Policy

USDA’s reorganization plan has reached the “please explain this to a judge” stage of government efficiency, which is always a comforting place for food, farms and rural programs to be. The plan: The department says its reorganization is meant to improve efficiency, streamline services and better support producers and the public. The lawsuit: A coalition of unions and nonprofits argues the plan is unlawful because Congress barred USDA from spending fiscal 2026 funds on reorgan

Oregon farmers and ranchers may soon have to explain everyday animal care to voters, lawyers and anyone else who has never castrated a calf before breakfast. Signature shuffle: Supporters of Initiative Petition 28, also called the PEACE Act, submitted 142,784 signatures, more than the 117,173 needed before verification. If enough signatures survive the sorting pen, the measure could reach Oregon voters this November. The bill: The draft ballot title says the measure would cri

Cattle crunch: U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced the SPUR program, short for Strengthening Processing for U.S. Ranchers, with up to $500M aimed at small and mid-size beef processors. That is a big policy steak, even if everyone is still chewing carefully. The problem: Eligible U.S.-owned processors can receive temporary payments to help offset rising cattle acquisition costs while cattle supplies remain historically tight. When cattle cost more and pla

Grant spreader: USDA has rolled out a new $500M fertilizer grant program called FIELDS, aimed at shovel-ready projects that can expand domestic fertilizer manufacturing. Apparently the new farm-policy love language is “please build the nutrient supply chain before everyone’s margins faint.” Import relief: That comes after President Donald J. Trump temporarily suspended certain countervailing duties on phosphate imports from Morocco. The White House framed the move as emergenc

USDA just handed biofuels a carbon calculator, because apparently the road to regenerative agriculture runs through a spreadsheet wearing a safety vest. The department finalized its rule for regenerative agricultural biofuel feedstocks, laying out how carbon intensity should be quantified, reported and verified for domestic crops. Carbon math: The Federal Register version gives the program its official policy backbone. The practical goal is to create a more consistent way to

Congress is taking another swing at farm labor reform, which is brave, considering this policy field has eaten more good intentions than a combine with a loose bearing. Glenn “GT” Thompson, chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, is moving a fresh attempt to modernize agricultural labor law, with growers hoping this one does not immediately sink into Washington mud. The wrinkle: The Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act is built around the H-2A guestworker program, the le

The Supreme Court just handed Bayer and Monsanto a major win, blocking thousands of lawsuits claiming Roundup should have carried a cancer warning. That sound you hear is every product-liability lawyer in America checking whether the legal weeds are still worth spraying. Court cropdust: The 7-2 ruling centered on whether federal pesticide law blocks state-level failure-to-warn claims when the EPA has not required the same label language. The case involved Roundup, one of agri

Washington just loaded the policy spreader and aimed it at everything: farm aid, biofuels, hemp and war spending. The administration’s supplemental request asks Congress for $87.6 billion tied to Iran-war costs, with $11.1 billion carved out for farmers. That includes $10 billion for 2026 row and specialty crops and $1.1 billion for Florida producers hit by winter storms. Very farm-to-funding. Very subtle. Very Washington. E15 encore: The package also tries to pry open year-r

USMCA is back in Washington’s policy pen, and the gate latch is making concerning noises. President Donald Trump said the U.S. would do better as a country without the trade agreement he signed during his first term. Ah yes, the classic Washington move: frame the family recipe, then ask whether dinner would be better without it. The setup: The agreement faces a required review beginning July 1. Farm and business groups are calling for a full 16-year renewal, while Trump conti

China just slammed Australian beef with a 55% tariff after Australia filled its 2026 imported beef safeguard quota. Nothing says “welcome to the cookout” like a trade barrier thick enough to need a steak knife. The cut: Australia reached 100% of its China beef quota, triggering the tariff for the rest of the calendar year. The additional duty starts after a supplier hits its annual safeguard threshold, which Australia did on June 18. Rare situation: Australia’s quota was 205,

Farmers got the diplomatic equivalent of a rain cloud that passes over the field without dropping much. A possible end to Iran fighting may calm some energy headlines, but it does not fix drought-hit wheat, missing soybean demand or weak competition across agriculture. That is nice, because agriculture famously loves problems that arrive in bulk. The wrinkle: North Carolina farmer Jeff Tyson, fourth-generation farmer, said costs have outrun sales as dry weather and policy sho

USDA is sending a fresh coat of funding to agricultural research, and not the kind where a university building gets one new chair and a “please enjoy innovation” memo. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins and U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon announced a $125 million annual investment for the Research Facilities Act program. Lab report: The program is aimed at the unglamorous stuff that makes discovery possible: better controlled environments, safer labs, u

Food traceability sounds like a dinner-table dream: faster recalls, fewer mystery spinach scares, and supply chains that can actually answer, “Where did this come from?” But a new analysis says the FDA’s tech-enabled vision may also be turning farmers, fishers, retailers and food workers into unpaid data laborers. Welcome to farm-to-spreadsheet. The wrinkle: The paper argues that the rule’s tracking requirements could hit smaller and under-resourced operators hardest. The goa

Europe is moving closer to a new framework for plants created with new genomic techniques, which is Brussels-speak for gene editing without everyone immediately yelling “GMO” into a baguette. What happened: The Council adopted its first-reading position in April, sending the file toward the European Parliament. The goal is to create a more workable system for crops developed with targeted edits while keeping health and environmental protections on the books. Two buckets: The

After months of the biofuels sector squinting at policy tea leaves, the Department of Energy released the June update to the 45ZCF-GREET model. Nothing says party like a lifecycle emissions calculator, but for corn, soy and renewable fuels, this one actually brought snacks. What changed: The updated change log refreshes model assumptions and reflects the current structure for the Clean Fuel Production Credit. The big industry takeaway is that the model gives producers a usabl

The U.S. and Iran have an initial deal to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which is great news for anyone who enjoys global shipping lanes not being treated like a geopolitical cattle gate. The wrinkle: Farmers should not expect instant relief. The fertilizer damage has already moved through supply chains, and a reopened waterway does not magically restock every terminal, barge, warehouse and dealer shed. By the numbers: North Dakota State University economists mo

Congress is dusting off Farm Bill 2.0, because apparently one giant policy stew was not enough to keep Washington fed. Where it stands: Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark., says draft text should arrive in June, while markup is now expected after the July 4 recess and before August recess. In other words, the schedule has slipped, but only in the traditional congressional way where everyone calls it progress. The wrinkle: SNAP is still the sticky spot.

Farm income is getting a government-funded seatbelt in 2026. The headline: USDA’s Economic Research Service forecasts net farm income at $153.4B in 2026, down slightly from 2025. Direct government payments are expected to hit $44.3B, up $13.8B from 2025. That is not exactly pennies in the couch cushions. The cushion: Increased federal payments and a strong cattle sector should keep farm earnings relatively stable despite no expected improvement in crop revenue. Translation: b

The U.S. agricultural trade deficit is looking smaller on paper, which sounds great until you read the fine print. Always a dangerous hobby. By the numbers: USDA’s latest trade outlook puts fiscal 2026 agricultural exports at $176.5B and imports at $205.5B, leaving a projected deficit of $29B. That is still a deficit, but it is smaller than earlier estimates. So, yes, technically better. Please enjoy this tiny party hat. The catch: A smaller deficit does not automatically mea

The pork industry is still trying to turn California’s Proposition 12 into yesterday’s slop bucket. The wrinkle: National Pork Producers Council CEO Bryan Humphreys said at World Pork Expo that he expects Congress to pass legislation addressing Prop 12, which requires pork sold in California to meet specific animal-housing standards. The industry says it has been talking with members of the Senate Agriculture Committee and wants a fix included in the farm bill. How we got her