Ag Policy Blog

Agricultural groups are worried about President Joe Biden's proposal to eliminate stepped-up basis on inherited assets above a proposed $1 million exemption for an individual, or $2 million for married couple. While the White House has stated that protections would be created so a...

President Joe Biden's tax plan to pay for his infrastructure proposal and domestic agenda calls for increasing taxes on corporations and wealthier Americans who sell stock or other assets. The plan also would take away stepped-up basis for heirs on assets they inherit, which...

Robert Bonnie was nominated for a Senate confirmation to become undersecretary for Farm Production and Conservation. Bonnies major portfolio at USDA focuses on conservation and climate issues. Before his nomination was announced, House GOP lawmakers also introduced several...

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 be eligible to enroll for new top-up...

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.

After a week or so of pestering USDA's press office for numbers, the department on Thursday provided DTN with updated statistics for Farm Service Agency direct and guaranteed loans for all borrowers and socially disadvantaged farmers.

The Biden administration on Monday announced that Dewayne Goldmon has been appointed senior adviser for racial equity to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and that Andy Green has been appointed Vilsack's senior adviser for fair and competitive markets.

Every now and then the inbox fills up with multiple studies or press releases that are both separate and interconnected. Today the theme was soil and regenerative agriculture.

The relationship between the U.S. and China is "complex" but despite the competition on the economy, President Biden's nominee for Agriculture Secretary said the two countries need to work together on several key issues. Vilsack's confirmation hearing is set for Tuesday morning...

Nearly 130 agricultural and food groups wrote the chairwoman and ranking member of the Senate Agriculture Committee on Wednesday asking for immediate confirmation of Tom Vilsack as secretary of Agriculture. The Biden administration also named several staffers to USDA on...

Delegates to the American Farm Bureau Federation's online convention on Thursday adopted a policy calling for efforts to increase negotiated sales in fed cattle markets and increased transparency in livestock pricing.

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue told reporters in Georgia on Thursday that he had not talked with any other Cabinet members about invoking the 25th Amendment, despite calls from Congress and others to remove President Donald Trump from office.

As Congress appeared close to a deal on an omnibus appropriations bill and COVID-19 relief late Wednesday, there were signs that the massive legislation might also extend tax breaks, and Growth Energy asked that biofuels measures be included.

The signup deadline for the 2021 Dairy Margin Coverage program is Friday but the National Milk Producers Federation on Monday urged USDA to extend the deadline until Jan. 30, 2021.

The policy change was among multiple policy changes that will go into effect for the 2021 spring crops. The Risk Management Agency (RMA) is following up on several changes to crop insurance that had been proposed through a task force that met following the 2019 crop year in...

Iowa's senior senator said he has fought to strengthen the safety net for farmers who face weather disasters or other market challenges that were not of their doing, but can financially devastate a farming operation. The senator said the country relies on these family farm...

The American Farm Bureau Federation and National Farmers Union each released information on Thanksgiving food costs this week that showed some divergent perspectives on costs of the meal.

In a news release Thursday, the coalition of groups highlighted that CRP acreage, at 21.9 million acres, is the lowest enrollment since 1987, and the Farm Service Agency hasn't worked to effectively implement the 2018 farm bill, which boosted the CRP acreage cap from 24 million...

As President-elect Joe Biden starts formulating his climate plans, the Washington Post reported Wednesday that the Biden transition team "is poised to embed action on climate change across the breadth of the federal government, from the departments of Agriculture to...

The funding package for agriculture is part of a $1.4 trillion omnibus spending bill that would fund government agencies for fiscal-year 2021, which began in October. Right now, federal departments are operating under a continuing resolution that extended funds to agencies that...