Rural

N.C. farmer fuels Democrats' hopes of retaking the House

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 18:40:05 -0400

A fourth-generation farmer from western North Carolina is stoking the hopes of Democrats seeking to regain majority control of Congress next year.

Will sustainable aviation fuel take off for American farmers?

Wed, 17 Jun 2026 06:08:00 -0400

Sustainable aviation fuel is widely hailed by corn, soybean and ethanol groups as a future boon to the ag industry, but a raft of policy and market challenges must be overcome.

California lawmakers consider strict controls on data centers

Wed, 17 Jun 2026 06:05:00 -0400

As debate ramps up nationwide over the impacts of data centers, California legislators may impose strict controls on how new ones would operate in the state and who would pay to power them. The legislation comes as the rapid growth of artificial intelligence and high-capacity cloud computing is accelerating data center development nationwide.

Corn faces grim outlook without new biofuel markets, study says

Tue, 16 Jun 2026 17:04:27 -0400

Demand for major U.S. crops like corn is waning while harvests get bigger, creating an urgent need to develop new new biofuel markets for American agriculture producers, a new study says.

Daybreak June 15: Trump says Iran peace deal ‘complete’

noah@agri-pulse.com — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 09:25:27 -0400

President Donald Trump announced a “deal” with Iran Sunday involving the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Circularity Fuels says it has completed the world’s first end-to-end conversion of raw agricultural biogas into sustainable aviation fuel, putting the California startup closer to making SAF at a cost rivaling standard jet fuel.

Daybreak June 12: States outline costs of SNAP compliance

noah@agri-pulse.com — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 09:19:10 -0400

The costs states face in co-funding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program are comparable to the roughly $15 billion spent on transportation in fiscal 2025, the National Association of State Budget Officers tells Senate and House Agriculture committee leaders. USDA Undersecretary for Food Safety Mindy Brashears says 7,000 inspectors with the Food Safety Inspection Service are “leading the animal health charge” in the fight against New World screwworm, and the parasitic pest does not pose a threat to the food supply.

Rollins touts deregulation, nutrition reset and ag labor reforms to produce sector

lydia@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 13:25:55 -0400

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins used her time with the International Fresh Produce Association to highlight the administration’s deregulation push, as well as efforts to reshape federal nutrition policy, expand export markets, lower labor costs and support specialty crop producers.

Winemaking weather woes muddle vineyard economics, study shows

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 06:05:00 -0400

A new Cornell University study examines the tradeoffs involved for wine grape growers when trying to adapt to more extreme weather versus completely changing grape varieties or picking up and moving elsewhere.

Three more screwworm cases found in calf, dog and goat

steve@agri-pulse.com — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 10:06:01 -0400

USDA has confirmed two more cases of New World screwworm in Texas and another in a dog in New Mexico, bringing to five the number of detections since the first two cases were announced last week.

Daybreak June 8: Canada limits livestock imports

noah@agri-pulse.com — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 09:14:28 -0400

It’s another big week as Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins grapples with a threat to livestock, senators work on a farm bill, and President Donald Trump says he’s focused on ending war with Iran and lowering costs for ag producers and other Americans. A federal judge has issued a temporary injunction barring the Agriculture Department from withholding funding from a group of states through a terms and conditions framework that seeks to comply with Trump administration policies on gender, immigration and diversity.

Second screwworm case found in Texas

noah@agri-pulse.com — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 20:12:27 -0400

A second case of New World screwworm has been found in a Texas calf, the Agriculture Department confirmed Friday.

Daybreak June 5: USDA continuing screwworm response, Rollins says

noah@agri-pulse.com — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 10:02:50 -0400

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins says while no one has a crystal ball, emergence of New World screwworm in Texas shouldn’t significantly diminish the U.S. cattle herd. Several lawmakers criticized USDA’s funding for specialty crop programs as inadequate, even though program assistance was raised to $1.6 billion last week.

Daybreak June 4: New World screwworm found in Texas

noah@agri-pulse.com — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 10:03:26 -0400

A case of New World screwworm has been found in a 3-week-old South Texas calf, USDA officials confirmed Wednesday. The House is poised to vote Thursday on an agriculture and FDA funding bill that backers say ensures critical investments in research, rural development and the health of plants and animals.

Lahn’s Iowa victory galvanizes other MAHA Republicans

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 17:23:06 -0400

Businessman Zach Lahn's surprise victory over U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra in the Iowa Republican gubernatorial primary is a glimpse of election battles ahead between Make America Healthy Again GOP candidates and more traditional Republicans.

National Women in Agriculture study results released at Farm Bureau's ACE summit

grace@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 16:03:37 -0400

The results from the pilot National Women in Agriculture study were revealed on Wednesday at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s ACE summit celebrating the International Year of the Woman Farmer, highlighting women's strengths and barriers to leadership.

USDA launches effort to modernize loan and grant systems

lydia@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 15:00:55 -0400

The Agriculture Department is moving forward with a major overhaul of its loan and grant technology systems by launching a modernization effort that agency officials say will improve access to financing for farmers, ranchers and rural communities.

SNAP cost shift fight threatens Senate farm bill 2.0

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 06:10:00 -0400

SNAP cost-structure changes threaten to derail the farm bill, but Sen. Amy Klobuchar, ranking member of the Agriculture Committee, says she has an "excellent working relationship" with Chair John Boozman.

All signs point to China sticking with US soy deal, Vaden says

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 06:07:00 -0400

U.S. Deputy Agriculture Secretary Stephen Vaden touts the Trump administration's trade deals with China and says the Asian nation is expected to follow through on its commitments.

Farm Journal releases report on dairy industry

grace@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 06:02:00 -0400

Farm Journal released its annual State of the Dairy Industry report, detailing both the challenges and triumphs of the past year for dairy operators.

Trump endorses Feenstra for Iowa governor days before primary

Fri, 29 May 2026 15:29:15 -0400

President Trump endorses Rep. Randy Feenstra for Iowa governor just days before the farm state's primary.

Daybreak May 27: DOT grants hours-of-service relief for fertilizer haulers

noah@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 27 May 2026 09:21:26 -0400

Fertilizer haulers will be exempt from certain hours-of-service rules for the rest of 2026 under a waiver approved by the Transportation Department on Tuesday. The nation’s largest union representing federal workers is criticizing a proposal that could force employees to sign non-disclosure agreements as a condition of employment.

California may strengthen wolf deterrence measures

Wed, 27 May 2026 07:03:00 -0400

California appears on the verge of allowing more aggressive deterrence methods against gray wolves. UC Cooperative Extension and UC Berkeley are also seeking input from producers on the future of a wolf-livestock compensation fund through an anonymous survey.

Farm policy in play as congressional midterm shakeup looms

Wed, 27 May 2026 06:07:00 -0400

Midterm election season is heating up, but a record number of lawmakers are heading for the exits.

Water use prompts congressional calls for data center scrutiny

Wed, 27 May 2026 06:06:00 -0400

Growing concern about the water and energy usage of sprawling data centers used to power AI is prompting calls for more federal oversight from both Republicans and Democrats.

Corteva basks in seed prowess while chasing new breakthroughs

Wed, 20 May 2026 06:05:00 -0400

As Corteva prepares to split its seed and crop genetics business into a separate company, the agribusiness is celebrating the 100th anniversary of its Pioneer brand, which helped revolutionize modern agriculture.

Daybreak May 19: Democrats want to keep three nations in USMCA

noah@agri-pulse.com — Tue, 19 May 2026 10:29:38 -0400

House Ways and Means Committee Democrats are urging the administration to tone down the rhetoric heading into discussions with Canada and Mexico on the future of a North American trade deal.

NRCS Chief Bettencourt resigns; Buckley becomes chief today

lydia@agri-pulse.com — Mon, 18 May 2026 14:28:03 -0400

Natural Resources Conservation Service Chief Aubrey Bettencourt has resigned from the agency, according to a letter sent to staff and obtained by Agri-Pulse.

House panel unveils $580B surface transportation plan

noah@agri-pulse.com — Mon, 18 May 2026 10:11:13 -0400

The House Transportation Committee unveils a proposed $580 billion, five-year surface transportation reauthorization bill.

Producer-led advisory committee advancing new National Swine Health Strategy

lydia@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 13 May 2026 06:05:00 -0400

As disease pressures continue to challenge pork producers across the country, a new producer-led advisory committee met for the first time this month to focus on strengthening the health of the U.S. swine herd.

Ducks Unlimited teams up with Regenified on regen verification

steve@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 06 May 2026 06:02:00 -0400

Ducks Unlimited is partnering with Regenified to verify regenerative agriculture practices on farms and ranches across North America.