Ag Policy Blog

The U.S. trade deficit with China could be cut by nearly 6% if the U.S. could ship pork into the country with no tariffs, according to National Pork Producers Council.

Deputy Agriculture Secretary Steve Censky said Thursday farmers and ranchers will need a combination of technology and soil health practices to increase the "sustainable intensification" of food production to both feed a growing population and face a changing climate.

More than 300 farm groups sent a letter Monday to House leaders demonstrating their support for the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, a bipartisan bill set for a markup Wednesday before the House Judiciary Committee.

Members of Congress on Thursday wrote the chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission seeking to alert the commission to the need for a continued supply of propane to Midwest states.

Dean Foods said it had lined up about $850 million in bankruptcy financing to continue operating while it arranges a deal. The dairy processor has fallen victim to several changes in the dairy industry.

Sens. Gary Peters, D-Mich., John Thune, R-S.D., and Pat Roberts, R-Kansas, introduced bipartisan legislation last week to ensure the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)'s chief drone policy committee includes representation for agriculture, forestry and rural America.

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue told reporters Thursday the second round of trade aid for 2019 could come later this month.

The chairman of the House Agriculture Committee has some concerns about inequities in USDA's Market Facilitation Program.

Midwest farmers see the U.S.-China trade war as having a long-term negative impact on agriculture, but could enhance the relationship because the two countries and translate into some type of positive outcome -- even if it hurts their own farm operations over the next...

Livestock haulers could get a reprieve from federal Hours of Service rules under a bill introduced in Congress on Wednesday.

Both the National Cattlemen's Beef Association and the U.S. Cattlemen's Association praised the introduction of the Real Marketing Edible Artificials Truthfully (MEAT) Act.

Argentine voters went to the polls on Sunday to put the Peronists back in power and throw out President Mauricio Macri, a politician favored by the nation's farmers.

The prospect of Congress approving the U.S. Mexico Canada Agreement sometime in 2019 appears to be eroding away, according to some champions of the trade agreement.

At a Cabinet meeting on Monday, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue defended the Environmental Protection Agency's announcement last week about how it will account for the small refinery waivers under the Renewable Fuel Standard, while President Donald Trump talked about China...

A bipartisan group of senators wrote Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue on Thursday asking for USDA to prioritize the State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) within the Conservation Reserve Program.

The House Education and Labor Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Human Services on Wednesday afternoon will hold a hearing asking USDA's deputy undersecretary for nutrition about USDA's proposed cuts to free school meals.

Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Bob Menendez, D-N.J., have written to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin requesting that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (CFIUS) review transactions made by Brazilian meatpacking giant JBS, which "engaged in illicit financial activities...

The meat industry in recent days has gotten tied up a couple of lawsuits over USDA's speed rule and California's state statute over confinement standards of animals.

An internal memo at USDA shows roughly 80% of employees at ERS have now left the agency rather than relocate to Kansas City, Mo. In the memo, USDA stated, "Due to decreased staffing levels, ERS will for considerable time be unable to provide the same level of breadth and...

Various producer groups weighed in on the announcement of an agricultural trade agreement with Japan that would lower tariffs for U.S. products.