800 326 9054Farmers can start applying for aid payments on Monday
The enrollment period for USDA’s $11 billion Farmer Bridge Assistance Program will start Monday and end April 17. Farmers could receive a payment as soon as Feb. 28, USDA said in a press release Friday. Pre-filled applications will be available online for farmers who have a Login.gov account, according to the Farm Service Agency. Farmers can also request their pre-filled application...
45Z credit puts regen ag in spotlight with corn demand in doubt
As U.S. ethanol producers race to find new markets, a single slide at an agricultural gathering in Iowa this month showed three drastically different paths for corn farmers through 2034. The first showed stagnant corn prices in the state, hovering around $4 a bushel, a level at which most farmers aren’t profitable, said David Miller, agricultural economist at Decision Innovation Solutions,...
Farm bill reaction: Prop 12, pesticide provisions grab attention
Provisions in the House Agriculture Committee’s farm bill that addressed issues like Proposition 12 and pesticide labeling drew fire and some praise after the text’s release. Some farm groups, led by the American Farm Bureau Federation welcomed the bill’s revisions to various provisions of the 2018 farm bill that have had to be repeatedly extended because lawmakers have been unable to...
USDA issues $1.89 billion in livestock disaster aid
The Agriculture Department announced Friday it has issued disaster relief payments for losses producers faced in 2023 and 2024 due to drought, flooding and wildfire. A USDA press release says the agency has issued more than $1.89 billion through the Emergency Livestock Relief Program. The program is separated into two sub-programs — ELRP Drought and Wildfire, which goes to...
E15 outlook dims in Congress despite Trump’s call for action
In the latest setback for E15, mid-sized oil refiners say a congressional plan aimed at expanding the U.S. market for corn-based ethanol would cause them to shut down. “Current draft proposals might work for the world’s largest oil companies, many of whom have offshored refining capacity, but these so-called ‘compromises’ will only force mid-size, independent American...
Opinion: A new farm bill that puts farmers first
By Glenn Thompson The House Committee on Agriculture will soon introduce and mark up its second standalone farm billin the last two years.This is because our farmers, ranchers, and rural communities need a new farm bill – not next year, ornext Congress. Now.As chairman of House Ag, I know exactly how badly our producers need a new farm bill. Whether inmy office or out in the field, I’ve...
USMCA is a Home Run!
By Lesly McNitt I grew up in a baseball family and Yogi Berra’s classic sayings were quoted in our household often. The Yogi-ism that keeps coming to mind lately is, “it’s deja vu all over again.” I’ll tell you why. When I first joined the National Corn Growers Association in 2017, I handled the trade portfolio. At the time, we were on the verge of losing the North American Free Trade...
US, India announce tariff-lowering trade deal
The United States will lower tariffs on India as part of a trade deal announced Monday by President Donald Trump that also includes Indian purchasing commitments, few details of which were released. Trump said on Truth Social that the U.S. would lower current 25% reciprocal tariffs to 18%. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has agreed to stop buying Russian oil and also has “committed to...
Opinion: Republicans turned their back on farm country, working people
By Rep. Angie Craig My grandfather was a farm foreman and did not mince words. When people didn’t hold up their end of the bargain, he had to call it like he saw it – because his family’s livelihood and the farm depended on people doing the jobs they signed up to do. House Republicans’ failure to include farm and family relief and year-round E15 in the government funding bills that just...
Trump touts benefits of tariffs, support for year-round E15 during Iowa visit
President Donald Trump used a speech in the nation’s top corn, pork, egg, and ethanol-producing state Tuesday to tout the benefits of his trade policies and express support for year-round E15, including a commitment to sign the provision into law if it reaches his desk. Speaking in Iowa to launch a series of trips around the country, Trump also said that “because of tariffs,” John...