News Archives
Biden-Harris Administration invests in rural communities to lower energy costs and create jobs in 34 states
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small announced today that USDA is partnering with farmers and small businesses to expand access to clean energy and lower energy bills through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP).

Harvest time? Manage weeds now, says K-State specialist
While weed escapes in crop fields may be inevitable, Kansas State University weed specialist Sarah Lancaster said fall management could put growers in a good spot for many years to come.

RFA surpasses $200 million in higher blend infrastructure grant support
As the final application window for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Higher Blend Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP) closed earlier this week, the Renewable Fuels Association announced that it has now helped fuel retailers and distributors apply for more than $200 million in USDA grant funding.

Middle East tensions add to combustible urea market
The vice president of fertilizer for Stone X Group says increased tensions in the Middle East are concerning for farmers.
.jpg?width=320)
Ag leaders urge Biden to intervene in port strike with exports at risk
With a port strike affecting roughly $1.4 billion in agricultural exports weekly, some groups and farm leaders are calling on President Joe Biden and his administration to step in more aggressively to end the strike that has halted supply chains along the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico ports.

Biden-Harris Administration makes up to $7.7 billion available for climate-smart practices on agricultural lands
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Wednesday announced up to $7.7 billion in assistance for fiscal year 2025 to help agricultural and forestry producers adopt conservation practices on working lands.

EPA finalizes rule to protect farmworkers, families and communities from pesticide exposures
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is announcing a final rule to restore the pesticide Application Exclusion Zone (AEZ) requirements under the 2015 Agricultural Worker Protection Standard (WPS).

Secretary Naig encourages proactive biosecurity measures against the threat of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza
As fall migration begins, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig is strongly encouraging poultry producers, dairy farmers, and those with backyard flocks to proactively take steps to strengthen their biosecurity defenses against the threat of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI).

How port shutdowns impact U.S. agriculture
More than 35 East and Gulf Coast ports are at a standstill due to a labor union strike and the executive director of the Soy Transportation Coalition says meat and poultry exports are a concern.

Lawmakers call for ag disaster aid as USDA details response to Hurricane Helene
A group of 34 lawmakers from both parties and chambers in Congress representing Southeastern states wrote a letter Tuesday to congressional leaders to work with the Biden administration to provide disaster aid to agricultural producers following Hurricane Helene.

USDA invests $1.7 billion to support farmers, deliver nutrition assistance, and bolster rural economies
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced an investment of $1.7 billion for purchase of locally and regionally produced foods and domestically produced foods for emergency food assistance.

Illinois farmer, Kenneth Hartman Jr., becomes president of the National Corn Growers Association
Kenneth Hartman Jr., a corn farmer from Waterloo, Ill., began his term this week as president of the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA).

RFA urges decoupled approach for climate-smart ag supply chain management
In testimony Tuesday at a USDA public consultation on climate-smart agriculture (CSA) and biofuel feedstocks, RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper endorsed the “extraordinary opportunity” for CSA to help decarbonize renewable fuels and urged federal agencies, including the Treasury Department, to embrace book-and-claim supply chain management approaches.
.jpg?width=320)
The International Longshoremen's Association is on strike
At 12:01 a.m. EDT on Oct. 1, members of the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) walked off the job at 36 ports East Coast and Gulf ports. Roughly half of the goods shipped into and out of the U.S. come from those ports.

Farmer sentiment reaches lowest levels since 2016 as income expectations weaken
Declining income expectations helped to push farmer sentiment down again in September as the Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer Index fell 12 points to 88. Both of the barometer’s sub-indices, the Index of Current Conditions and the Index of Future Expectations, declined as well.

Chairwoman Stabenow calls for emergency assistance in wake of Hurricane Helene
U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee, Monday called for emergency assistance for farmers, ranchers, and rural communities who suffered devastating losses in the wake of Hurricane Helene.

21% of U.S. corn crop, 26% of soybeans harvested
The U.S. corn and soybean harvests managed to stay ahead of average last week. That was despite rain-related delays in much of the Corn Belt to start the week and the widespread fallout from Hurricane Helene later in the week.

Biden-Harris Administration delivers over $26.7 billion in market access for U.S. agricultural producers
The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced that the Biden-Harris Administration has secured over $26.7 billion in agricultural market access across the globe for America’s farmers, ranchers, fishers, and food manufacturers.

Farm bill discussion moves to lame duck session
A Democratic member of the U.S. House Ag Committee says she’s disappointed farm bill negotiations are being pushed to the lame duck session of Congress.

With negotiations at a standstill, the ILA is poised to strike
In less than 24 hours, 45,000 workers of the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) could be going on strike at East Coast and Gulf Ports as their contract with the United States Maritime Alliance, Ltd. (USMX) expires at midnight, Sept. 30, 2024.

Growers applaud move by U.S. House members to expand ethanol access
The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) applauded a bipartisan group of members of the U.S. House for introducing the “Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act" Friday, providing consumers with year-round access to higher blends of ethanol.
.jpg?width=320)
Biden-Harris Administration bringing back clean nuclear energy, creating clean energy union jobs across the Midwest
As part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the Biden-Harris Administration, through the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), today announced more than $2.8 billion to support reliable, affordable, and clean power in the Midwest. DOE, through its Loan Programs Office (LPO), announced the closing of a loan guarantee of up to $1.52 billion under the Inflation Reduction Act’s Energy Infrastructure Reinvestment (EIR) program to Holtec Palisades to help finance the restoration and resumption of service of an 800-MW nuclear generating station in Covert Township, Michigan.

Agri-Pulse Newsmakers: Mary Kay Thatcher on elections, ESA from WIA Summit
Nearly 1,000 women gathered in Denver for the Women in Agribusiness Summit this week. We connected with Mary Kay Thatcher from Syngenta to discuss EPA's Final Herbicide Strategy and an outlook for the November election.

Make every kernel count: Tips for avoiding harvest loss
As the 2024 season enters the homestretch and farmers begin to reap what they have sown, it's easy to get impatient. But budgeting a little extra time to ensure that harvest equipment is performing at peak efficiency is critical to maximizing yield and minimizing field losses.

Congress avoids shutdown, full farm bill extension not included
The chairman of the House Agriculture Committee says a continuing resolution to fund the government that passed Wednesday does not include a full farm bill extension.
.jpg?width=320)
Cotton, Rubio, Hawley introduce legislation to end Permanent Normal Trade Relations with China
Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas), Senator Marco Rubio (R-Florida), and Senator Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) Thursday introduced The Neither Permanent Nor Normal Trade Relations Act to end Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) with China.

U.S. pork producers, veterinarians protected from misguided antimicrobial reduction mandate
In a victory for America’s pork producers and swine veterinarians, the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) Thursday celebrated the United Nations’ (UN) decision to reject proposed on-farm target reductions of antimicrobials.

National Farmers Union joins global call for farmer-centric and innovative food systems
National Farmers Union (NFU) President Rob Larew joined leaders from G7 countries’ farmer organizations in Ortigia, Sicily, to emphasize the crucial role farmers play in shaping sustainable food systems.


