 225 to 201 in favor of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023—the omnibus spending bill. Here's what's in it for ag.

Taiwan’s defense ministry said China sent 71 warplanes and seven naval vessels on “strike drills”⁠ — rehearsals for conflict ⁠— into its air-defense zones.

The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Alexis Taylor for Under Secretary of Agriculture for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs. According to Taylor, her priorities include addressing export markets and food insecurity.

Government officials asked U.S. Trade Rep. Katherine Tai to capitalize on the success of the USMCA and expand relations in the Western Hemisphere. 

Soybean oil, food waste and leftover feedstocks and manure will be turned into bioproducts like asphalt and plastic, thanks to a USDA program aimed at increasing U.S. competition in global markets.

Text of the $1.7 trillion omnibus spending package was released early Tuesday morning. The Senate will vote first and intends to pass the measure before Thursday, leaving the House no time to demand changes.

The 2023 farm bill will have tremendous influence on your farm. It will affect what U.S. agriculture does, and how we’ll feed the world, over the next five years.

The Fertilizer Institute applauded the passage of the legislation, which it dubbed an “integral” component of the fertilizer distribution system.

Members of the bloc agreed on how to create a tool that will force foreign companies to pay for the cost of their carbon emissions.

The agreement will allow lawmakers to spend the coming week hashing out specific spending levels for each federal agency as well as what legislative items they will attach to the bill, likely including ag aid.

Shippers urged the U.S. railroad regulator to create more competition in the industry during hearings in which Union Pacific was called to explain a spike in service restrictions.

Funding will be drawn from the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC), a development that has caught lawmakers’ attention.

The Family Farmer and Rancher Tax Fairness Act would remove the tax liability for distressed farmers for the assistance provided in Sections 22006 and 22007 of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).