It’s now or never for the 2026 farm bill. That’s the urgent warning from Senate Agriculture Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark., as his committee prepares to take up a farm bill today. The proposed legislation addresses key ag items not updated since Congress last passed a full, five-year farm bill in 2018.
Nutrition
80% of USDA Food Assistance Workers Say They Won’t Relocate
The National Treasury Employees Union Chapter 226, which represents Food and Nutrition Service employees, says more than 80% of staff who took an internal survey claim they will not relocate to keep their jobs. Another union survey of other USDA employees tapped to relocate found similar results.
House Ag Committee Advances Farm Bill with Democrat Support
The House Agriculture Committee advanced the Republican-led farm bill in a 34-17 vote early Thursday after a marathon markup that was clouded by partisan fighting about the package.
Some Ag Groups Concerned Over Focus on Processed Food, Seed Oils in New Dietary Guidelines
The ag and food industry, particularly the meat, dairy and produce sectors, welcomed the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans, but soybean growers were alarmed by statements calling into question the potential for seed oils to harm Americans’ health. Some sectors raised concerns about the focus on highly processed foods.
USDA Launches $700M Regenerative Agriculture Program
The Trump administration is launching a $700 million initiative, potentially supplemented with corporate funding, to help farmers adopt regenerative agriculture practices. The pilot program will use $400 million from the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and $300 million from the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and will also leverage private funding.
SNAP Benefits Remain Set to Lapse on Nov. 1
Nearly 42 million people are set to lose food aid due to the second-longest U.S. government shutdown, as Democrats and Republicans in Congress continue to blame each other for a weeks-long legislative stalemate. Neither party was showing signs of changing its position days before funding for SNAP is set to lapse beginning on Saturday.
No SNAP Benefits to be Issued Nov. 1, USDA Says
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has posted a notice on its website saying federal food aid will not go out on Nov. 1, raising the stakes for families nationwide as the government shutdown drags on.
Half of States to Cut Off SNAP Benefits in November
Millions of low-income Americans will lose access to food aid on Nov. 1, when half of states plan to cut off benefits due to the government shutdown. Twenty-five states told POLITICO that they are issuing notices informing participants of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that they won’t receive checks next month.
USDA Puts Researchers on Leave After Canceling Hunger Report
The team of federal economists and researchers responsible for producing the government survey that measures hunger in America were put on indefinite paid leave Monday from the USDA, according to the union that represents the workers.
MAHA Strategy Report Mostly Friendly to Ag, Pesticides
The Trump administration’s highly anticipated policy strategy to improve children’s health outcomes targets ultra-processed food and exposure to chemicals but doesn’t go as far as some industry groups feared in proposing new regulations.
Draft MAHA Strategy Report Shows No Pesticide Restrictions
A highly anticipated White House report on the health of American children would stop short of proposing direct restrictions on ultraprocessed foods and pesticides that the health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has called major threats, according to a draft of the document that was reviewed by The New York Times.
MAHA Report Will ‘Respect’ Glyphosate Safety, EPA Official Says
The upcoming MAHA report on recommendations for action will ‘continue to respect regulatory frameworks’ that have found glyphosate is safe, a high-ranking Environmental Protection Agency official said Tuesday at the American Sugar Alliance’s International Sweetener Symposium.
Coke Cane Sugar Switch Threatens Ag Jobs, Corn Refiners Say
A possible move by Coca-Cola and other beverage and food industries to use cane sugar instead of corn syrup as a sweetener would be difficult and expensive to implement, while mostly negative for farmers in the United States.
Congress Passes Megabill with Significant Farm Program Funding
House GOP leaders overcame Republican objections to Senate provisions on SNAP, rural hospitals and other issues to clear President Donald Trump’s massive spending and tax package, including a historic infusion of new farm program funding.
Senate Ag’s SNAP Cost-Share Plan Approved by Parliamentarian
The Senate parliamentarian on Thursday approved Republicans’ tweaked plan to push some costs of the nation’s anti-hunger program onto states, allowing them to maintain a crucial $41 billion spending cut that will help pay for their policy megabill.
House Ag Advances Budget Bill that Cuts SNAP Spending
Politico’s Grace Yarrow reported Wednesday night that “the House Agriculture Committee voted 29-25 along party lines to advance legislation that would cut as much as $300 billion in food aid spending to pay for Republicans’ domestic policy megabill and some farm bill programs.” “The Wednesday vote sends the measure to the House Budget Committee for […]
House Ag Budget Plan Tightens SNAP, Expands Farm Safety Net
Agri-Pulse’s Philip Brasher and Rebekah Alvey reported that “House Republicans are proposing to cut $290 billion from nutrition assistance spending over the next 10 years and use some of the savings to increase spending on commodity programs, crop insurance and other farm bill programs.” “The draft text released Monday evening for the House Agriculture Committee’s […]
SNAP Under Fire in Budget Reconciliation Cuts
Politico’s Grace Yarrow reported that “the House Ag Committee is eyeing roughly $150 billion in spending cuts related to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program as Republicans are seeking to pay for President Donald Trump’s agenda.” “That number includes reducing SNAP error payment rates, updating work requirements and tying future updates to the Thrifty Food Plan […]
SNAP Participation Up, Spending Down in 2023
Participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) increased 2.3% in 2023 to an average of 42.1 million people each month, while total federal spending on the program decreased 5.6% in 2023 to $112.8 billion, according to new research from the USDA’s Economic Research Service. The 42.1 million people participating in SNAP each month “was […]
US Beef, Dairy Products Remain Safe From Bird Flu
*Yesterday’s Farm Policy News Summary incorrectly stated that House Agriculture Committee Democrats had proposed their own Farm Bill. The story has been corrected to say that House Ag Committee Democrats offered a counter proposal to Chairman GT Thompson’s Farm Bill funding proposal. We regret the error. ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— Reuters reported that “the U.S. Department of Agriculture […]