Chris Clayton

USDA has announced spending $27.1 million between two companies for vaccine concentrate that will function as a strategic reserve against the risk of foot-and-mouth disease returning to the...

The president of the American Farm Bureau Federation tested positive for COVID-19 after feeling some symptoms. His last official event was June 25 in Georgia with Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and Gov. Brian Kemp in attendance.

Agriculture, forestry and fishing account for just under $8 billion in Paycheck Protection Program loans, still one of the smaller industries receiving loans under the program. The Small Business Administration announced there are...

EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler said his agency doesn't plan to release proposed Renewable Fuel Standard volumes before Friday's federal holiday. The ethanol industry has been anticipating the release of those volume levels...

After months of hearings, the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis released a 547-page report that focuses on "rapid development of wind, solar, energy efficiency and other zero-carbon energy sources." The plan, with a...

With July starting, the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement goes into effect. It could boost agricultural exports about $2 billion.

Leaders from farm groups and one of the country's largest farmer cooperatives testified before the Senate Agriculture Committee on Wednesday about the Growing Climate Solutions Act, a bill that would create a program at USDA...

The Senate Agriculture Committee will hold a hearing on the Growing Climate Solutions Act, which would create a certification program at USDA to reduce technical barriers for farmers and landowners who want to participate in...

Buena Vista County, Iowa, now has 1,600 reported cases out of a population of about 19,600 people. Cases doubled last week alone. On a per-capita basis, Buena Vista County is one of the biggest hotspots in the country as...

A long list of 192 agribusinesses and groups up and down the supply chain in agriculture signed onto a letter to President Donald Trump calling for him to keep working on the phase-one agreement with China and ensure the country...

A soil science professor at Ohio State University, Rattan Lal has worked on practices to improve degraded soils in agriculture. His work also led to increased focus on sequestering carbon in the soil as well.

A U.S. senator praised the Department of Justice for starting an investigation into beef packers, but also wants to know what the Department of Agriculture is doing with its investigation into the cattle markets following the fire...

Farm organizations seldom make political statements about social justice and civil unrest, but National Farmers Union and other groups over the past week have weighed in on the national crisis with statements calling for...

Four U.S. senators introduced bipartisan legislation that could help set criteria and certification programs that would make it easier for farmers and forestry owners to earn income from carbon credits.

The Department of Justice on Wednesday announced that a federal grand jury had indicted executives from two poultry companies for price fixing and bid rigging. Justice officials also stated the indictments came from an ongoing...

President Donald Trump laid out several punitive measures against China on Friday, which includes eliminating special status for the semi-autonomous region of Hong Kong. The U.S. has treated Hong Kong separately from mainland China...

Leaders from the National Pork Producers Council are asking the U.S. Senate to take up an aid package that would compensate pork producers for losses from euthanizing hogs. The American Farm Bureau Federation also wants to...

Agricultural sales are rising and trade officials reiterate that China is making progress on the phase-one agreement, but sales lag far behind the prospect of reaching figures promised in the trade deal signed in January.

Enrollment in CFAP through local USDA Service Centers (Farm Service Agency offices) will begin May 26, and USDA expects payments could go out to producers within a week after sign-up begins. The CFAP includes aid for livestock...

The Renewable Fuels Association says FDA has created confusion with questions about the purity of alcohol from ethanol plants, hindering the industry's ability to help produce hand sanitizer even as the country begins to open up...

A new biotechnology rule is being finalized by USDA that would exempt certain biotechnology crops from regulation if they could be produced through conventional breeding or are similar to other crops with genetic engineering that...

USDA's $16 billion aid package for producers is still at the White House being reviewed, but the department held a short webinar Thursday largely stressing to producers who do not typically use USDA programs that there are...

The major lobby for meatpackers nationally, along with the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, issued statements Wednesday opposing legislation in the Senate that would require packers to buy at least 50% of their cattle...

Farmers are looking to sell hogs any way they can, including using social media. Industry webinars tell producers to document their practices with the possibility that an indemnity package could come from the federal government, but...

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue wrote to both governors and meatpackers on Tuesday detailing that USDA expects packers to follow federal safety guidelines handed down for packing plant workers and updates on how closed...

The price for boxed beef is at record highs, but the decline in packer processing, down 37% from a year ago, is now one of the protein factors forcing retailers to limit meat buys. Independent producers are losing out bids for...

Speaking on Fox News on Thursday, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said worker safety is a priority, but he anticipated packing plants would start to reopen in the coming days. USDA daily slaughter reports show plant...

On Monday, SBA announced it was reopening its loan application process for farmers to apply for EIDL loans and grants. Until now, farmers have basically been shut out of those programs.

Over the weekend, Dairy Farmers of America stated it had finalized the transaction to take over the bulk of dairy processing operations owned by Dean Foods. The announcement came after the Department of Justice on Friday...

The Department of Justice on Friday stated it is opposing Dairy Farmers of America taking over the bulk of dairy processing facilities from Dean Foods unless three dairies in Illinois, Massachusetts and Wisconsin are not part of...

The president's executive order may get packing plants back processing meat again soon, but the backups in pork production will continue, as plant capacity won't recover quickly. States such as Minnesota and Iowa are already...

After losing roughly one-third of meatpacking capacity over the past month, President Donald Trump used the Defense Production Act to deem packing plants as critical infrastructure for the nation to protect the food supply.

At this moment when broad efforts are underway to reduce the impacts of the coronavirus, lobbyists are pushing hard on many areas, and are especially scrambling to expand relief on more tariffs. Bloomberg says. It notes that...

As businesses struggle to craft strategies to reopen following the anti-virus shutdown, The Hill is reporting that calls are growing for more protections for meat-plant workers, and that the challenge is daunting.

Right now, according to USDA reports, hog slaughter capacity is down 37% from a year ago, and cattle slaughter is down 31%. For pork, especially, the situation has caused a backup of hogs on farms, as an estimated 160,000 hogs a...

In a national letter, Tyson Foods cited over the weekend that packing plant closures are increasingly putting the food supply chain at risk. The pork industry is facing a growing challenge of euthanizing hogs and frustration is...

The chairman of the House Agriculture Committee and the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union each wrote to Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday, calling for the federal government to take more actions to...

The U.S. House of Representatives voted overwhelming late Thursday afternoon to approve an aid package with the main thrust to boost SBA loan programs for small businesses. Agricultural operations received just 1.3% of the last...

The pork industry in the Midwest has had a continuing stretch of major packing plants close with JBS SA announcing Monday it would suspend operations in Worthington, Minnesota, which processed about 20,000 hogs a day. Unions and...

After pressure from South Dakota's governor and others, Smithfield Foods announced it will suspend operations in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, indefinitely. Other packers are also struggling with the coronavirus as they try to keep...

The Trump administration released details for a USDA aid program that will provide $9.6 billion in direct aid to livestock producers, $3.9 billion for commodity crop producers, $2.1 billion for fruit-and-vegetable growers and another...

While many in agriculture understand what Norman Borlaug did to fight global hunger, his work and legacy fade with history. A PBS documentary on the Nobel Peace Prize winning wheat breeder will...

Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue told Fox Business News on Thursday that an aid package to farmers would be $16 billion to $18 billion for various commodities. Several industries were mentioned for aid, but the secretary did not mention...

Staff from the U.S. Soybean Export Council update their perspective on soybean sales to Europe and Asia, as well as expectations for China to meet its trade obligations under the phase-one trade deal with China later this year.

The JBS USA plant in Greeley, Colorado, is the latest to idle due to a high number of workers infected with the coronavirus. USDA reports of beef and pork processing show a decline in red-meat production and 90,000 fewer cattle...

In an early analysis of some of the economic impacts on commodity crops and livestock, the University of Missouri FAPRI group shows cash receipts dropping more than $32 billion for 2020, with...