Ag Policy Blog

Leaders of the House and Senate Agriculture committees, along with farm-state allies, are trying to craft a plan that would provide payments to producers who are suffering from low prices. Democrats came up with nearly $10 billion in direct payments and crop insurance rebates...

Politico reported on Monday that top Democrats on the House and Senate Agriculture committees pitched a proposal that would offer $5.31 billion for farmers suffering from economic challenges not necessarily tied to a natural disaster. In return, the Democrats want to protect...

Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., on Tuesday met with Brooke Rollins, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to head USDA. Boozman also is pressing fellow senators to provide farmers with economic aid before Congress adjourns for the year. In a Senate speech on Monday, Boozman said...

Congress faces a Dec. 20 deadline to pass a funding resolution, disaster aid, and a farm bill extension. On Monday, Republican governors pressed Congress to pass a farm bill now rather than wait until 2025 as well.

USDA on Tuesday released its latest update of U.S. agricultural trade. The report showed a slight bump in exports to $170 billion for fiscal year 2025. Imports are expected to grow, reaching $215.5 billion.

Rep. Jim Costa, D-Calif., is running to replace Rep. David Scott, D-Ga., as ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee.

A Bruneau, Idaho, ranch asked a federal court to dismiss an amended Clean Water Act lawsuit filed against the operation by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Rod Snyder, former EPA adviser, emphasized agriculture's critical role in addressing climate change during the Sustainable Agriculture Summit. He highlighted private-sector commitments will likely continue even as the new president seeks to scale back climate initiatives put in place...

For USDA, President Biden proposed $23.5 billion overall, the lion's share of which would go to help farmers and ranchers who have suffered livestock or crop losses due to hurricanes, drought and wildfires.

Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., on Monday dropped her proposal for a new farm bill she hopes Congress will take up in a lame-duck session. The farm bill is likely on the backburner until a new Congress is convened early in 2025.

The American Farm Bureau Federation is urging Congress to prioritize a disaster and economic aid package for farmers over passing a new farm bill, citing urgent financial needs and expected delays in policy implementation.

Congress' lame-duck session may address a new farm bill and disaster aid, but priorities are unclear. With budget deadlines and aid requests from recent disasters, lawmakers face pressure to act.

There just isn't a political personality in recent memory that rural Americans embrace quite like Donald J. Trump. That showed up in the Pulse of Rural America Poll, and it showed up on Election Day as well.

Indiana farmer Kip Tom, co-leader of the Farmers and Ranchers for Trump Coalition, urges quick action in the new Trump administration on trade deals as well as regulatory reform, to support U.S. farmers' competitiveness globally. Tom is among the early candidates listed for USDA...

Republicans captured control of the U.S. Senate for the first time in four years, but there are still six Senate races too close to call. There are 57 House races still to be decided that will determine control of the House.

The election came down to Donald Trump carrying rural areas by wide margins while Vice President Kamala Harris won the urban and suburban areas by smaller margins than President Joe Biden four years ago. Republicans also won control of the U.S. Senate.

The results Tuesday night came down to Trump carrying rural areas by wide margins while Harris was winning the urban and suburban areas by smaller margins than President Joe Biden did four years ago. While the presidential race was still undecided, Republicans were also racking...

The release of the Des Moines Register's Iowa Poll was a late surprise in the presidential race. The poll indicates Iowa is a tossup with Vice President Harris leading former President Trump by the margin of error. The poll is contradicted by another poll giving Trump a lead in the...

A group of World Food Prize laureates has publicly criticized U.S. political candidates for ignoring the issue of global hunger amid a rising global food crisis. The laureates also stressed that addressing hunger is crucial for global peace, economic stability and climate...

USDA released a list of new grants and funding initiatives, including aid for farmers facing hurricane losses, an international food-aid pilot program, and additional funding for domestic fertilizer production and small meatpacking operations.