800 326 9054Whip Emmer on farm bill: ‘Don’t expect it’s going to sit on the shelf’
The House has several fiscal 2026 funding bills to pass before Jan. 30, but House Majority Whip Tom Emmer expresses confidence the chamber will complete their work to avert a government shutdown, paving the way for the House Ag Committee to move a farm bill in February. “We can celebrate the greatest farms, the greatest producers, the greatest markets on the face of the planet, but if...
Opinion: Farmers need relief before planting season. Start with fertilizer costs.
To provide much-needed relief to American farm families and consumers, President Donald Trump recently announced a major decision to exclude import levies on more than 200 agricultural products not produced in the U.S. in sufficient quantities. These commodities range from avocados and coffee to fertilizer and key minerals. This move is the right one if our goal is to bring down U.S....
Help Fuel Corn Grower Advocacy in 2026
By Lesly Weber McNitt After spending valuable time with family and friends over the holidays, I was eager to get back to work advocating for the nation’s corn growers. But as my family and I prepared to return to Washington from a trip to Puerto Rico, we learned that the island’s airspace was closed due to the U.S. military operation in Venezuela, causing flight cancellations and delays....
Soybean export concerns cloud farmer outlook
Farmer sentiment weakened a bit last month as producers’ future outlook softened somewhat, and there is ongoing concern about prospects for soybean exports, according to the Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer. The barometer’s overall index dropped three points to 136 and the index of future expectations fell four points to 140. The index of current conditions was...
Supporters tout efficiency, critics warn of consolidation risks in rail merger debate
Plans by Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern to become the first coast-to-coast railroad company are drawing interest from some shippers excited by the prospect of fewer delays, but concern from others about competition. The companies have submitted an initial 6,700 page proposal to the Surface Transportation Board that includes statements of support from some...
Ag industry facing new WOTUS definition, other regulatory changes in 2026
The new year promises more regulatory changes for farmers as the second Trump administration goes back to the drawing board on some of the same issues it dealt with in its first term. The administration likes to move fast, as shown by its willingness to implement the deferred resignation program, which along with retirements and other departures contributed to USDA shedding about 18,000...
Ag issues at risk of being left on back burner in 2026 Congress
The new year is a week old and the window for Congress to tackle pressing U.S. agriculture legislation is already rapidly narrowing. The logistics federal lawmakers face in taking up key ag and food issues, most notably a new five-year farm bill, are challenging right out of the gate given the 2026 midterm elections in November that will preoccupy the House and at least a third of the...
Year in review: Trade, budget reconciliation, input costs, outbreaks, USDA reorganization dominate ag news
President Donald Trump was inaugurated in January and quickly followed through on many of his campaign promises – an aggressive trade agenda, a renewed focus on food inflation, and the use of a Republican-controlled House and Senate to enact a sweeping budget reconciliation bill that included major new agriculture spending. Farm policy news didn’t stop there. Agri-Pulse followed...
USDA projects smaller ag trade deficit in FY2026
The Agriculture Department is projecting that the ag trade deficit will shrink in FY2026 even more than previously anticipated. USDA expects the trade deficit to fall from $43.7 billion in FY2025 to $37 billion in FY2026, according to its quarterly trade forecast published Tuesday. In its previous report issued in August, USDA had projected a trade deficit of $41.5 billion this...
Trump administration announces state shares of 2026 rural health funding
The Health and Human Services Department on Monday announced state-by-state allocations of the $10 billion being distributed in the first year of the Rural Health Transformation Program, which was created by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to offset cuts to Medicaid. The allocations range from $147 million, which is New Jersey’s share, to $281 million, which Texas is getting. The...