Articles by Bill Tomson

Congressional negotiators now have until March 11 to agree on a massive bill to fund the government for a fiscal year that started nearly five months ago.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says the government needs to ensure that seed companies and other input suppliers aren’t using their market power to raise prices unfairly.

China continues to be a “difficult and unpredictable market for U.S. agricultural exporters” because it flouts international trade standards set by the World Trade Organization, according to a new report to Congress from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.

Officials from USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service won’t be inspecting Mexican avocados for export to the U.S. until the agency is confident there are safe working conditions in the state of Michoacán, effectively cutting off exports from the only Mexican state allowed to ship to the U.S.

A Senate committee will be debating biofuel policy today amid concerns about the Biden administration’s implementation of the Renewable Fuel Standard and a new study that has raised fresh criticism of ethanol mandates.

Not even the collapse in demand from China could stop the U.S. pork industry from having a good year for exports in 2021 and strong shipments are expected to carry the industry through another banner year in 2022.

Robert Califf is one step closer to a second tenure as head of the Food and Drug Administration after the Senate voted 49-45 Monday evening to advance his nomination.

Rep. Jim Baird, R-Ind., and 65 of his Republican colleagues are urging EPA to take steps to ensure growers can continue to use dicamba in over-the-top applications.

Robert Bonnie, USDA’s undersecretary for farm production and conservation, says the Farm Service Agency and Natural Resources Conservation Service are staffing up field offices as fast as possible as COVID infection rates drop.

Congressional negotiators say they’ve reached a deal on fiscal 2022 spending that could pave the way for passing an omnibus bill next month.