Policy

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

Farm solar has become a side hustle with actual kilowatts. But H.R. 7567, the House-passed Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 could make some projects tougher to finance, especially ground-mounted solar on prime farmland. Because apparently even sunshine has to pass committee. Power struggle: Some farmers have used USDA’s Rural Energy for America Program grants to cut electric bills and add income, including dairy operations that turned barn roofs into power plants

USDA has rolled out the Great American Cotton Plan, a policy wardrobe change aimed at strengthening cotton farms, restoring domestic textile manufacturing, expanding trade opportunities and nudging demand toward American-grown cotton. Somewhere, a bale just asked whether this comes in “farm economy chic.” Thread count: The cotton plan frames the crop as a rural economic engine and ties the plan to “Plant Not Plastic,” Buy American cotton goals and export finance. Every $1 at

The USDA is opening enrollment for a $1.625B Assistance for Specialty Crops Farmers program, which is $625M more than the earlier $1B expectation. That is not exactly “money growing on trees,” but for fruit, vegetable and nut growers, it is at least money growing near trees. The wrinkle: Payments will be tiered from $25 to $650 per acre, based on eligible crop categories, with online enrollment starting June 1, Farm Service Agency office applications beginning June 8 and the

A group of USDA employees are suing Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins with allegations she violated the First Amendment with religious messaging in agencywide emails. Who filed suit: The lawsuit was filed by the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE), which represents more than 19K USDA employees. Employees speak out: Plaintiffs are listed in the suit as a group of multi-faith and non-religious employees who feel “excluded and unwelcome” by Christian messages in Rollins’ e

Sugar-producing countries are getting too sweet a deal from the U.S., according to more than 100 lawmakers who are urging the Trump administration to take a closer look at trade practices. Backstory: Tariff-rate quotas are the main mechanism for controlling sugar imports into the U.S. In recent years, U.S. sugar prices have surged. So, importers can make the math work on importing out-of-quota sugar, which sours the protection for U.S. sugar producers. By the numbers: Over

Traceability is the name of the game when it comes to animal health. But Canada has delayed its changes to beef traceability regulations after big pushback from cattle producers. Rewind: Before the 2003 Mad Cow Crisis, Canadian cattle traceability efforts started to note where infected animals were from and where they went. At the national Cattle Traceability Summit in 2011, the Cattle Implementation Plan was created, then adopted and endorsed by 19 organizations in 2016. Thr

Big news out of China this week, where the country has agreed to buy agricultural products (including beef and poultry) at an annualized rate of $17B per year for 2026, 2027, and 2028. The White House made this announcement on Sunday, two days after President Trump came back from a summit in Beijing where he tried to ease the burdens on U.S. farmers after he launched the trade war last year. Additionally, China will purchase 25M metric tons of soybeans, per an agreement from

Two nationally important seed banks could be relocated under USDA’s proposed 2027 budget. Seedling HQ: The USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) facility in Urbana, Illinois, is an agricultural research hub that supports innovation in crop yields, plant genetics, and disease resistance. The live archive: Located at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the facility connects the genetic heritage of corn and soy with researchers across the world. Frozen in time: Seeds

Corn growers and the ethanol industry cleared a major milestone. Win turns to clash: The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that would allow for year-round sales of E15. The bill would allow voluntary sales—not a mandate—of gasoline containing up to 15% ethanol. Biofuel and farm groups applauded lawmakers for passing the bill. But not all ag groups are celebrating. Controversy emerged last week after the American Soybean Association was quoted by Agri-Pulse saying

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.”