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.
Politics
House Adopts Budget Proposal for Package with $12 Billion in Farm Aid
Progressive Farmer’s Jake Zajkowski reported that, “the House of Representatives passed a $95 billion budget resolution Wednesday along party lines that would direct up to $12 billion in aid to struggling farmers while providing $73 billion for defense and intelligence spending tied to the ongoing war with Iran.” “The resolution passed 216-214, with Reps. Warren […]
US to Lift Screwworm Ban on Mexican Cattle Imports
Reuters’ Tom Polansek and Kanishka Singh reported that, “the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Friday it is lifting a ban on imports of Mexican cattle that it imposed more than a year ago to keep out the flesh-eating livestock pest New World screwworm.” “The halt of imports drove U.S. beef prices to record highs, […]
Agricultural Labor Bill Divides Republican Party
Newsweek’s Billal Rahman reported that, “hard-line Republican lawmakers and conservative groups are criticizing a GOP-backed agricultural labor bill that would allow some undocumented farmworkers to obtain temporary legal status, arguing the measure amounts to amnesty.” “The proposed legislation has highlighted a split within the Republican Party, with more conservative members wanting a tougher response to […]
USDA Moves Forward with Mandatory Relocation Despite Pushback
Meatingplace’s Peter Voskamp reported that, “the USDA Rural Development Mission Area recently announced that it is moving forward with its declared intention to move nearly 3,000 members of its workforce out of the Washington DC area in order to ‘modernize operations, increase accountability, and ensure federal resources are positioned where they can deliver the greatest […]
Monsanto Withdraws Glyphosate Duties Petition
E&E News’ Grace Yarrow reported that, “Bayer is withdrawing its request that the Trump administration impose countervailing duties on glyphosate imports from China after backlash from the agriculture industry.” “The parent company of pesticide giant Monsanto filed a petition last month with the Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration and the U.S. International Trade Commission, arguing […]
New 25% Tariff on Brazil Spares Beef, Other Key Agricultural Imports
Progressive Farmer’s Chris Clayton reported that, “the Trump administration announced 25% tariffs on a range of Brazilian products, including ethanol, but the U.S. currently imports virtually no Brazilian ethanol, while agricultural products such as beef and coffee were exempted from the new tariff action handed down late Wednesday.” “Among the actions U.S. Trade Representative’s Office […]
Oklahoma Reaches New Settlement with Poultry Companies in Decades-Long Pollution Case
Meatingplace’s Chris Moore reported that, “Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond announced a nearly $44 million settlement resolving the state’s 21-year lawsuit against six poultry companies accused of contributing to nutrient pollution in the Illinois River Watershed.” “The agreement settles claims against Tyson Foods, Cargill, George’s, Peterson Farms, Cal-Maine Foods and Simmons Foods,” Moore reported. “Oklahoma […]
House Reconciliation Bill Could Include $11 Billion in Farm Aid
Politico’s Meredith Lee Hill and Kelsey Brugger reported that “House Republican leaders and White House officials are coalescing around a roughly $80 billion policy package as they prepare for a final summer push to enact party-line budget reconciliation legislation.” “House Armed Services Chair Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) said the bill would pump $67 billion into Pentagon […]
China Resumes Soybean Purchases as Trade Thaw Continues
Mississippi Today’s Cassandra Stephenson reported that, “crops are in the ground, the weather is cooperating, soybean prices are up slightly from 2025, and China — the biggest buyer of U.S. soybean exports — is once again placing orders after a trade agreement ended the country’s purchasing freeze last fall.” “But while morale is higher among […]
Unions Claim USDA Overhaul Will Gut Agency
Reuter’s Daniel Wiessner reported that, “a group of unions, nonprofits and U.S. municipalities has asked a federal judge to block the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s planned reorganization, including the relocation of more than 2,500 employees based in the District of Columbia.” “The coalition of plaintiffs said in a filing in San Francisco federal court late […]
USDA to Fund $500 Million Expansion of Domestic Fertilizer Production
Reuters’ Karl Plume reported that “U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced $500 million in new funding on Wednesday to expand domestic fertilizer production after the Iran war drove up prices.” “Fertilizer prices have soared since the U.S. and Israel launched the war, as more than 30% of global exports were caught in Iran’s near-total closure […]
US Won’t Renew USMCA, Seeks Improvements in Yearly Reviews
The Trump administration will not renew the U.S.-Mexico-Canada agreement in its current form, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer announced Wednesday. The agreement has been a boon to farm country, but lawmakers and the dairy industry say there’s room for improvement.
Bayer Wins Supreme Court Roundup Case to Limit Lawsuits
The Supreme Court in a 7-2 decision on Thursday said Bayer cannot be sued over state-level claims that the company failed to warn of cancer risks from its weedkiller Roundup and its chemical glyphosate.
White House Requests $11 Billion in Farmer Aid
The White House on Wednesday asked Congress to pass a supplemental funding package that includes a request for $11.1 billion for farmers and calls for Congress to pass year-round E15.
Senate Farm Bill Omits E15, Prop 12 and Pesticide Labeling
Senate Agriculture Chair John Boozman (R-Ark.) released a farm bill proposal Tuesday that would make sweeping agriculture policy changes while excluding Democrats’ top demand, teeing up a partisan fight that could scuttle the package.
Iran Could Buy US Ag Products with Frozen Funds, Trump Admin Says
American farmers could see commodity sales to Iran under the negotiations going on between the U.S., Iran and mediators that just wrapped up in Switzerland.
USDA to Move Much of FAS, Rural Development out of DC
The USDA plans to relocate “much of” the Foreign Agricultural Service’s Washington D.C.-based workforce to Kansas City, Missouri, and Beltsville, Maryland, as part of its reorganization plan, the agency announced Wednesday.
Fertilizer Prices Drop on US-Iran Peace Deal News
Price indicators for key farm inputs tumbled on Monday following news of the U.S.-Iran preliminary peace deal. The value of urea at New Orleans, a benchmark for North American nitrogen fertilizer, fell about 5% from Friday, or roughly $20, according to Josh Linville, vice president of fertilizer for StoneX. That marks a 53% drop from a high earlier this spring, he says.
H-2A Guest Farmworker Certifications up 17% So Far in 2026
In the first half of the 2026 fiscal year, the Labor Department certified 17% more (H-2A Temporary Agricultural Worker) jobs than in the same period the year before.