Ag Policy Blog

The bill, dubbed the "PPP Flexibility for Farmers, Ranchers and the Self-Employed Act," would specifically change language the Small Business Administration operates under to allow farmers in partnerships with gross income from self-employment to be eligible to use an alternative...

The Growing Climate Solutions Act was reintroduced Tuesday in the U.S. Senate with a larger bi-partisan group of senators, led by members of the Senate Agriculture Committee. Senators signed on to the bill include 17 Democrats and 17 Republicans. The chairwoman and ranking...

The Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Plus Program (WHIP-Plus) paid producers for disasters that occurred in 2018 and 2019. WHIP-Plus also had a lot of tweaks over time, including adding payments for quality losses.

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...

As USDA noted, the American Rescue Plan includes provisions for USDA to pay up to 120% of loan balances, as of January 1, 2021, for Farm Service Agency (FSA) Direct and Guaranteed Farm Loans and Farm Storage Facility Loans debt relief to any socially disadvantaged producer...

In a list of intervenors in the case over EPA's E15 rule, the American Petroleum Institute and fuel retailers line up against the Renewable Fuels Association, Growth Energy and the National Corn Growers Association.

The discretionary budget at USDA would increase 16% under President Joe Biden's proposal. Among the funding increases would be expanded broadband access, more money for agricultural research, extension and outreach programs, more money for forest management and an increase...

A letter from the Nebraska Farm Bureau Federation followed a growing list of conservatives and conservative-leaning groups that have written President Joe Biden asking just what 30x30 is supposed to mean. A lot of other people already are having the conversation without the...

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...

Under the change in the law, the deadline for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications is now May 31. The Washington Post also reported that the president plans to release his major infrastructure proposal on Wednesday.

The current tax code allows for the exclusion of capital gains at death, known as "stepped-up basis." A bill proposed by a handful of Democratic senators would eliminate stepped-up basis beyond a $1 million personal exclusion. That would create a significant shift in taxes...

Sens. Jon Tester, D-Mont., and Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, on Wednesday introduced a bill to require each U.S. meat processing facility that slaughters more than 125,000 head of cattle yearly to purchase 50% of their weekly volume of beef slaughter on the open or...

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.

A coalition of 27 farm and agriculture groups on Monday wrote U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack that they have growing concerns about the U.S.-Mexico agricultural trade relationship.

Asked during an online presentation to the National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference how an equity commission he has established will work, Vilsack used farm subsidies as an example of how long-term USDA policies can lead to inequities.

In the six-page letter, the agricultural groups stress that “any successful surface transportation legislation should include several crucial elements.” First and foremost, any package should “ensure rural America is not left behind.” The groups called for...

USDA on Monday published a notice in the Federal Register asking for stakeholder input into how USDA can help lower greenhouse gases while improving the resiliency of farms, ranches and forests. The deadline for comments is April 30.

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.

Most Republican senators signed onto a bill that would eliminate the federal estate tax. A companion bill was also introduced in the House.

NRCS seeks comments on its programs while the Senate Agriculture Committee prepares for a climate hearing on Thursday. State ag directors also want to see USDA keep the food-box program but improve it.