Lawmakers are getting close to introducing a package of farm labor reforms, and it couldn’t come soon enough for many producers.
Speaking at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s annual convention Sunday, House Ag Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Pa., said an ag labor package will be introduced in the first quarter this year. The package is currently under technical review by the Department of Labor. Then, Thompson will put together a discussion draft for key stakeholders.
“It’s going to be a strong, bipartisan bill, and I’m very optimistic about getting something done on this issue,” Thompson said.
Keep in mind: Getting the package introduced in the House would be no small feat but getting it through Congress this year will be very difficult.
Why it matters: House Ag ranking member Angie Craig, D-Minn., recounted for AFBF members a recent incident where workers at a Minnesota dairy farm stayed off the job – whether they were legal or not – while Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were sitting at a nearby gas station.
Senate Ag ranking member Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said there “really are some things we can do across the aisle to improve things.” Senate Ag Committee Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark., said “we’ve always said we’d deal with the issues of the work visa programs when we secure the border. The border is secure.”
Rollins keynotes Farm Bureau convention
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins headlines the AFBF convention today. She’ll deliver a keynote address and later meet with news media. Follow our coverage at Agri-Pulse.com.
On Sunday, Deputy Ag Secretary Stephen Vaden told AFBF members that U.S. agriculture is “missing the ball” with so much focus on China and should instead see Brazil as a culprit for low U.S. commodity prices. He also talked about Farmer Bridge Assistance and other issues. Read Sara Wyant’s report here.
AFBF President Zippy Duvall called on Congress to pass more assistance for farmers, with an emphasis on specialty crops. He also stressed the need for year-round E15. Read Lydia Johnson’s report here.
From L to R: Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.,Agri-Pulse Newsmakers Host Lydia Johnson, and Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark.
WASDE watch today
Traders will be looking for reductions to corn and soybean yield estimates in the USDA monthly crop report due out today. Revisions a year ago sent grain prices higher. Farmers and traders are looking to see if it happens again.
"Will we see another big reduction? The trade is expecting one," Arlan Suderman, chief commodities economist for StoneX Group, told Agri-Pulse.
All major U.S. cash crops are amply supplied, keeping a downward pressure on prices. Significantly lower production figures for corn and/or soybeans would tighten balance sheets and leave the crops "more vulnerable to a weather rally later in the year," Suderman said.
USDA releases its World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) at noon today. The report could move markets because it includes final production estimates for the prior year's crops as well as quarterly data on grain stockpiles.
EPA to reassess paraquat’s safety
The Environmental Protection Agency will re-evaluate the safety of paraquat. The herbicide is the subject of lawsuits alleging it causes Parkinson’s disease.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin says in an X post that the agency shares the same goal as the Make America Healthy Again Movement: “that any pesticide on the market used to eliminate weeds, germs, diseases, or bugs must meet the HIGHEST standards of safety, grounded in the best available gold standard science.”
“EPA is requiring paraquat manufacturers to thoroughly prove that current uses are safe in real‑world conditions. If they cannot meet that standard, decisive action will certainly follow,” Zeldin said.
In November, the agency asked manufacturers for additional data on the product after a new vapor pressure study showed “there is greater uncertainty regarding the potential for paraquat to volatilize than previously considered.”
In early 2024, EPA rejected the association between paraquat exposure and Parkinson’s. Nearly 6,500 pending cases are included in a multi-district case that alleges a connection.
Paraquat registrant Syngenta “rejects the claims of a causal link between paraquat and Parkinson’s disease because it is not supported by scientific evidence,” the company says.
RMA increases focus on specialty crops
The Risk Management Agency spent a couple of months last fall talking to crop insurance agents across the country who handle specialty crop policies – aimed at finding ways to expand the agency’s policies. The results are now starting to be implemented with more to come.
Speaking at the AFBF convention, RMA Administrator Pat Swanson said RMA is now offering new coverage for kiwi, pomegranates, cane berries, and grape vines. “We've expanded the enhanced coverage option for specialty crops. We've also come up with a fire insurance protection smoke index for farmers that have grapevines,” she added.
A program to help date farmers is also on the way. She encouraged growers to contact RMA about their specialty crops needs so the agency can provide additional help.
Trade groups warn of SNAP challenges for grocers
USDA’s two-strike enforcement framework to make sure retailers follow new Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program rules in 18 states “does not adequately account for the inherent complexities” shopkeepers face when implementing the new rules. That’s what two trade groups told USDA in a letter.
The National Grocers Association and the National Association of Convenience stores say more time and clarification are needed to help grocers and convenience store owners deal with the new restrictions. Under USDA’s current enforcement plan, one violation means retailers get a warning letter. A second violation could mean the retailer is barred from participating in SNAP.
The groups say that “it is not feasible for retailers to achieve perfect compliance with the restriction definitions," noting that “the food supply chain is highly dynamic, with frequent changes to product formulations, sizes, and labeling."
Take note: The letter also encourages USDA to make states provide retailers with “clear, comprehensive” lists of universal product codes for restricted items. Grocers in some states previously told Agri-Pulse they were struggling to come up with lists of banned items amid limited guidance.
Lindberg says don’t delay EU trade deal over Greenland
Some European Union lawmakers want to delay implementing a trade deal with the U.S. over President Donald Trump’s talk about taking over Greenland,
Politico EU reported last week that there’s an effort get the European Parliament to freeze the deal’s passage. Some senior members are already backing that idea.
“That would be a mistake,” Luke Lindberg, USDA undersecretary for trade and foreign agricultural affairs tells Agri-Pulse. “There are constituencies on both sides of the Atlantic that would like to see us move forward again. America has agricultural products that Europeans want, and vice versa.”
Take note: Lindberg and other U.S. officials complained in November about the slow pace of implementation, including the adoption of the deal’s ag provisions. The U.S. has already reduced tariffs under the deal.
But, but, but: Lindberg said he is still optimistic that the bloc will implement the deal early this year.
Read more from Agri-Pulse’s interview with the undersecretary.
EU states greenlight South America trade deal
Fierce opposition from farmers didn’t stop EU member countries from approving a free trade deal with Mercosur countries – Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.
France, Poland, Austria, Ireland and Hungary opposed the deal in Friday’s vote, with Belgium abstaining. But Italy’s backing paved the way for passage by the Council of the European Union.
This triggered farmer protests in Ireland, France, Poland and Belgium on Friday and over the weekend, according to reports.
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is slated to sign the deal next week. The Parliament then must approve the deal before implementation.
But, but, but: Former EU chief agricultural negotiator, John Clarke, tells Agri-Pulse that the Council’s backing eliminates the deal’s largest obstacle.
Final Word
"If you think this administration is going to subsidize anything that competes with an American farmer, particularly at a time when we can see what the commodity prices are, you must be stopping by too many of the dispensaries in this state." – USDA Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden at the AFBF convention Sunday. He made the comment in relation to biofuel subsidies.
Lydia Johnson, Steve Davies, Oliver Ward, Kim Chipman, Noah Wicks and Sara Wyant contributed to today’s Daybreak.
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