Reuters reported at the end of this past week that “the U.S. government on Friday released short-term guidance on how companies can secure clean fuel tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act, but fell short of finalizing the program’s key details.” “Biofuels groups are eager for clarity on the tax credits for fuels that combat […]
Ryan Hanrahan
Ryan Hanrahan is the Farm Policy News editor and social media director for the farmdoc project. He has previously worked in local news, primarily as an agriculture journalist in the American West. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri (B.S. Science & Agricultural Journalism). He can be reached at rrh@illinois.edu.
2025 Begins with More Ag Industry Layoffs in Iowa
Just a few days into the New Year, the trend in layoffs at agriculture-related companies is continuing, with John Deere announcing layoffs at its Ottumwa, Iowa plant and Bridgestone-Firestone announcing it is offering buyouts at its agricultural tire plant in Des Moines. Agriculture Dive’s Nathan Owens reported that “as crop farmers struggle with income declines, […]
Deal Reached to Avert Second East, Gulf Coast Port Strike
Reuters Lisa Baertlein reported Wednesday that “the union representing 45,000 dock workers on the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts and their employers on Wednesday said they reached a tentative deal on a new six-year contract, averting further strikes that could have snarled supply chains and taken a toll on the U.S. economy.” “The International Longshoremen’s […]
Trump Won’t Rule Out Military Action to Take Panama Canal
The Hill’s Alex Gangitano reported Tuesday that “President-elect Trump on Tuesday refused to commit to not using the U.S. military to gain control of the Panama Canal, after vowing last month to take over operation of the key passageway.” “Trump was questioned during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago about his recently targeting the canal as […]
Trump Says He Won’t Narrow Universal Tariff Plans
Bloomberg’s Ramsey Al-Rikabi and Maria Luiza Rabello reported Monday that “President-elect Donald Trump denied a Washington Post report that his aides are considering narrowing his tariff plan so that it would only apply to limited specific critical imports.” “‘The story in the Washington Post, quoting so-called anonymous sources, which don’t exist, incorrectly states that my […]
Budget Reconciliation Likely to Include SNAP
Politico’s Gregory Svirnovskiy reported that “newly reelected House Speaker Mike Johnson on Sunday highlighted his and President-elect Donald Trump’s plans to pass one ‘big, beautiful’ budget reconciliation package through Congress and said he aims to have it on Trump’s desk by the end of April.” “‘Everything’s got to move in the right sequence. And along the […]
New Farm Bill Top of Mind as 119th Congress Begins
American Ag Network’s Jesse Allen reported Thursday that Sam Kieffer, Vice President of Public Policy for the American Farm Bureau Federation, said that “once the new Congress is sworn in (today) on January 3, they’ve got to get to work right away. ‘They need to get back to the business of doing a Farm Bill.’” […]
‘High Likelihood’ of Another East, Gulf Coast Port Strike This Month
Supply Chain Dive’s Alejandra Carranza reported in mid-December that “with less than a month before the International Longshoremen’s Association’s contract with the United States Maritime Alliance is set to expire, shippers want to know: Will there be a strike?” “A major development in the prolonged negotiations occurred (in December) when President-elect Donald Trump voiced his […]
US, Global Ag Economies Face Uncertainties Heading Into 2025
CoBank reported earlier this December that “the U.S. continues to benefit from solid economic growth, low unemployment and moderating inflation. From today’s vantage point, the U.S. economy seems likely to continue on that trajectory into 2025. However, the outlook for the rural economy is more volatile and uncertain. Rural industries are disproportionately exposed to federal […]
Jimmy Carter, Former Peanut Farmer and President, Dies
Agri-Pulse’s Philip Brasher reported Sunday that “Jimmy Carter, the former president and statesman who died Sunday at 100, was famously proud of being a peanut farmer and is being remembered for working to address food insecurity through modern farming practices and technology, and for giving time to help his old industry.” Reuters’ Will Dunham reported […]
Experts Worried Bird Flu Spread is Reaching Boiling Point
NBC News’ Evan Bush reported this past weekend that “the simmering threat of bird flu may be inching closer to boiling over. This year has been marked by a series of concerning developments in the virus’ spread.” “Since April, at least 65 people have tested positive for the virus — the first U.S. cases other […]
Trump Threatens to Take Back Panama Canal
Reuters’ Gram Slattery reported Sunday that “President-elect Donald Trump threatened to reassert U.S. control over the Panama Canal on Sunday, accusing Panama of charging excessive rates to use the Central American passage and drawing a sharp rebuke from Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino.” “Speaking to a crowd of supporters in Arizona, Trump also said he […]
US Wins GMO Corn Dispute with Mexico
Bloomberg’s Michael Hirtzer reported this past Friday that “the US has prevailed in its dispute with Mexico over genetically modified corn that threatened shipments to America’s top customer of the grain.” “An arbitration panel under the USMCA trade agreement issued its final ruling agreeing with the US that Mexico’s efforts to halt imports of GMO […]
Ag Aid Remains in Limbo as Government Shutdown Looms
The Hill’s Emily Brooks, Al Weaver and Mychael Schnell reported late Thursday evening that “Congress is racing toward a shutdown at the end of the day Friday, and Republicans appear no closer to finding a path forward that will keep the lights on and appease President-elect Trump.” “The latest setback roiled the House on Thursday […]
Federal Funding Bill Collapses, Putting Ag Aid at Risk
UPDATE: On Thursday morning, Politico’s Meredith Lee Hill and Olivia Beavers reported that “Speaker Mike Johnson and Donald Trump’s team are circling a new federal funding stopgap plan that includes disaster aid, pushing off a debt limit fight for two years and a one-year farm bill extension, according to two Republicans familiar with the discussions. […]
Angie Craig to Lead House Ag Democrats
Politico’s Meredith Lee Hill, Nicholas Wu and Daniella Diaz reported Tuesday that “Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) will lead Democrats on the House Agriculture Committee in the next Congress after winning a caucus vote Tuesday.” “Craig, 52, beat out Rep. Jim Costa (D-Calif.), 72, for the role by a vote of 121 to 91, according to […]
Government Funding Bill to Include Ag Economic Aid, Sources Say
Politico’s Katherine Tully-McManus, Jennifer Scholtes and Meredith Lee Hill reported Monday evening that “top lawmakers were still negotiating the final details Monday night of a stopgap spending patch tied to a slew of other last-ditch priorities as Friday’s federal government shutdown deadline grows closer.” “While negotiations on the funding patch itself are resolved, disputes continue […]
Ag Market Aid Talks Reach Stalemate in Congress
Agri-Pulse’s Philip Brasher reported over the weekend that “negotiations over a package of market relief assistance for farmers reached an impasse Saturday after Democratic leaders rejected the latest GOP proposal, and several major farm groups called on lawmakers to oppose a stopgap spending bill if the economic aid is omitted.” “The Republican proposal failed to […]
Nearly All US Farms Are Family Farms, USDA Says
AgWeb’s Margy Eckelkamp reported earlier this week that “family farms still dominate a majority of U.S. farms,” having accounted “for about 96% of total farms and 83% of total production in 2023” in the United States. “Released on Dec. 10, (the USDA’s Economic Research Service) published its 2024 edition of America’s Farms and Ranches at […]
Market Aid in Jeopardy During Farm Bill Extension Talks
Progressive Farmer’s Chris Clayton reported that “nearly $10 billion in immediate economic aid to farmers could be lost because House Republican leaders oppose how Democrats came up with the money for the aid.“ “Staff for Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., the retiring chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, found a way to move the conservation dollars […]