Agri-Pulse’s Philip Brasher reported Monday morning that “Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., released the text of her draft farm bill on Monday with just weeks remaining in this Congress and more than five months after releasing a detailed summary of the proposal.” “The 1,397-page bill would limit President-elect Donald Trump’s use of the […]
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.
Ag Industry Groups Concerned Over Deportation Plans
Bloomberg’s Kim Chipman, Joe Mathieu, and Tarso Veloso reported Tuesday that “President-Elect Donald Trump’s threat of mass deportations risks hurting the domestic agriculture sector already struggling with labor shortages.” “That’s according to Matt Carstens, chief executive officer of Iowa’s biggest farm cooperative, who said Trump’s plan should be approached carefully. Farming would be one of […]
Ag Committee Member John Thune Elected Senate Majority Leader
Agri-Pulse’s Rebekah Alvey reported Wednesday that “Senate Republicans on Wednesday elected South Dakota Sen. John Thune, who has a deep background in agriculture and trade policy, as the chamber’s next majority leader.” “Thune is a longtime member of the Senate Agriculture Committee and the Finance Committee, which handles tax and trade policy, and currently holds […]
Zeldin Picked to Lead EPA, Lighthizer Not Asked to Tackle Trade
NPR’s Elena Moore reported Monday that “President-elect Donald Trump has tapped former New York congressman Lee Zeldin to run the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The nomination for EPA administrator will need confirmation from the Senate, where Republicans are poised to hold a majority of seats next term.” “‘[Zeldin] will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions […]
Ag Producers Bracing for Potential China Trade War
Reuters’ Casey Hall, Brenda Goh and Mei Mei Chu reported last week that “U.S. agriculture producers are bracing for the prospect of a fresh trade war under U.S. President-elect Donald Trump again hitting exports of farm goods to China, but they said while any new tariffs would hurt, they felt better prepared.” “China is the […]
Two Ag Committee Incumbents Lose, Many Races Remain Undecided
The House and Senate Agriculture Committees will see changes to membership this upcoming legislative session after at least two incumbent committee members, New York Representative Marcus Molinaro and Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown, were not re-elected. As of 8 a.m. EST Thursday, those races are the only current losses for incumbents on either the House or […]
House & Senate Ag Committee Shakeups Likely in Today’s Election
As Americans head to the polls today for election day, “one-fourth of the members of the House Agriculture Committee are in tight re-election races, according to political handicappers, a factor in the likely upheaval of the committee roster in 2025,” Successful Farming’s Chuck Abbott reports. “Turnover is a fact of life on the committee — […]
Lame Duck Farm Bill Passage Won’t Be Easy, Analysts Say
Successful Farming’s Chuck Abbott reported recently that “the lame-duck session of Congress offers a last chance to enact the new farm bill this year, but it would require compromise on a number of nettlesome policy disputes and an agreement among House and Senate leaders on how much to spend, said farm policy experts. The bill […]
Industry Sees Brazil as Global Hub for Clean Jet Fuel
Bloomberg’s Dayanne Sousa and Clarice Couto reported Thursday that “a global push to decarbonize air travel has groups from Big Oil to sovereign wealth funds betting on Brazil to become a top global center for green jet fuel.” “Brazil is becoming a magnet for investment as countries race to grab a share of what promises […]
US Detects First Bird Flu Case in Swine
Reuters’ Leah Douglas and Tom Polansek reported Wednesday that “H5N1 bird flu was confirmed in a pig on a backyard farm in Oregon, the first detection of the virus in swine in the country, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Wednesday.” “Pigs represent a particular concern for the spread of bird flu because they […]
Lack of 45Z Guidance Could Cause Biofuel Production Shutdowns
Bloomberg’s Tarso Veloso and Kim Chipman reported Monday that “agriculture giants including Cargill Inc. and Bunge Global SA are slowing their buying of soybeans due to uncertainty over US biofuels policy.” “The lack of guidance for a new clean-fuel tax credit is causing biofuels producers to put off some purchases of soyoil for early next […]
Trump Confirms RFK Jr. Would Tackle Food and Health Policy
Politico’s Grace Yarrow reported Monday that “former President Donald Trump confirmed to Joe Rogan in a podcast episode released Friday that Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a former presidential candidate and current MAHA (“Make America Healthy Again”) crusader, would have a place in his administration to focus on health and food policy.” “‘I’m gonna let him […]
E15 Gasoline Finally Coming to California?
Agri-Pulse’s Brad Hooker reported at the end of this past week that “Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday directed the California Air Resources Board to accelerate its regulatory review of the E15 blend of gasoline. Newsom said the higher ethanol mix would reduce gas prices while supporting the state’s stringent regulations on tailpipe emissions.” “The governor […]
Farm Economy Steady to Weakening, Fed Says
Successful Farming’s Chuck Abbott reported Thursday that “the farm economy stabilized in the Midwest and northern Plains but weakened in much of the country this fall as producers nationwide confronted high costs and lower commodity prices, said the Federal Reserve’s Beige Book on Wednesday. ‘Agricultural activity was flat to down modestly, with some crop prices […]
Food and Ag PACs Largely Supporting Republicans
Agri-Pulse’s Jake Zajkowski reported Wednesday that “political action committees sponsored by farm organizations, agribusiness firms and electric cooperatives have given nearly $27 million altogether to congressional campaigns in the 2024 campaign.” “House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson, R-Pa., topped the list with about $158,000 in donations, while Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., in line to […]
US Soybean Harvest Moving at Fastest Pace in 14 Years
Progressive Farmer’s Anthony Greder reported Monday that “both the U.S. corn and soybean harvests are now double digits ahead of their five-year averages as dry weather continued across most of the country last week, USDA NASS reported in its weekly Crop Progress report on Monday.” “Corn harvest moved ahead 18 percentage points nationally to reach […]
Ag economy is in a recession, says majority of ag economists
More than half of the 70 agriculture economists surveyed in Farm Journal’s Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor believe that the United States agriculture economy is in a recession, while 75% of those economists surveyed think the ag economy is on the brink of a recession. “Farmers are seeing heightened volatility in commodity prices as harvest season progresses,” […]
FTC Investigating John Deere Over ‘Right To Repair’
Reuters’ Jody Godoy reported at the end of this past week that “the U.S. Federal Trade Commission is probing farm equipment maker Deere over the company’s repair policies, according to a filing made public on Thursday. The investigation, authorized on Sept. 2, 2021, focuses on repair restrictions manufacturers place on hardware or software, often referred […]
John Deere Announces More Midwest Layoffs
The Des Moines Register’s Kevin Baskins reported Thursday that “John Deere has announced another round of layoffs in the Quad Cities affecting 287 workers, including 80 in Davenport.” “The other layoffs, effective Jan. 3, are of 200 workers at the company’s Harvester Works in East Moline, Illinois, and seven at its Seeding and Cylinder operations […]
New US-China Trade War Could Cost Farmers Billions
United States corn and soybean farmers could lose billions of dollars in annual production value in the event of a potential new tariff-induced US-China trade war, according to a new economic study commissioned by the American Soybean Association and the National Corn Growers Association and conducted by the World Agricultural Economic and Environmental Services. The […]