Ag Policy Blog

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced in a news release that USDA is investing up to $400 million with at least 18 irrigation districts to pay farmers to reduce their water usage but also continue crop production on the land as well.

USDA on Wednesday announced the department had provided $2 billion to 43,000 people nationally who faced discrimination over farm-loan programs before 2021.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is suddenly becoming viewed as a Democratic "rural Midwest" counter to Republican Sen. J.D. Vance, who is former President Donald Trump's running mate.

Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., had plans to bring a cryptocurrency bill to the committee for a vote this week, but she indicated Monday her plans have stalled. The focus on getting a crypto bill done also seems to have taken away efforts of Stabenow to bring her committee...

There is a lot of angst about farm income right now, but policymakers already seem to accept that another one-year extension of the 2018 farm bill is unavoidable. If a farm bill doesn't get done this year, then there is no chance to have a better safety net in 2025. The...

The chairman of the House Agriculture Committee and the ranking member of the Senate Agriculture Committee both discussed the election and the farm bill in an interview at the Republican National Convention. One of the Senate's top leaders, Sen. John Thune of South Dakota...

The country quickly weighed in Monday on social media, campaign calls and news releases about former President Donald Trump selecting Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance as his running mate. The senator has little history in agricultural policy, but he grew up in rural America.

USDA announced $110 million for 57 various small processors across the country through two different programs, the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP) and the Local Meat Capacity (Local MCap) Grant Program.

Reflecting the partisan divide that exists right now, the top Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee criticized Republicans for not bringing their farm bill up for debate on the House floor.

Democrats have ramped up criticism of Project 2025 Presidential Transition Project, an effort driven by the Heritage Foundation to lay out an agenda for Donald Trump if he wins the presidency. For agriculture, Project 2025 calls on the White House to use the bully pulpit to...

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) proposed a new rule on Tuesday meant to deal with heat-related illnesses and deaths. OSHA cites the rule would affect more than 105,000 agricultural operations. Farms with 10 or fewer employees are excluded by the rule...

The Federal Milk Marketing Order affects 321 dairy processing plants around the country at least one month out of the year. The draft recommendations summarize months of hearings. In a notice to stakeholders, USDA detailed five specific recommendations.

Speaking Friday at a summer meals program in Omaha, Agriculture Secretary Vilsack said the House Agriculture Committee farm bill's commodity title gives the biggest increases in support to 10% of the country's largest farmers. The bill is good for campaigning, but budget hawks...

USDA under the Biden administration has pushed to tighten enforcement of the 103-year-old Packers and Stockyards Act through a series of rules tied to fairness and market competition. The Supreme Court's ruling likely leads to more legal challenges of those rules.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack made announced at the Clean Fuels Alliance America meeting that USDA wants more information to help guide the Treasury Department in drafting the regulations for the for the Section 45Z Clean Fuels Production Credit for SAF.

The Fair and Competitive Livestock and Poultry Markets proposed rule would clarify the interpretation of "unfair" under the P&S Act and spell out in more detail conduct prohibited under the law. USDA stated the rule would help ensure livestock and poultry producers receive...

Agricultural exports are forecast to stay on pace, but Americans are increasing imports of fruits and vegetables. Challenges with U.S. agricultural growers suggest those produce imports will continue to rise.

The budget outlook from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released this week adds some fuel to the fire over the split in Congress when it comes to funding the farm bill.

The grants to farms range from as small as $25,000 to as large as $1.72 million. Most of the grant awardees note the challenge of finding workers and labor shortages they face. While most of the farms are involved in fruit and vegetable production, others also are custom...

Speaking to DTN on Thursday, Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall said Republicans won't sign off on a bill led by Democrats without focusing more heavily on increasing farm programs and expanding crop insurance. Marshall said he expects the GOP will wait until they are in the Senate...