Chris Clayton

USDA officials provided an update this week on loan repayment of Farm Service Agency loans to socially disadvantaged farmers. Litigation has taken a twist as a Black farmer from Tennessee and his organization filed motions meant...

The U.S. Justice Department stated Wednesday a Ponzi scheme that ran from late 2017 until early 2019 involved investors from around the country. Two people were indicted by a federal grand jury in Colorado in the case, which...

A bill in the Iowa Legislature has stalled that would require retailers to offer at least 15% ethanol blends at the pumps and 11% biodiesel blends. The bill has stalled, though, as lobbyists for convenience stores and others have...

In a move that has set off alarm in farm groups, President Joe Biden's tax plan eliminates stepped-up basis for inherited assets beyond $1 million per individual or $2 million per couple. The White House states its proposal would not...

The Biden administration on Thursday released some principles and goals on its plan to conserve 30% of U.S. land and water under an initiative called "America the Beautiful." Pushing back on...

EPA Administrator Michael Regan, along with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, toured the Lincolnway Energy ethanol plant near Nevada, Iowa, and hosted a roundtable discussion with producers. Ethanol producers made the case that...

A congressional hearing Monday highlighted overtime exclusions in the Fair Labor Standards Act, going back to 1938, that Democratic witnesses said were meant to affect people of color. Monday's hearing focused on farmworkers...

President Joe Biden talked Wednesday night about his infrastructure and social spending plans that combine for more than $4 trillion in spending over a decade. The president also is proposing at...

The White House is releasing a plan that would increase taxes for wealthier Americans, including doubling the capital-gains tax rate and putting a $1 million cap on assets that could receive stepped-up basis. A senior administration...

Farmers and livestock producers could find themselves caught the capital-gains situation when they go to sell large equipment, but the higher capital-gains rate will hit farmers and ranchers more when they go to sell land, or pass...

Talking to reporters on Tuesday, key senators discussed the value of having USDA oversight of carbon markets. But Republican senators remain opposed to USDA tapping into the Commodity Credit Corp. funds to create a carbon...

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...

President Joe Biden's pledge, released on Earth Day, to cut U.S. emissions in half includes the potential of accelerating biofuels use in aviation fuel. The goal of paying more farmers for climate-smart practices got a boost with a...

Ahead of President Joe Biden's climate summit, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced multiple climate-related programs. A key for farmers and landowners, USDA is boosting rental rates and incentives for landowners to sign up...

The Growing Climate Solutions Act was reintroduced Tuesday in the U.S. Senate by a larger bipartisan group of senators, led by members of the Senate Agriculture Committee. The bill would create a program to help farmers qualify...

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg spoke to DTN/Progressive Farmer about the American Jobs Plan, pointing to more funding for roads and bridges, electric vehicles and biofuels, and broadband access. While Congress could be...

While biofuels appeared to be forsaken in President Joe Biden's initial infrastructure plan with a drive for expanding electric vehicles, the Renewable Fuels Association is making the case for an aggressive policy agenda to increase...

In a speech on Thursday, new U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai emphasized that the Biden administration will make climate change and other environmental topics a key part of trade negotiations going forward. Tai pointed to...

AltEn LLC, an ethanol plant in Mead, Nebraska, remains idle and faces a lawsuit from the state of Nebraska over millions of gallons of toxic water that spilled in February 2021 and 84,000 tons of distillers grains from treated corn...

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...

Tyson Foods officially opened a new 370,000 square foot processing plant in Humboldt, Tennessee, on Thursday. The plant is expected to employ 1,500 people by 2023, but several hundred employees are all ready for production to...

President Joe Biden's infrastructure proposals fell in line with issues raised by the CEO of the country's largest bank -- JPMorgan Chase -- even as Biden's plan has gotten largely lukewarm support among major agricultural groups.

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...

Meat industry dynamics have changed dramatically during the past year with an infusion of money for cattle and hog producers, government and private investment in smaller, niche packing plants, and improvements for the safety...

Agricultural details to reduce emissions were just a small piece of a 25-page summary of President Joe Biden's proposed American Jobs Plan. The package focuses on increasing investment in highways, inland waterways, and rural...

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.

USDA has begun the process of reviewing loan forgiveness for minority farmers with Farm Service Agency direct loans and guaranteed loans, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack testified Thursday. USDA also will use other aid...

Both chambers of Congress have now passed legislation that would extend the application deadline for SBA Paycheck Protection Program loans to at least May 31. Lawmakers also have been pushing for changes to how SBA treats farm...

USDA will issue $4.5 billion in payments immediately to crop farmers at $20 an acre under the CFAP 2 program. Another $1.1 billion will go to cattle producers. USDA also highlighted plans for $6 billion in aid that will cover several...

Carbon credits, or a carbon bank program for agriculture, could become part of a massive infrastructure bill that will be proposed by the White House. Policymakers and companies involved in markets are increasingly talking about...

Canadian Pacific -- Canada's second-largest railroad -- announced Sunday it will buy Kansas City Southern railroad, creating a network stretching across Canada, through the central U.S. and deep into Mexico. Executives dubbed it...

The Biden administration is still reviewing the last farm aid programs initiated by the Trump administration, as well as developing the programs that will come from two separate aid packages -- the aid bill from last December and the...

For the second time in two years, the House has passed a bill that would legalize undocumented farmworkers and allow for guestworkers in the H-2A visa program to work year-round at farms such as dairies. Eyes will turn to the...

The Small Business Administration came down with guidance late last week that farm partnerships must follow the same process as other partnerships when applying for Paycheck Protection Program loans. Members of Congress had...

President Joe Biden on Thursday signed into law a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief aid package. A provision estimated at $4 billion or so in aid to "socially disadvantaged" farmers is also part of the overall package. The aid would pay...

Repeatedly during a hearing before the Senate Agriculture Committee on Thursday, issues around additionality versus early adopters came up as farmers who testified about carbon sequestration also stressed the importance that...

The Democratic-led House passed a $1.9 trillion aid package on a 220-211 party line vote on Wednesday afternoon, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden to sign. A provision estimated at $4 billion or so in aid to "socially...

A provision in the $1.9 trillion relief package would provide USDA farm-loan debt relief to socially disadvantaged farmers. The provision would relieve as much as $4 billion in debt for minority...

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack spoke Friday in the closing general session to participants in the virtual Commodity Classic event. At least some aid programs for producers were frozen for review when President Joe Biden took...

The last three months have seen a strip of increased rainfall in a few states, but precipitation overall remains below normal in the northwestern portions of the Missouri River basin. The forecast shows lower potential flood risk...

During the opening session of Commodity Classic, leaders of the major commodity groups offered their takes on agriculture's moves to focus more on climate change, as well as the Biden administration's drive to lower greenhouse-gas...

In the $1.9 trillion aid package that passed the House early Saturday, House leaders stripped a provision that would provide aid for farmers suffering from crop losses in 2020. Grassley said he will push fellow senators to reinstate...

The U.S. House Agriculture Committee on Thursday held a marathon online hearing looking at climate change with a focus on the viability of USDA using funds from the annual $30 billion provided to USDA under the Commodity Credit...

USDA will extend enrollment for the latest round of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program for Additional Assistance, dubbed CFAP-AA. Signup will continue, though payments under the program remain frozen. Trade and filling...

The hearing for Katherine Tai, the president's nominee for U.S. Trade ambassador, hearing comes as trade deals and negotiations reached under the Trump administration have set the table for record agricultural exports in fiscal...

With Iowa's former governor returning as Agriculture secretary, the Iowa congressional delegation wants USDA to include custom cattle feeders in any new changes for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). Some aid...

Tom Vilsack received strong bi-partisan support in his confirmation vote even as his nomination drew criticism in some progressive circles. Vilsack will serve as agriculture secretary after having held the same post all eight years...

USDA is forecasting a boost in sales to China, reaching a record $31 billion for fiscal year 2021. Trade overall for FY 2021 will reach $157 billion, an increase in $21 billion from FY 2020, or about 13.3% higher for the year.

The presidents of the corn, cotton and soybean groups called on the U.S. International Trade Commission to deny a petition filed by Mosaic Co. and avoid placing countervailing duties on Moroccan and Russian phosphate. If the...

The president of the Renewable Fuels Association looks at the opportunity for climate policies creating a high-octane, low-carbon fuel standard. Geoff Cooper also warned policymakers against getting too far ahead of markets when...