electric vehicle

President Trump Overturns Electric Vehicle Mandate

Dan Agri-Business, Labor and Immigration, Legislative

President Trump signed several executive orders, including one on the Biden electric vehicle ‘mandate’ and the former president’s Green New Deal. “With my actions today, we will end the Green New Deal, and we will revoke the electric vehicle mandate, saving the auto industry and keeping my sacred pledge to our great American auto workers,” the President said. “In other …

Lewis and Clark

American Agriculture History Minute: Agricultural Discoveries in the Travels of Lewis and Clark

Dan Agri-Business, American Agriculture History Minute, This Land of Ours

I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. There were a lot of agricultural discoveries in the travels of Lewis and Clark, not just discovering new lands. Historians note that as the expedition journeyed up the Missouri River in search of the Northwest Passage, members of the expedition took careful notes on agricultural practices they encountered. Native American Indians …

public comment period

Trump Names USDA Undersecretary Nominees

Dan Agri-Business, Legislative, USDA

President Donald Trump has announced a slate of undersecretary nominees for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Via social media, Trump announced that he will nominate Richard Fordyce as Agriculture undersecretary for farm production and conservation; Dudley Hoskins as undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs; Luke Lindberg as undersecretary for trade and foreign agricultural affairs; and Michael Boren as undersecretary for …

grass

American Agriculture History Minute: What State is the Grass Seed Capital of the World?

Dan Agri-Business, American Agriculture History Minute, This Land of Ours

I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. We begin today with a question. What state is referred to as the grass seed capital of the world? That would be Oregon. Oregon leads the nation in hazelnut and grass seed production. Its agriculture is quite diverse from even other states along the west coast. Oregon is consistently a top …

tuberville

USDA to Measure Financial Well-Being of Farmers and Ranchers

Dan Agri-Business, Cattle, Census of Agriculture, Field Crops, USDA-NASS

The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will spend the next few months gathering information about land ownership income, expense, debt, asset, demographic and other landlord characteristics to provide detailed information from agricultural landowners. The Tenure, Ownership, and Transition of Agricultural Land (TOTAL) survey will ask producers to provide in-depth information about their operating revenues, production costs, and household characteristics. “TOTAL will …

Richard Fordyce

Richard Fordyce Appointed Undersecretary for Farm Production and Conservation

Dan Agri-Business, USDA, USDA-FSA, USDA-NRCS

Richard Fordyce has been appointed as the Undersecretary for Farm Production and Conservation, marking his return to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Fordyce, a Missouri farmer, previously served in the Trump administration as the Administrator of the Farm Service Agency. His new role will oversee key agencies that directly serve farmers and ranchers, including the Farm Service Agency (FSA), …

foreign ownership

Foreign Ownership of U.S. Ag Land Increases Between 2022-2023

Dan Agri-Business, Economy

The latest report on foreign ownership of U.S. ag land shows that 45.85 million acres of U.S. farmland were held by foreign investors in 2023. That represents 3.61 percent of total privately-held agricultural land in the U.S. This marks a 1.58-million-acre, or 3.6 percent, increase from 2022 and a five-million-acre (12.2 percent) rise since the American Farm Bureau’s last analysis …

beagle brigade

Beagle Brigade Secures the Nation’s Agricultural Gateways

Dan Agri-Business, Pest/Pest Control, USDA

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Beagle Brigade continues to play a pivotal role in safeguarding the country’s farms and crops from invasive pests. Deployed at major airports, border crossings, and postal facilities, these highly trained detection dogs work in tandem with their human handlers to pinpoint unauthorized fruits, vegetables, and meat items that could harbor harmful organisms. Beagles are chosen …

optimistic

Optimistic about Potential New Agriculture Secretary

Dan Agri-Business, Cattle, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), USDA

With the new administration set to take over on Monday, there are some in the ag industry who are very optimistic about the potential new Agriculture Secretary. Rusty Halvorson has more details. As he prepares to move back into the White House, President-elect Donald Trump did nominate former White House aide Brooke Rollins to be his Secretary of Agriculture. National …

dairy checkoff

Enrollment Opened for 2025 Farm and Dairy Safety-Net Programs

Dan Agri-Business, Cattle, Dairy, Economy, Funding

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced the enrollment periods for its 2025 safety-net programs aimed at supporting American farmers and dairy producers. These programs, including the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC), Price Loss Coverage (PLC), and Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC), are designed to provide financial protection against market fluctuations and other agricultural risks. Enrollment Periods: Program Details: How to …