APHIS Finalizes Changes to Import Regulations for Horses

The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is finalizing amendments to its import regulations for horses. These amendments will better align our regulations with international standards and allow more flexibility for permitted imports, while continuing to mitigate the risk of bringing equine diseases into the United States. The regulations also provide APHIS with …

Kildee’s Request for Farm Bill Sugar Policy

If it’s not broken, don’t fix it. That’s the resounding message from Michigan Congressman Dan Kildee (D-MI-08) when it comes to the nation’s sugar policy. “We have a system right now that ensures that domestically grown sugar is sold into the markets before we allow for competition to come from offshore. This kind of protection allows American sugar growers to …

NPPC President Not Willing to “Bet the Farm” on Prop 12

Now that California’s Prop 12 is in effect, hog producers around the nation are having to decide if they’re going to change their operations to comply. National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) President Scott Hays says it’s an individual choice, and one his family farm turned down. “If you think about it from a producer perspective, most of the cost is …

Some Watching Trade Programs as Farm Bill Deadline Looms

The deadline is here. The current farm bill expires at the end of this month, and lawmakers don’t seem close to passing a new one. There are many questions left open in each of the bill’s twelve titles, but when it comes to Title III-Trade, the question is all about money.  “The big issues in the Farm Bill on trade …

Efforts Continue to Draft a New Farm Bill

Despite the fact Congress is taking their summer break, efforts continue to draft a new farm bill. Tyron Spearman has the story. Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2026FL Cattle Enhancement Board Wraps up Funding YearJune 30, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Awarded Researcher Discusses New World Screwworm OverviewJune 19, 2026Verdant Robotics Offers Growers Targeted Application of Herbicides or Beneficials through …

McConnell: Farm Bill Will Be Late

While the Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, Representative Glenn GT Thompson, has been hoping for September Farm Bill markup, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) says Congress will deliver a farm bill, but not likely in September. Roll Call says McConnell told the Kentucky Farm Bureau that Congress is running out of working days on the legislative calendar before …

Disappointed in EPA’s WOTUS Rule

The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) expressed disappointment with the revised Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule (.pdf) that was issued today by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers. U.S. corn growers are disappointed by EPA’s revised “Waters of the U. S. (WOTUS) rule,” said NCGA President Tom Haag. “The agency failed to open the process to …

EPA Amends WOTUS Rule; NCBA Responds

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says in order to conform to the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Sackett v. EPA case, it and the U.S. Department of the Army are amending the 2023 definition of “Waters of the United States”(WOTUS) rule (.pdf). EPA Administrator Michael Regan says while he’s “disappointed by the Supreme Court’s decision in the Sackett case, EPA and Army have an obligation to …