House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson, who has been the House Democrats’ most influential voice on farm policy for nearly two decades, announces that he’s running for re-election to a 16th term in Congress.

The biofuel industry is eagerly anticipating a decision from the Trump administration on future small refinery exemptions this week, while Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue heads to Capitol Hill for a grilling on the Market Facilitation Program, food stamps and other issues.

The Trump Administration proposed another blow to the crop insurance industry in the president’s annual budget, but Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kans., made it clear that risk management tools should not be cut because they are crucial for both farmers and consumers.

President Donald Trump’s election-year budget proposes $1 trillion in infrastructure spending, including $25 billion earmarked for rural America, while reprising recommendations for slashing farm programs and nutrition assistance.

China’s commitments to dramatically increase its purchases of U.S. commodities have raised new questions for farmers as they face decisions about which farm bill program to enroll in and pencil out their finances and risk management for the year.

The 2018 Farm Bill was Senator Pat Roberts’ eighth farm bill, in this opinion piece Sen. Roberts discusses all that was accomplished after the Farm Bill was signed one year ago.

The House approved a pair of fiscal 2020 spending packages Tuesday that will provide a fresh infusion of disaster relief to farmers, extend the expired biodiesel credit to 2022 and bolster port inspections to protect U.S. agriculture for African swine fever and other threats.

In what is setting up to be an historic week, the House is poised to ratify the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement after a bitter debate over the impeachment of President Donald Trump, and lawmakers also are rushing to pass legislation to fund the government for fiscal 2020.