Ag Policy Blog

The debate continues among leaders on the Senate Agriculture Committee about what to do with climate-smart money from the Inflation Reduction Act that is boosting spending for conservation programs at USDA.

The letter from 22 GOP senators comes as agricultural exports are falling, but also coming off the three best years in history as well. USDA does have a program starting in June that will provide more funding to help boost agricultural exports to smaller markets.

A network of nearly 70 local organizations and communities along the Mississippi River are lobbying for more conservation funding in the farm bill as well as money for infrastructure to ease the chronic drought conditions on the lower Mississippi River.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the near rule at the National Farmers Union annual convention on Monday in Scottsdale, Ariz. The rule tightens the language on what products can be defined as Product of USA or Made in USA.

A letter to the chair and ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee by ten Republicans urged committee leaders to not include H.R. 4417, the Exposing Agriculture Trade Suppression (EATS) Act, or any similar language that serves to nullify state laws and standards for...

The president's State of the Union speech included a long list of legislation and while he gave a nod to family farmers and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Biden did not call on Congress to pass a farm bill this year.

The major commodity groups representing corn, soybean and wheat farmers are divided on what, if anything, should happen to base acres. All three major groups see a need to increase reference prices, even though they know it's a costly ask.

After months of stalled funding bills, the chairs and ranking members for appropriations on Sunday released funding packages for USDA, FDA and related agencies, along with five other major funding bills for federal departments as well.

EPA on Friday announced the creation of a new Office of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, elevating the agricultural advisory role at EPA.

Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow is pushing back on GOP demands for the farm bill. Meanwhile, the federal budget appears again at an impasse with USDA at risk of shutting down on March 2.

USDA faces a March 1 funding deadline that could close the department on March 2. USDA opens enrollment for the Dairy Margin Coverage program this week and crop farmers are in the final three weeks of enrollment for the ARC and PLC programs as well.

The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) and National Farmers Union (NFU) joined forces to write Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack point out the price challenges facing dairy farmers. That includes the ongoing milk price spreads that have substantially lowered farmer milk...

Right now, the House appropriations bill for USDA includes language that would prevent USDA from spending any money further drafting or implementing new competition rules under the P&S Act. A pair of U.S. senators wrote their colleagues this week to reject any such policy...

A protestor at the USDA Agricultural Outlook Forum afforded Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack the chance to joke about criticism of his support for production agriculture. He was coming off a hearing on Wednesday in which Republican lawmakers eviscerated him over his focus on...

Agricultural Secretary Tom Vilsack has increasingly become more vocal over the impacts of California's law, which was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court last May. The court's ruling now appears to grant the ability of states to dictate farm production practices to farmers outside...

USDA on Monday announced it would provide technical training and career pathway opportunities for more than 100 people in the Working Lands Climate Corps. These young people will work on climate-smart agriculture solutions for farmers and ranchers across the country, now and...

House Democrats released a statement of principles on the farm bill Wednesday that essentially spells out where they have stood since last year. Democratic members of the House Agriculture Committee oppose making any cuts to SNAP or shifting conservation funding from the...

Leaders at the National Association of State Directors of Agriculture (NASDA) winter policy meeting in Washington were stunned Monday by news that Iowa farmer Bill Northey, a former USDA Undersecretary for Farm Production and Conservation, has passed away.

Crop insurance has generally focused on larger acreage crops, but USDA officials speaking to the crop insurance industry annual meeting called on the industry to include more farmers with smaller acreages and specialty crops in policies.

While the 2023 crop is highly unlikely to generate an ARC or PLC payment, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln webinar highlights new wrinkles to consider for ARC-PLC decisions involving the 2024 crop.