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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.

Food prices continue to climb across the board. According to the latest Consumer Price Index, increasing grocery prices account for the largest share of the hike. However, shoppers don't view prices as high.

John Phipps says positive or negative, any trade balance has dubious value, and only limited prediction power. Other than bragging rights, they mean little with no economic advantage for having a positive trade balance.

Renewing its call for the immediate suspension of fresh beef imports from Brazil, NCBA also asks for a thorough audit of Brazil’s animal health and food safety system, to ensure the safety of the U.S. cattle herd.

The House Ag Committee has requested CEOs from the top five meat packers to testify on April 27. The panel will take “other measures” if the CEOs say they will not attend.

If enacted, the bill would clarify regulations under the Packers and Stockyards Act to allow livestock market owners to maintain an ownership interest in small meatpacking entities.

USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack provided more details regarding the general CRP signup that ended March 11. He said only 1.8 million of the 4 million acres in expiring contracts will be re-enrolled in the program.

USDA says the launch of the Emergency Livestock Relief Program (ELRP) will address increases in supplemental feed costs in 2021. Phase 1 of the payments is expected to total $577 million.

With Ukraine and Russia at war in the midst of a world moving away from the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a lot to consider in the 2023 Farm Bill. Industry experts weighed-in to share their predictions.

NCBA CEO Colin Woodall responds to recent comments by tech mogul Bill Gates, suggesting that consumers in wealthy nations should switch to “synthetic beef” as an alternative to real beef products.

With the ongoing war in Ukraine, a recent U.S. Farm Report viewer asked about the U.S. and energy independence. John Phipps provides a reality check of the current situation when it comes to crude oil and petroleum.

Monday’s reveal of the Senate’s updated cattle market reform bill generated some strong opinions from a cross-section of industry stakeholders, but no consensus.

The commodity markets came under pressure to start the week as traders tried to shed risk over shipping concerns in China as COVID-19 concerns caused officials to shut down transportation amid a two-pronged lockdown.

President Biden's USDA FY 2023 budget proposal focuses on climate, conservation and research with $3.8 billion discretionary spending increase for USDA with climate, conservation and clean energy the major focal points.

The Supreme Court of the United States announced on March 28 that it will take up the National Pork Producers Council and American Farm Bureau Federation’s challenge to California’s Proposition 12.

Lawmakers introduce a bill to send an energy rebate any month the national average gas price exceeds $4 per gallon for the remainder of 2022.

USDA now expects food price inflation in 2022 to be from 4.5% to 5.5%, compared with 2021, based on the all-food Consumer Price Index. No category shows a potential decline.

Under Secy. Moffitt says her objective is to ensure producers have access to USDA dollars: “We see there’s a need for qualified technical expertise to capture the projects for producers and MPPTA will address that."

Precedent-setting mandates are coming at ag from all angles, undermining freedom of farmers. These regulations aren't based on science. They aren't based on experience. Many argue they aren't based on a shred of truth.

Game wardens must have a warrant to conduct surveillance on private land and may not rely on the power of the federal Open Fields doctrine.

In honor of National Ag Day, NCBA is sharing the stories of two advocates who play different roles in the industry, but both understand the importance of inspiring the next generation to get involved.

The U.S. House of Representatives' Agriculture Committee will hold a hearing on April 27, 2022, on anti-competitive behavior by the nation’s largest beef packers.

The Northwest Seaport Alliance is partnering the USDA to bring the Port of Seattle a 49-acre pop-up site that will accept both dry and refrigerated agricultural products for temporary storage.

The Right to Repair movement in agriculture is a popular cause with farmers, for various good and questionable reasons. As multiple states create Right to Repair rules, it looks like we may be watching the wrong battle.

A foreign leader addressing a joint session of Congress this week was a rarity. Not to be outdone, the partisan and often cantankerous members of the U.S. Senate passed legislation unanimously on a voice vote!

Should daylight saving time be permanent?

How much power do game wardens possess without a warrant or probable cause? A hunting club lawsuit is heating up over the bounds of government access to private land.

As the Ukraine crisis continues to grab the world’s attention, President Biden's State of the Union address declared the U.S. is in a better place than it was a year ago, while agriculture was left largely unmentioned.

Expect Russia's invasion of Ukraine to dominate the State of the Union address tonight. As for issues affecting agriculture, there may be few details offered, says USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack.

With the U.S. on the back end of COVID-19 and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine unraveling, USTR Katherine Tai says her office is currently focused on three themes: resilience, sustainability and competition.

China will buy 40,000 tonnes of pork for its central state reserves this week, in the first round of such stockpiling this year, China Merchandise Reserve Management Center said on Monday.

Congress returns Monday, but to a very different situation due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which is expected to be one of the key issues President Biden talks about during his State of the Union address.

The top 10 export markets all saw gains in 2021, with six of the 10 (China, Mexico, Canada, South Korea, the Philippines and Colombia) setting new records.

NCBA and the Public Lands Council (PLC) expressed opposition to the U.S. District Court’s ruling to remand and vacate the gray wolf Endangered Species Act (ESA) delisting announced by the Trump administration in 2020.

Wiesemeyer says “you don’t spend some $300 million on these [soybean crushing] plants without a solid foundation of a market in the future.”

U.S. goods exports to China fell in December, cementing a $45 billion increase in the 2021 U.S.-China trade deficit and a major two-year shortfall in Beijing's purchase commitments under the "Phase 1" trade deal.

Don Schiefelbein, a central Minnesota native, seedstock breeder and cattle feeder became the new NCBA president during the 2022 Cattle Industry Convention.

NCBA's Marketing Committee passes policy suggestion on the Cattle Price Discovery and Transparency Act. The policy will need approval of NCBA's general membership.

Colin Woodall, NCBA CEO, says the DOJ has an “obligation” to provide full transparency and finish the investigation to give cattle producers the full scope of the issue.

Rep. Garamendi says the USDA partnership with the Port of Oakland “isn’t going to solve the problem” because shippers deliver product to the U.S. and leave ports with empty containers.

Seven of the nation’s top cattle operations were recognized as Environmental Stewardship Award Program (ESAP) regional winners for their environmental conservation efforts.

Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner., funded by the Beef Checkoff, announced a new partnership with celebrity athlete and former football star Tony Romo at the 2022 Cattle Industry Convention.

Rural communities are likely to see an outbreak of the COVID-19 variant omicron later than big cities but Chief Medical Advisor to President Biden, Dr. Anthony Fauci says the pandemic will eventually end.

AFBF President Zippy Duvall told members this week he will continue to press for policy that progresses agriculture, citing AFBF's work on changes to the White House's "America the Beautiful" plan as an example.

AFBF's in-person annual convention focused on everything from H-2A workers, drought, supply chain chaos and policy changes like the Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule. USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack addressed the group Monday.

NPPC’s Michael Formica predicts Proposition 12 repercussions will be seen in California as early as this morning.

The Biden Administration will announce "Action Plan for a Fairer, More Competitive, and More Resilient Meat and Poultry Supply Chain" Monday. The White House says it will help boost competition and reduce prices.

The House and Senate are on recess this week, but work is ramping back up to finalize 2021 legislation before the New Year begins.

Earlier this week, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association policy team convened to summarize their efforts on The Hill in 2021.