Policy

It was only a matter of time… before retaliatory tariffs imposed by China would hit U.S. beef and pork exports.

‘Tis the season! … for the EPA to approve E15 usage across the nation for the summer. It’s becoming a bit of an annual tradition. The emergency waiver goes into effect May 1. E15 an emergency? According to Todd Neeley of the Progressive Farmer, Biden’s EPA finalized a rule on February 22, 2024, allowing eight Midwestern states to permanently sell E15 year-round with delayed implementation to April 28, 2025.

Living is expensive, but so is dying. (Whoa, getting dark in here.) Truly, losing a loved one is a dark enough time… then the IRS comes knocking nine months later to ask for money from someone no longer with us. *Pretends to not be home* ‘Til death and beyond do us part: The estate tax, aka, “death” tax, is one of many provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act set to expire Dec. 31 this year.

Mexico might find itself screwed out of animal exports if it doesn’t let the U.S. step in to help eradicate the New World Screwworm outbreak. According to Ag Secretary Brook Rollins' letter to her Mexican counterpart, Mexico has been limiting companies hired for aerial spraying to eliminate the pests. They were only flying six days a week and put “burdensome custom duties” on parts needed for these planes.

The USDA is hatching a different plan after withdrawing a proposed regulatory framework aimed at reducing salmonella outbreaks from raw poultry products. Hot off the nest: The agency’s Food Safety and Inspection Service will no longer require companies to reduce salmonella bacteria in products beyond current requirements. That reverses a proposal from the Biden administration.

The latest update in the tariff saga: 13 states—plus a few more parties—are suing President Trump. On the west coast, Governor Gavin Newsom and State Attorney General Rob Bonta kicked things off by suing Trump’s administration at a district court in California. Their argument is Congress, not the president, has dominion over tariff policy, and the president can’t use tariffs in an economic emergency.

Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Casting off constraints: The commercial fishing industry is coming up for air after President Trump recently signed an executive order scaling back regulations on fishing in previously protected waters, including acres in the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (PRIMNM) near Hawaii. Whoa, what a swim: The U.S. controls more than 4M square miles of fishing territory but imports about 90% of its seafood, representing a $20B tr

The Climate-Smart Commodities program is getting repackaged. Earlier this week, the USDA announced the $3.1B partnership with approximately 135 conservation programs would continue under a new name. “Biden-era climate slush fund”: This is the nickname the Trump administration gave the Climate-Smart programs. But they said projects can continue if “a significant amount of the federal funds awarded will go to farmers.”

Ag lender Compeer Financial is taking three Iowa and South Dakota-based swine operations to U.S District Court for a billion-dollar check-kiting scheme. Check-kiting 101: This expert-level check fraud takes advantage of "float time"(the delay between when a check is deposited and when funds are actually cleared).

Do not fear: the Food Security and Farm Protection Act is here! As of last week, Iowa Senators Joni Ernst and Chuck Grassley, along with Kansas Senator Roger Marshall, penned new legislation fueled mainly in response to California’s Proposition 12. Refresh: Prop 12 went into effect in January 2024 in California and regulates the confinement of sows, egg-laying hens, and calves used for veal. In simplest terms, it banned the use of gestation crates.

It’s going down: an “Emergency Situation Determination,” which gives the U.S. Forest Service freedom to speed up its work to reduce wildfire risks on National Forest System lands. And Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins is yelling, “Timber!” The memo applies to more than 112M acres of National Forest System land. It’s no coincidence it’s also related to an executive order to boost domestic timber production by 25%. 

Trade, but make it spicy. Tariffs, tariffs everywhere: China and the U.S. are going tit for tat on tariffs, and it’s getting dicey. China, which we export several ag commodities to, is hiking tariffs on U.S. products by up to 81%. You hang up. No, you hang up: The slapback includes, but is not limited to: U.S. pork exports: 81% tariff (China accounts for 54% of U.S. pork variety meat shipments)

A recent court ruling is increasing the heat on price-fixing lawsuits against major meat-packers. A federal judge ruled Tyson Foods, JBS USA, Smithfield Foods, Seaboard Foods, and others will have to face lawsuits accusing them of conspiracy to fix prices and limit supplies.   ICYMI: In 2018, retail companies sued the meat-packers for fixing pork prices while “systematically controlling their output.” The lawsuit claimed the conspiracy went on for at least a decade.

The Trump Administration’s bird flu response is ruffling feathers with House Democrats. What’s crack-a-lackin’: The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is investigating Secretary of Health and Human Services RFK Jr. after his recent remarks about bird flu.   Talk to the flock: In a letter to Secretary Kennedy, the Committee expressed concern over his suggestion to allow avian influenza to “run through the flock,” so birds with immunity can be identified an

Scary, but true: Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins just admitted the USDA doesn’t really know how farmers will be impacted by Trump’s latest tariffs. Soundbite: “In fact, it may be months before we really know, especially in the row crops. They are being planted right now.” — Rollins Sound off: The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) said the tariffs threaten farmers’ competitiveness and could erode market share and lead to long-term damage.

Oh the FTC won’t let Deere be, and Deere says let me be me, and then we’ll see… A little Slim Shady for your Friday as Deere casts shade at the FTC in the ongoing “Right to Repair” lawsuit. Denied! In a 49-page court filing submitted March 17, “Deere denies nearly every substantive allegation in the FTC’s amended complaint and asserts a series of affirmative defenses.”

When agricultural spray droplets hit leaves, they tend to bounce—literally. A new solution from MIT and spinoff AgZen helps droplets stick around on leaves, which could slice into waste and environmental impact. How it works: Out of the nozzle, each droplet is coated in a super thin layer of oily material. When the droplets land on water-repellent surfaces (read: plant leaves), they spread out and stay put instead of bouncing off-target.

Proposed shipping fees could hurt agricultural exports as the ag economy struggles to stay afloat. Freight fight: The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has proposed new fees on Chinese-affiliated ocean carriers to counter China's dominance in global shipping. A new report commissioned by more than 30 industry groups concluded U.S. agriculture could feel the brunt of those fees.

“In short, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral, I am the very model of a modern Major-General.” — the musical “Pirates of Penzance,” but also President Trump. We gotta get that P: Mineral-speaking, Trump wants to boost domestic production of several minerals, but the one we’re focusing on is potash, an important fertilizer for farmers in the U.S. Most of the potash used in the U.S. (more than90%) is imported (a lot of that from our friends in Canada… *pending tariffs, h

The United States and Mexico are having a water fight, but there’s nothing fun about it. Last week, the U.S. denied Mexico’s water delivery request from the Colorado River. This is the first time the U.S. refused to fulfill a request since entering a water agreement eight decades ago.