POLICY UPDATES/ISSUE NEWS

Agriculture and Food Senate farm bill action expected Farmers and ranchers have been anticipating Senate action on farm bill 2.0 for a while. The House passed its version of the legislation in May. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Boozman has postponed action in his committee while he attempts to resolve a…

Agriculture and Food Senate farm bill draft unveiled  Senate Ag Committee Chairman John Boozman (R-AR) this week released the long-awaited farm bill 2.0 discussion draft for consideration by his fellow senators. The bill touts boosting support for a wide array of agriculture producers, enhancing transparency of fertilizer markets and foreign…

Agriculture and Food House passes farm bill The House of Representatives passed H.R. 7567, the “mini” farm bill 2.0, by a bipartisan vote of 224-200. The legislation updates federal programs not dealt with in legislation passed into law last year. Congress had not completed a full, five-year farm bill since…

Agriculture and Food Farm bill heads to House floor vote The National Grange joined a group of 451 national and state organizations representing a broad cross-section of the agriculture community to urge swift passage of Farm Bill 2.0 by the House. While the commodity support and crop insurance sections of…

Agriculture and Food Washington celebrates National Agriculture Day American agriculture was in the spotlight on March 24 as the nation’s capital celebrated National Ag Day.   An annual highlight of Ag Day is the celebration at the Department of Agriculture (USDA) headquarters. This year’s event drew the largest crowd at the…

Agriculture and Food Farm bill 2.0 starts moving on the Hill The House Agriculture Committee will begin markup of the “skinny” farm bill (the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026) the week of March 1. This action is intended to complete action on the overall farm bill, which…

Agriculture and Food Dueling plans for more farmer aid Ranking Democrat Angie Craig (MN) and several of her colleagues on the House Agriculture Committee plan to introduce sweeping legislation that would provide another $17 billion in economic relief to financially strained farmers, delay cost changes in SNAP food aid, and…

Agriculture and Food “Bridge” payments coming to row crop farmers The Trump administration will provide $12 billion in financial support early next year to farmers who grow row crops. The first $11 billion is scheduled to be distributed by the end of February 2026. The Farmer Bridge Assistance program payments…

Washington Overview The government shutdown ended on November 12, with a continuing resolution to fund the government through January 21, 2026. The Senate voted 60-40 in favor of the stopgap funding bill, with eight Democrats voting in favor and one Republican opposing the measure. The House then voted 222-209 to…

Agriculture and Food Farm aid package remains elusive Past news reports have continued to stress that markets for soybeans, corn, wheat, and sorghum are in the tank. Tariffs have caused the loss of traditional foreign buyers, and tariffs have caused the prices on imported farm supplies to skyrocket. President Trump…