The Trump administration has labeled agriculture as a critical industry in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, allowing businesses to continue operating as usual amid current and potential restrictions created to stem the spread of the virus.

The coronavirus has sent the markets into a tailspin, closed down schools, and turned restaurants into to-go stands. But so far, agriculture’s intricate supply chain is – for the most part – still turning.

This is the fourth podcast in our five-part series examining a wide range of issues facing the dairy industry sponsored by Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative. In this episode, Spencer Chase and Ben Nuelle explore the realities of how hard it can be to secure a reliable workforce for the nation's dairy farms, what that means to the producer, and what is being done about it on Capitol Hill.

Editor's note: This is the third in our seven-part in-depth editorial series where we look ahead at “Farm & Food 2040.” Part three looks at how the failure to pass meaningful immigration reform is fueling adoption of the newest technologies in automation—primarily robotics—to stem the need for immigrant farmworkers. And we also feature new research identifying the "Farmer of the Future."

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue likes to tell people that he’s a “grow it and sell it kind of guy” who is always on the lookout for opportunities to do so. Increasingly, that means understanding world population and demand growth – outside of U.S. borders.

Continued Republican control of the Senate after this fall's elections is virtually assured by an abundance of races in Republican-leaning rural states, according to one of the Cook Political Report's top analysts.