Agriculture

WASHINGTON — Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told National Association of Counties members on Tuesday that help is on the way for rural communities while assuring them passage of the long-awaited Farm Bill could happen by the end of this year.... Read More

WASHINGTON — Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., took to the Senate floor on Wednesday to urge her colleagues to “seriously consider” her latest farm bill proposal, calling it “the best and probably only path forward” to pass the massive... Read More

WASHINGTON — More than two dozen states sued the Biden administration on Monday, challenging its push to encourage consumers to transition to electric vehicles. The lawsuit, filed in the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, seeks to block a new... Read More

TRENTON, N.J. — A New Jersey appeals court on Tuesday upheld state siting requirements for new solar projects that seek to encourage clean energy development while also preserving its quickly diminishing agricultural lands. The underlying dispute in the case stemmed... Read More

WASHINGTON — Several agricultural groups representing hundreds of thousands of farmers are calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to swiftly grant the biofuel sector an emergency waiver for E15 sales. In a March 26 letter to EPA Administrator Michael Regan,... Read More

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — America’s farmers are feeling a bit more optimistic about the year ahead due to their expectation that inflation will continue to subside, according to a new report from Purdue University. The Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy... Read More

PAVILION, N.Y. — As the days grow shorter and autumn advances toward winter, it’s inevitable to look back at the previous summer and remember the good times enjoyed with family and friends. For many, those good times involve hours spent... Read More

WASHINGTON — With a partial federal shutdown growing ever more likely come midnight Saturday, the Biden administration on Monday began underscoring the consequences of Congress not quickly taking steps to avert it. At Monday afternoon’s press briefing at the White... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. — With House Republicans in an uproar and the Senate only now leaning into getting its version of fiscal year 2024's spending plans done, it's a certainty that the farm bill, which sets the nation's agricultural policy for... Read More

WASHINGTON — With Congress preparing to return to Washington, the National Governors Association has weighed in with a lengthy list of priorities it believes should be considered when deliberations over the next farm bill begin next week. In a letter... Read More

WASHINGTON — A lot of things don’t go as smoothly as they used to in Washington, but Rep. Glen “GT” Thompson, R-Pa., chair of the House Agriculture Committee, is bullishly predicting the $1.2 trillion farm bill currently before his panel... Read More

MADISON, Wis. — Once a honey bee gives its heart to a flower patch it is far more faithful than the roving bumble bee. In fact, 76% of honey bees in a recent study revisited the same plot of alfalfa... Read More

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A new research project led by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is looking at the best ways to couple crops with solar panels in a variety of settings. While the Biden administration has placed an emphasis on... Read More

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Farmers are feeling more optimistic about the financial future of their own farms and their industry as a whole, according to the latest Ag Economy Barometer compiled by Purdue University and CME Group. The monthly measure... Read More

WASHINGTON — Two new agreements reached between the American Farm Bureau Federation and agricultural equipment manufacturers represent a dramatic expansion of farmers’ and ranchers’ right to repair their own farm equipment. The memoranda of understanding with manufacturers AGCO and Kubota,... Read More

WASHINGTON — Americans starting to think about spring and summer vacations as the weather warms may find their favorite water destinations unsafe for swimming. Thick layers of cyanobacteria — commonly known as blue-green algae — have closed popular local lakes... Read More

WASHINGTON — In February, Biden tapped Xochitl Torres Small, currently USDA undersecretary for rural development, to serve as the agency’s deputy agriculture secretary. As she awaits confirmation, she’s using every tool at her disposal to ensure rural America is getting... Read More

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture released a proposed rule on Monday with new regulatory requirements to better align the voluntary “Product of USA” label claim with consumers’ understanding of what the claim means. The proposed rule allows the... Read More

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has nominated Xochitl Torres Small to serve as deputy secretary of Agriculture.  Small currently serves as the under secretary for rural development. Her promotion comes as the department prepares to enter into negotiations with Congress... Read More

WASHINGTON — International sales of U.S. farm and food products reached $196 billion last year, shattering the previous export record set in 2021. According to the Commerce Department, which released final 2022 trade data this week, U.S. agricultural exports increased... Read More

WASHINGTON — The American Farm Bureau Federation has released its priorities for what will no doubt be the most consequential legislation for agriculture in 2023 — renewal of the farm bill.  The priorities, published earlier this month, were drafted by... Read More

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Global rice production contributes at least 10% of agricultural greenhouse gas annually, but one Nashville-based sustainable land use management company is incentivizing farmers to produce carbon-neutral rice in the American southwest. AgriCapture is working with rice farmers... Read More

WASHINGTON — The deadline is fast approaching for applications to share in $15 million the U.S. Department of Energy is making available to those with innovative strategies to minimize the impact solar farms have on wildlife. Interested parties have just... Read More

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz signed an agriculture omnibus bill into law on Thursday that provides relief to farmers for drought and other climate change related challenges, while also investing in broadband and a wide range of... Read More

WASHINGTON — While manufacturing and industry processes are cited as responsible for emitting the most greenhouse gases, food systems also account for a hefty portion — 31% — of global emissions, and the U.S. and China, as food superpowers, are... Read More

WASHINGTON — Automotive industry officials told a congressional panel Wednesday that reaching President Joe Biden’s goal of switching the U.S. transportation sector to electric vehicles is likely to be a trade-off of one set of problems for another. Electric vehicles... Read More

A new White House council on U.S. economic conditions plans to hold its first meeting Friday, with participants to highlight at least 18 actions taken to help consumers and potentially lower prices. The council, an outgrowth of a July executive... Read More

WASHINGTON -- The United States Department of Agriculture announced on Thursday it would begin issuing new grant program applications for agricultural stakeholders funded by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. Small businesses in certain commodity areas will be able to... Read More

FIREBAUGH, Calif. (AP) — As temperatures recently reached triple digits, farmer Joe Del Bosque inspected the almonds in his parched orchard in California's agriculture-rich San Joaquin Valley, where a deepening drought threatens one of the state's most profitable crops. Del... Read More

America’s farmers are feeling the sobering pinch of weakened principal crop prices, but nevertheless remain cautiously optimistic about the financial conditions of their farms, a just- released industry barometer has found. According to the Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer... Read More