Chris Clayton

Tyson Foods officially opened a new 370,000 square foot processing plant in Humboldt, Tennessee, on Thursday. The plant is expected to employ 1,500 people by 2023, but several hundred employees are all ready for production to...

President Joe Biden's infrastructure proposals fell in line with issues raised by the CEO of the country's largest bank -- JPMorgan Chase -- even as Biden's plan has gotten largely lukewarm support among major agricultural groups.

USDA also will reopen enrollment for new or modified applications under CFAP 2 on April 5 for at least the next 60 days. While USDA is reopening aid for CFAP 2, those cattle producers who did not apply for CFAP 1 last year will not...

Meat industry dynamics have changed dramatically during the past year with an infusion of money for cattle and hog producers, government and private investment in smaller, niche packing plants, and improvements for the safety...

Agricultural details to reduce emissions were just a small piece of a 25-page summary of President Joe Biden's proposed American Jobs Plan. The package focuses on increasing investment in highways, inland waterways, and rural...

After moving last year to make Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) as the official eartag for interstate movement of cattle, USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) reined in that proposal on Tuesday.

USDA has begun the process of reviewing loan forgiveness for minority farmers with Farm Service Agency direct loans and guaranteed loans, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack testified Thursday. USDA also will use other aid...

Both chambers of Congress have now passed legislation that would extend the application deadline for SBA Paycheck Protection Program loans to at least May 31. Lawmakers also have been pushing for changes to how SBA treats farm...

USDA will issue $4.5 billion in payments immediately to crop farmers at $20 an acre under the CFAP 2 program. Another $1.1 billion will go to cattle producers. USDA also highlighted plans for $6 billion in aid that will cover several...

Carbon credits, or a carbon bank program for agriculture, could become part of a massive infrastructure bill that will be proposed by the White House. Policymakers and companies involved in markets are increasingly talking about...

Canadian Pacific -- Canada's second-largest railroad -- announced Sunday it will buy Kansas City Southern railroad, creating a network stretching across Canada, through the central U.S. and deep into Mexico. Executives dubbed it...

The Biden administration is still reviewing the last farm aid programs initiated by the Trump administration, as well as developing the programs that will come from two separate aid packages -- the aid bill from last December and the...

For the second time in two years, the House has passed a bill that would legalize undocumented farmworkers and allow for guestworkers in the H-2A visa program to work year-round at farms such as dairies. Eyes will turn to the...

The Small Business Administration came down with guidance late last week that farm partnerships must follow the same process as other partnerships when applying for Paycheck Protection Program loans. Members of Congress had...

President Joe Biden on Thursday signed into law a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief aid package. A provision estimated at $4 billion or so in aid to "socially disadvantaged" farmers is also part of the overall package. The aid would pay...

Repeatedly during a hearing before the Senate Agriculture Committee on Thursday, issues around additionality versus early adopters came up as farmers who testified about carbon sequestration also stressed the importance that...

The Democratic-led House passed a $1.9 trillion aid package on a 220-211 party line vote on Wednesday afternoon, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden to sign. A provision estimated at $4...

A provision in the $1.9 trillion relief package would provide USDA farm-loan debt relief to socially disadvantaged farmers. The provision would relieve as much as $4 billion in debt for minority...

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack spoke Friday in the closing general session to participants in the virtual Commodity Classic event. At least some aid programs for producers were frozen for review when President Joe Biden took...

The last three months have seen a strip of increased rainfall in a few states, but precipitation overall remains below normal in the northwestern portions of the Missouri River basin. The forecast shows lower potential flood risk...

During the opening session of Commodity Classic, leaders of the major commodity groups offered their takes on agriculture's moves to focus more on climate change, as well as the Biden administration's drive to lower greenhouse-gas...

In the $1.9 trillion aid package that passed the House early Saturday, House leaders stripped a provision that would provide aid for farmers suffering from crop losses in 2020. Grassley said he will push fellow senators to reinstate...

USDA will extend enrollment for the latest round of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program for Additional Assistance, dubbed CFAP-AA. Signup will continue, though payments under the program...

The U.S. House Agriculture Committee on Thursday held a marathon online hearing looking at climate change with a focus on the viability of USDA using funds from the annual $30 billion provided to USDA under the Commodity Credit...

The hearing for Katherine Tai, the president's nominee for U.S. Trade ambassador, hearing comes as trade deals and negotiations reached under the Trump administration have set the table for record agricultural exports in fiscal...

With Iowa's former governor returning as Agriculture secretary, the Iowa congressional delegation wants USDA to include custom cattle feeders in any new changes for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). Some aid...

Tom Vilsack received strong bi-partisan support in his confirmation vote even as his nomination drew criticism in some progressive circles. Vilsack will serve as agriculture secretary after having held the same post all eight years...

USDA is forecasting a boost in sales to China, reaching a record $31 billion for fiscal year 2021. Trade overall for FY 2021 will reach $157 billion, an increase in $21 billion from FY 2020, or about 13.3% higher for the year.

The presidents of the corn, cotton and soybean groups called on the U.S. International Trade Commission to deny a petition filed by Mosaic Co. and avoid placing countervailing duties on Moroccan and Russian phosphate. If the...

The president of the Renewable Fuels Association looks at the opportunity for climate policies creating a high-octane, low-carbon fuel standard. Geoff Cooper also warned policymakers against getting too far ahead of markets when...

About $16.1 billion in aid for agriculture and food aid was taken up Wednesday by the House Agriculture Committee. A big chunk of the bill focuses on greater support for minority or socially disadvantaged farmers.

An initial 2021 farm income forecast by USDA released Friday coincided with a monthly and annual update on trade data by the U.S. Census Bureau. The Census Bureau showed record overall U.S. farm exports for 2020 with sales to...

Tom Vilsack, the Biden administration's nominee for Agriculture secretary, talked at his confirmation hearing on Tuesday about rewarding farmers for sequestering carbon in the soil and using climate-smart practices. That raises...

Following some aggressive lobbying from farmers and agricultural groups, the State Department late Thursday gave an exemption to H-2A guest workers from South Africa to allow those workers to enter the country. President Joe...

Planning for a new group of H-2A guest workers became an immediate labor crisis this week for hundreds of farmers after President Joe Biden signed an order temporarily banning all travel of noncitizens into the U.S. from several...

Provisions dealing with agriculture were just a small part of a sweeping executive order signed by President Joe Biden on Wednesday dealing with climate change. Still, a wide-scale push by the federal government could lead to more...

Agricultural shippers that rely on a steady supply of empty cargo containers have seen orders for hundreds of millions of dollars delayed or outright canceled by shippers. Because of demand for Chinese products, shippers would...

ADM sees higher Chinese imports of corn and ethanol throughout 2021 as company executives pointed to some of the demand drivers that could help sustain the corn and soybean sectors. They also expect U.S. farmers will bring more...

A new travel ban issued by the White House applies to most non-U.S. citizens traveling from South Africa, Brazil, Europe, the United Kingdom and Ireland. Those also happen to be countries from which custom harvesters in the U.S...

The lead Senate sponsor of President Joe Biden's immigration bill told a business group Thursday that getting a bill through the Senate is a "Herculean task" that will businesses and lobbying groups put pressure on lawmakers to...

Pointing to the need to improve farmers' trust in the various crop reports from the National Agricultural Statistics Service, the American Farm Bureau Federation put together a farmer-led working group that spent more than four...

President Joe Biden entered the White House with a list of 17 immediate executive actions and plans to introduce a new immigration bill for Congress. Some of his actions are likely to draw conservative criticism.

President Donald Trump's policies on issues such as trade, energy, the environment and immigration heavily influenced farm prices, leading at times to criticism of the president's decisions. But the majority of farmers, who Trump...

Jewel Bronaugh holds a doctorate in career and technical education from Virginia Tech University. She would bring to USDA an extensive career working with Extension programs and has served as a 4-H Extension specialist. If...

The Yazoo Backwater Area is located just north of Vicksburg, Mississippi, where the Yazoo River flows into the Mississippi River. It takes in about 926,000 lowland acres. River levee and protection plans going back as far as 1941...

Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall and Land O'Lakes CEO Beth Ford said the COVID-19 pandemic will be the biggest issue for the next several months, but farmers see other policy demands and needs in 2021.

Last spring when SBA opened the Paycheck Protection Program for loans, the lion's share of funds was quickly snatched up by companies connected to larger banks. Congress and SBA adjusted the loan program to allow for smaller...

Control of the U.S. Senate in Democratic hands could lead to several major changes in the incoming administration for President-elect Joe Biden. Besides an easier time confirming nominees, Democratic control could open up tax...