Latest News From Ag Policy

USDA Sec. Tom Vilsack is scheduled to travel to Nebraska Friday for what the agency is calling a "major announcement." It could include details of the Biden Administration's plan to create more competition within ag.

An expected executive order by the Biden Administration could have sweeping impacts on agriculture, and includes allowing USDA to create new rules to increase competition in the meat industry and protect producers.

After more than a decade of legislative proposals, the Biden Administration is preparing plans to allow equipment owners to have the right to repair their own equipment. AEM and John Deere responded to the planned order.

U.S. President Joe Biden wants the Federal Trade Commission to limit the ability of farm equipment manufacturers to restrict tractor owners from using independent repair shops or complete some repairs on their own.

Is Petition 13 out of Oregon as ridiculous as it sounds? Hannah Thompson-Weeman, vice president for strategic engagement at the Animal Agriculture Alliance, weighs in on Petition 13, the PAUSE Act and Prop 12.

USDA announced a top-to-bottom review of the "Product of the USA" (POTUSA) label, which will inform a forthcoming rulemaking on this topic. NCBA has long-advocated for voluntary labels that meet consumer demand.

The Supreme Court has denied a petition to review California’s Proposition 12, which requires the sale of meat products in California to conform with the state’s animal housing standards.

A plan to help farmers and ranchers reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while gaining more clarity on carbon markets, is moving through Congress. The Senate approved the "Growing Climate Solutions Act," with a 92-8 vote.

Following yesterday’s hearing about the cattle industry in front of the Senate Ag Committee, Ethan Lane of the NCBA joined AgriTalk host Chip Flory to discuss the hearing and funding for smaller processing plants.

After months of negotiations, President Biden and announced Thursday a deal was reached on an infrastructure spending plan. The news came after a meeting with a bipartisan group of senators Thursday.

The Senate Ag Committee went looking for answers amid accusations of a lack of transparency and anti-competitive practices in the cattle industry on Wednesday. Testimonies varied with how to address growing concerns.

The meatpacking industry will take center stage on Capitol Hill as members of the Senate Ag Committee hold a hearing designed to take a deep dive into the cattle markets amid accusations of price imbalances.

Calls from Congress to address issues within the cattle markets continue. The Senate Ag Committee announcing a June 23 hearing to examine markets, transparency and prices from cattle producers to consumers.

The dollars tagged for such purposes are part of the Build Back Better program, the Biden administration’s COVID-19 relief plan.

“I like to say you’re going to have to have a permit to do normal farming decisions,” he told Chip Flory, host of AgriTalk.

Talks between Argentine policymakers and meat industry officials are on track to reach a deal on re-opening exports, officials said, days ahead of the expiration of the government's month-long suspension of shipments.

* Trade restrictions linked to COVID-19 have ticked up * WTO seeks to address vaccine supply bottlenecks * 'In a hurry' for deal in IP waiver talks (Adds details throughout) By Emma Farge GENEVA, June 14 (Reuters) - The

A federal judge announced Friday a decision to halt payments in a USDA loan forgiveness program designed to help farmers of color. USDA has until Friday to respond to the court’s temporary restraining order. 

Less than two weeks after JBS was hit with a cyberattack impacting operations in Australia and North America, Congress is now calling on JBS to provide documents and communications related to the May 30 attack.

Senators Tester (D-MT), Grassley (R-IA), and Rounds (R-SD) have introduced legislation that would amend the Packers and Stockyards Act to establish the Office of the Special Investigator for Competition Matters.

USDA will begin work on three proposed rules to support enforcement of the Packers and Stockyards Act, a 100-year-old law designed to protect producers from unfair, and anti-competitive practices in meat markets.

The NCBA has filed a petition with the USDA-FSIS to eliminate the use of “Product of the USA” and other broad U.S. origin labeling claims for beef products that are potentially misleading to consumers.

The EPA and Department of the Army announced a plan on Wednesday to initiate a new rulemaking process to restore the protections that were in place prior to the 2015 WOTUS implementation.

Missouri Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler introduced the Optimizing the Cattle Market Act of 2021 in the U.S. House. If enacted, the bill would direct USDA to build a cattle formula contracts library.

USDA announced plans to invest more than $4 billion to strengthen critical supply chains through the Build Back Better initiative. Funding is provided by the American Rescue Plan Act and earlier pandemic assistance.

One week after a cyberattack shut down meat packing plants in three countries, U.S. officials seized the cryptocurrency payment that was made during the Colonial Pipeline hack less than a month earlier.

American Farm Bureau Federation sent a letter to the Biden administration saying the increase in undocumented immigration is severely impacting farm and ranch families, putting property and personal safety at risk.

The White House says President Joe Biden will address cyber attacks with Russia at a meeting later this month and won't take any options off the table when responding to the recent cyberattack on meat producer JBS.

Argentine meat producers will intensify talks with the government aimed at lifting the one-month suspension of beef exports that was declared in mid-May, the country's Agroindustrial Council (CAA) said in a statement.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is proposing to list the lesser prairie chicken under the Endangered Species Act. The chicken's habitat spans parts of five states, including Colorado, Kansas and Texas.

Demand for pork and grains is helping propel prices in 2021, and USDA is forecasting it to be a record year. 

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has set her sights on changing how the world produces and consumes food in order to counteract a trio of threats: carbon emissions, disease outbreaks and animal suffering.  

A White House listening session with vice president Kamala Harris focused on broadband connectivity. Missouri farmer Meagan Kaiser was one of six participants and spoke to the struggle for farmers and rural businesses.

After a thorough review of the best available science, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to list two distinct population segments (DPS) of the lesser prairie-chicken under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

A Nebraska bill has been delayed that would have extended COVID-19 protections for meatpacking workers for another year.

An unprecedented meeting held early this month among major cattle industry representatives has now produced plans for change. It's happening while a group of U.S. lawmakers are also asking the DOJ for answers.

Inflation concerns are heating up as fresh data from the Labor Department shows U.S. consumer prices have risen more than 4% over the past year, marking the sharpest increase since 2008.

Restaurants closing early. Sign after sign plastered along roadsides with businesses looking for help. The hiring issue is crippling everything from manufacturing to the restaurant industry today.

The plan is now called "America the Beautiful," and is a 10 year, locally-led and voluntary nationwide effort to conserve, connect and restore 30% of the nation's lands and waters by the year 2030.

The federal government is facing another lawsuit over The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. A group of farmers from five states claim they're ineligible for loan forgiveness program because they're white.

Texas Ag Commissioner Sid Miller has filed a personal lawsuit against the federal government claiming COVID relief plan discriminates against some white farmers and ranchers.

A Farm Journal Pulse Poll reveals what farmers think about Biden’s goal to cut greenhouse gas emissions 50% by 2030.

Secretary Vilsack flatly denied there is any effort by President Biden to reduce meat consumption to meet proposed cuts in greenhouse gas emissions. "Sometimes in the political world, games get played," he said.

Ryan Yates, managing director of public policy for the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), says while the plan sounds simple, there are still a lot more questions than answers regarding what the plan truly means.

John Holland at Grand Staircase-Escalante Partners, urged President Biden to restore the national monument without delay claiming long-term protection of the Monument’s landscapes are vital for rural communities.

On a day when U.S. corn futures went limit-up on supply and demand concerns, Washington talked about idling millions of additional lands via various programs.

Biden is introducing a plan to cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030. As some U.S. farmers see commodity prices hit a seven-year high, ag groups say moving land out of production may be a tough sell.

Interagency effort will coordinate resources across the federal government to bring immediate relief to irrigators, Tribes, and western communities.

Global commodity prices are expected to stay firm around current levels in 2021 after recovering in the first quarter buoyed by strong economic growth, the World Bank said on Tuesday.

Details of a U.S. land and water related executive order could be unveiled soon. Known as the ’30 by 30’ plan, it would place 30% of U.S. lands and 30% of U.S. waters under federal jurisdiction by 2030.