Latest News From Ag Policy

A pandemic-era program that provided free breakfast and lunch to all schoolchildren expired this year. Republicans voted against efforts to include free school meals this week. Biden's plan reinstates the program.

The White House announced several steps to increase access of fruits and vegetables as a food source, but some say animal protein is also an answer to the need for healthy and nutritious food for all Americans.  

The National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health released on Tuesday will cover everything from a congressional push for $15 per hour minimum wage to research in soil management impacts on human health.

President Richard Nixon hosted the last White House Conference on Food, Nutrition and Health in 1969. That confab led to expansions of the food stamp program, the school lunch program and WIC.

Swiss voters on Sunday rejected a proposal to ban "factory farming" in a referendum on whether the wealthy country's strict animal welfare laws need to be tightened yet further.

NCBA said it is pleased to see the pilot program progressing and note the important decision to use the Livestock Mandatory Reporting statutes as a basis for any subsequent rulemakings.

In preparation for farm bill 2023, the House Ag Committee met on Tuesday to grasp the highs and lows of the current farm bill and fill any gaps in 2023.

Iowa cattle producer and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) member Shayne Wiese testified before the House Agriculture Committee regarding implementation of the conservation title of the 2018 Farm Bill.

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association raised questions on President Biden’s Executive Order on Advancing Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Innovation for a Sustainable, Safe, and Secure American Bioeconomy.

Last week the White House announced an Executive Order on Advancing Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Innovation for a Sustainable, Safe, and Secure American Bioeconomy.

Have the Pacific Coast port bottleneck issues been resolved, or moved somewhere else? The East Coast may now be carrying the burden.

According to Secretary Vilsack, these efforts will “increase the competitive advantage of U.S. agriculture both domestically and internationally,” while building wealth in rural America.

Trust In Beef is pleased to introduce a series of collaborative value chain program partners in a new video series. In this video, meet rancher and USRSB 2021/22 Chair Steve Wooten of Kim, Colo.

Farm-state lawmakers will eventually add billions to the aid package, but Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) agrees it could take until a later omnibus spending measure to be approved.

The Livestock Regulatory Protection Act aims to prevent EPA from issuing Clean Air Act Title V permits for emissions like carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide, water vapor, or methane that result from livestock production.

When adjusted for inflation, 2022 net cash farm income is forecast to increase by $13.5 billion (8.7%) from 2021 and be at its highest level since 2012.

More than 16% of new cars sold in California in 2022 were zero-emissions vehicles, the state said, up from 12.41% in 2021 and 7.78% in 2020.

Agriculture producers with Federal crop insurance for crops in transition to organic or a certified organic grain or feed crop are eligible to receive premium assistance from the USDA for the 2023 reinsurance year.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced details of the USDA’s $300 million investment, that aims to help build new and better markets and streams of income for farmers and producers through organic production.

From a train derailment outside Hereford, Texas, to growing concerns about a possible labor strike in mid-September, rail delays have been a severe pain point for the grain users and shippers all year.

Do tariffs fuel inflation? John Phipps's Customer Support segment explains why economists have struggled to come up with estimates of economic effects due to lingering COVID influence on world business.

Fufeng Group recently bought 300 acres of land in North Dakota and the proximity to a U.S. military base has many concerned. But this isn’t the first time questions have been raised about China’s stake in the U.S.

U.S. House Agriculture Committee Chairman David Scott introduced legislation Friday he says will provide financial assistance and create new marketing opportunities for small cattle producers.

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association announced its priorities for the 2023 Farm Bill based on producer input at the association’s Summer Business Meeting in Reno, Nevada.

The House recently passed the Lower Food and Fuels Cost Act which includes a special USDA investigator. However, there’s divide on if this is the right approach to restoring competition in the cattle market.

NCBA supports the Food and Energy Security Act introduced by Sen. John Thune, R-SD. The bill would require federal regulators to disclose how proposed rules would impact food and energy prices.

American Farmland Trust supports policy that helps farmers and ranchers protect their land from development, combating climate change, and enabling a new generation of farmers to better access land.

U.S. Forest Service reforestation funding rose to over $100 million this year as part of moves to plant more than a billion trees in a decade under the infrastructure package passed in 2021, USDA said in a statement.

USDA raised its consumer food price forecast again, to 8.5% to 9.5% for 2022. The agency had initially predicted a 2% to 3% rise in prices. Eggs, fats and oils, and poultry prices are making the biggest gains.

“We have tried to work constructively with the Mexican government to address these concerns, but, unfortunately, U.S. companies continue to face unfair treatment in Mexico," said Ambassador Tai.

Environmental and advocacy groups are urging the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to use its authority to conduct more oversight of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO).

The lawsuit claims the EPA failed to "fully assess" the affect increased corn for ethanol production will have on endangered species, including land conversion and increased fertilizer and pesticide use.

Canines serve as a valuable asset in protecting the U.S. agriculture industry, helping detect foreign animal diseases and other invasive species and pests from entering the border.

A potential stoppage on the nation's railways this fall is spurring concern, even after President Biden signed an executive order Sunday to keep U.S. rail traffic on track and the collective bargaining process going.

Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) led their colleagues in requesting USDA to address ERP implementation issues. ERP helps producers offset impacts of natural disasters that occurred in 2020 and 2021.

Georgia representative David Scott says he will introduce new legislation specifically targeted to help small beef farmers and ranchers.

The House Ag Committee is seeking feedback on the 2018 Farm Bill in preparation for the 2023 Farm Bill draft.

As labor negotiations continue between the railroads and unions, laborers voted to go on strike Monday unless President Biden intervenes. A potential strike would put additional strain on the fragile U.S. rail system.

The CPI, an inflation gauge measuring what consumers pay for goods and services, rose 1.3% from May to June. Prices were up across the economy, with gasoline far outpacing other categories, up 11.2%.

Infuriating price increases are the topic of the day, and but like the 80’s, rising inflation is driven largely by energy and the price of oil. It's now less about the supply of oil, and more about refining capacity.

U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh remained optimistic about contract negotiations between workers and shipping companies for some of the country’s most important ports, even as talks extend past a previous deadline.

Starting in October, France will ban the use of meat names like "steak" and "sausage" on plant-based protein food in an effort to avoid confusion over the trendy meat alternatives.

USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced agricultural producers have already received more than $4 billion through the Emergency Relief Program (formerly WHIP+), representing 67% of the $6 billion projected to be paid.

As countries close down operating nuclear power plants, John Phipps says it's clear the decision to overstate the minuscule risks- and assume greener power sources would be there to replace them -was wildly inaccurate.

The Cattle Price Transparency Act of 2022 would subject every cattle producer in the country to a business-altering government mandate, says NCBA.

The move is contingent on legislative action, which would temporarily lift the 18.3 cents tax per gallon on gasoline and 24 cents tax per gallon on diesel during the summer months.

The Senate Ag Committee is scheduled to vote on the Cattle Price Discovery and Transparency Act this week. 

Addressing shipping inefficiencies and challenges at the ports, passed legislation receives positive reassurance from the industry.

The Cattle Price Discovery and Transparency Act and Meat and Poultry Special Investigator Act are both expected to get votes ad approval from the Senate Ag Committee this week, despite expected Republican opposition.

While the proposed rule is aimed at public companies, mandating the disclosure of scope 3 emissions would place a burden on cattle producers who supply beef to public entities.