Ag Policy Blog

Leaders from the Trump administration continue to celebrate the release of new dietary guidelines. Officials said the Dietary Guidelines for America Roadshow will begin next week with an appearance by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins in Pennsylvania.

Some lawmakers and groups declared victory on Monday after a funding bill for EPA had a provision removed that would have blocked EPA from updating public warnings about pesticides and provided immunity to manufacturers because their products had been approved by EPA.

Venezuela's leadership change may boost U.S. agricultural exports beyond the current $753.21 million, with opportunities for both food and technology.

Waiting until the end of the year, USDA on Wednesday released payment rates for the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program. Payments for the program should start arriving at the end of February.

In an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking published in the Federal Register on Monday, USDA asks stakeholders to comment on possible changes to the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act, which was last updated in 2006.

As analysts often offer their outlook on the next year, here's a tongue-in-cheek look at the forecast for 2026 farm policy changes where certainty is promised, everything is rebranded, markets get created and common sense exits stage left.

A new report from USDA's Office of Inspector General points out more than 20,000 employees across every agency left USDA in the first half of 2025. Most of the job losses were through a buyout program. The cuts hit some agencies harder than others.

A bipartisan group of more than 100 members of Congress last week sent a letter to the House and Senate agriculture committee leaders urging them to tell USDA to provide aid to specialty crop growers as soon as possible under FBA. A USDA spokesperson also suggested USDA...

The Senate late Thursday confirmed a bloc of President Trump's nominees to high federal positions by a vote of 53 to 43. They included a new chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, a new USDA undersecretary for food safety and a new chief negotiator for...

Under the FBA, $11 billion will go to commodity crop farmers while another $1 billion will be reserved for specialty crops. Economists at the University of Illinois have projected potential payments, which surprisingly show soybean farmers receiving less money than they did under...

Dairy industry groups are praising passage of the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, which will return whole milk as an option for children in schools. Dairy groups say the move provides a healthier alternative, though some critics cite that it will increase saturated fat for...

President Donald Trump had initiated plans to raise tariffs on Mexican imports by 5% because of the water dispute. In a statement late Friday, USDA announced Mexico has agreed to release 202,000-acre-feet of water to the United States with deliveries expected to begin this...

Jonathan Coppess, associate professor of farm policy at the University of Illinois, warns the traditional farm bill may be dead because of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Diving into specific policies, Coppess said the farm policy changes in the bill, combined with a growing reliance...

In a new Executive Order issued on Saturday, President Donald Trump laid out the importance of ensuring lower food costs for Americans. Under the order, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will each establish task forces to investigate...

The U.S. Trade Representative's Office (USTR) held a three-day hearing this week to hear from a range of business, farm groups, non-governmental groups, think tanks, academics and others as part of a six-year review of USMCA and whether to extend the agreement.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney this week laid out multiple plans to diversify its oil trade while also propping up steel and softwood lumber industries, which face higher U.S. tariffs. Each of the moves could shift some trade away from the U.S. in the coming years, which could...

In a letter to USDA leaders, policy groups with diverse positions on federal spending are calling on the department to ensure any ad-hoc aid to farmers focuses on need and uses clear eligibility standards to reduce the risks of waste and fraud.

U.S. officials held a briefing with foreign press on the Ukraine negotiations. Maintaining and rebuilding Ukraine's ability to export grain is key component of the proposed framework that would end the war with Russia, officials said.

Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins spoke early Monday on CNBC's Squawk Box. She said an aid package announcement will come in early December. The American Farm Bureau Federation also released an analysis highlighting the need for such aid.

The American Farm Bureau Federation's 40th annual Thanksgiving dinner survey shows the average cost of a 10-serving classic holiday meal is about 5% less than last year. The National Farmers Union also released its annual Thanksgiving Edition of the "Farmer's Share of the Food...