Ag Policy Blog

A web survey and public comment period will address some questions about what consumers understand about Product of USA labels as well as other labels such as meat grades.

Rep. Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon of Puerto Rico toured businesses in Omaha on Monday with Rep. Don Bacon as the lawmakers talked about immigration, infrastructure and why Puerto Rico deserves a vote on statehood.

With challenges related to the pandemic continuing, USDA is extending some of the flexibilities in its crop insurance programs to farmers and crop insurance companies until June 30.

Signup for the general Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) begins on Jan. 31. While USDA looks to enroll at least 3.4 million acres, CRP contract data shows 3.97 million acres are set to expire from the program at the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30.

Taking a look at the election and sign up for ARC and PLC for 2022, producers should keep in mind their selection could affect their crop insurance because producers who sign up for ARC are excluded from SCO coverage. The strong commodity prices mean prices would have to...

Spotlighting the Biden administration's first year in office, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has released summaries of details regarding USDA's work combatting climate change and creating "more and better markets" ahead of his testimony Thursday before the House Agriculture...

In a news release Friday, NCBA highlighted the group supports an EPA advisory committee's position on WOTUS, as well as ecosystem management systems, pesticide management, food loss and food waste. NCBA stated, These recommendations focus on the need for clear, consistent...

The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) applauded the announcement to allow imports of U.S. pork and pork products into India. The world's second most populated country at 1.26 billion people, India has kept a de facto ban on U.S. pork. Given the population alone, NPPC stated...

Speakers at the American Farm Bureau Federation annual meeting raised doubts about the positive impacts of legislation in Congress that would mandate packers buy a certain percentage of their fat cattle in short-term cash trade sales rather than formula alternative...

The American Farm Bureau has sent its convention registrants an "official health and safety message" urging the wearing of masks and social distancing at its convention. AFBF also has an on-line registration for people to watch the convention virtually.

The first few days of the new year have already brought some agricultural policy news. The Biden administration took a lot of livestock topics and repackaged them as a new initiative, and Canadian officials are determined not to lose even when they do.

In the first dispute case brought under the USMCA, the U.S. and its dairy industry won in a ruling against Canada about how Canada has used tariff-rate quotas and domestic processors to slow down U.S. dairy exports into Canada. Still, Canadian officials declared their own sort...

President Biden on Monday afternoon will meet with farmers and ranchers virtually to talk about challenges facing producers in dealing with the nation's meatpackers. USDA will highlight its plans to release several hundred million dollars to help expand packing capacity and also its...

The GAO, the investigative arm of Congress, released a report on Monday on the MFP in 2018 and 2019 examining how $23 billion was paid out in the program. The GAO showed payments by USDA significantly overestimated the actual trade damages suffered by producers of certain...

President Job Biden had conceded late last week that his $1.7 trillion social-agenda bill would not pass this year, but talks were continuing with Manchin, D-W.Va., whose vote is critical for the passage of the bill in a 50-50 Senate. Manchin, speaking on a Fox News show Sunday...

The funding announcement seemed to be part of push from the White House to highlight multiple infrastructure and supply chain programs in several areas. The White House also on Thursday released a plan to replace all lead pipes for drinking water across the country over the...

The American Farm Bureau Federation, along with more than 60 other agriculture groups, told the Biden administration on Monday that South African farm workers should be exempted from travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 omicron variant.

The Spot Market Hog Pandemic Program (SMHPP) will pay producers $54 a head for up to 10,000 head sold through a negotiated sale from April 16, 2020, through Sept. 1, 2020.

In a pair of separate letters, biofuel groups and others wrote Congress to block certain fuels blended with petroleum from qualifying for Sustainable Aviation Fuels tax credits while another letter to EPA seeks a tweak to vapor rules that would allow year-round E15 across the...

USDA opened signup Wednesday for the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) and announced some changes to expand the program to fairy farmers, including retroactively paying farmers for recent increases in production, as well as retroactively paying farmers for a change in price...