Latest News From POLICY

Welcome to a festering landowner-hunter conflict and a lawsuit launched by rural property owners against the state. If persistent hunting dog encroachment affects a farming operation, is compensation in order?

Do you have concerns about the Asian Longhorned Tick and how it is moving across the U.S.? It’s not too late to join the Asian Longhorned Tick webinar hosted by NCBA and the USDA on Aug. 23 and 24.

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.

Collaboration between two cattlemen's groups led to a blog from leaders of each urging cattlemen to work together to find common ground. This installment is from NCBA president Don Schiefelbein.

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.

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.

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.

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.

NCBA and USDA will host a free two-day webinar symposium to address concerns regarding the Asian Longhorned Tick and the pest’s possible impact on the U.S. cattle industry.

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%.

According to the USDA, 2020 farming activities in the U.S. made up 11.2 percent, or 670 of 5,981 million metrics tons, of the U.S.’s total carbon contribution.

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.

The Justice Department failed in its third attempt at prosecution of chicken industry executives for price-fixing and bid rigging.

To bridge the gap between the U.S. and UK, a recent USDA trade mission focused on current barriers that challenge U.S. agricultural exports in the UK market.

Terry Buckler, a Missouri farm kid, shares the story of his time as a Green Beret and the historic raid on Son Tay prison in Vietnam.

Bottlenecks along U.S. railways are growing more severe. Not only are feed users on the West Coast on the brink of running out of grain, but there are also concerns the rail issues could grow worse during harvest.

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.

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.

EPA hosted its fifth WOTUS roundtable last week with the Kansas Livestock Association, revealing murky waters in the WOTUS definition.

According to the Office of the USTR, the safeguard will allow U.S. exporters to meet Japan’s growing demand for high-quality beef while minimizing the odds that Japan will increase tariffs.

With the industry divided on the Cattle Price Discovery and Transparency Act legislation, perspectives range across regions of the U.S. TCFA president and CEO Ben Weinheimer shares his southern plains viewpoint.

The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) will host a virtual Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Workshop on Aug. 30 to update stakeholders and renew action on the topic.

Transforming the U.S. food system by improving supply chains and addressing issues exposed by the Covid-19 pandemic was detailed by USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack during a speech at Georgetown University.

USDA raised its estimated range of 6.5%-7.5% y/y increase from a range of 5%-6%, according to the May Food Price Outlook report, the highest forecast for all food prices and restaurant prices since 1981.

Estimates of when new routes will be regular shipping lanes keep advancing. It looks like the long-awaited transpolar shipping route could be a real thing around 2050. John Phipps explains why and the possible impact

Mexico’s duty suspension is likely to benefit European pork and Brazilian poultry, while beef imports remain relatively unchanged.

The White House is considering waiving U.S. gasoline environmental rules aimed at reducing summertime smog, hoping the waiver will combat rising pump prices, Reuters reported.

The U.S.-China trade war began in July 2018 when the Trump administration imposed tariffs on $550 billion worth of Chinese goods. Nearly four years later, the debate remains as to which country actually won.

Some farmers are concerned about the possibility of losing farmland to energy projects like wind and solar. John Phipps points out some major misconceptions about the placement of solar projects.

Biden says Ukraine has 20 million tons of stored grain awaiting export to various countries. He says lack of port movement coupled with halted planting in Ukraine will ignite a global food crisis unless action is taken.

Despite a “no nothing burger” Cattle Market Price Discovery and Transparency Act hearing, NCBA’s Don Schiefelbein joins “AgriTalk” to highlight his thoughts on where the industry needs to see action.

Kansas Livestock Association and NCBA member Shawn Tiffany testified in opposition to a government mandate during the Senate Agriculture Hearing on Tuesday.

USDA's 2022 food price inflation forecasts are already at a 14-year high with forecasts for consumer food price inflation increased again this month. All food prices now seen rising 5% to 6% vs 4.5% to 5.5% in March.

Higher prices at the grocery store don’t seem to be causing consumers to veer away from the meat counter. Robust meat demand abroad is also setting sail, despite inflation and shipping struggles.

The Senate Ag Committee will hold a hearing this week on a revised bill that proposes to establish a regional mandatory minimum threshold for the percentage of cattle purchased under negotiated grid or pricing terms.