Farm Bill

Boozman hopeful about SNAP deal before Aug. 6 farm bill markup

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 17:58:36 -0400

Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman says talks continue on a possible one- or two-year delay of new SNAP costs faced by certain states.

New Senate farm bill text is said to include year-round E15

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 12:45:09 -0400

A revised farm bill proposal from the Senate Ag Committee will include a provision for year-round, voluntary sales of E15, a higher ethanol-fuel blend than standard mixes at U.S. gasoline pumps. Fresh legislative text is expected to be released as soon as Thursday, July 30.

Daybreak July 30: Doubts raised on bipartisan farm bill

noah@agri-pulse.com — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 09:16:51 -0400

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., is casting doubt on the prospects of passing a five-year bipartisan farm bill. Advocates of uniform food ingredient review, use and labeling requirements are urging House and Senate leaders to establish a single national standard as the list of state-enacted labeling restrictions grows.

Daybreak July 29: USDA clarifies wetlands rule

noah@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 09:24:07 -0400

Farmers can rely on wetland determinations issued as far back as 1990 under a USDA rule taking effect Wednesday, ending more than two years of legal uncertainty for producers planning drainage or land clearing. Senate Agriculture Chair John Boozman, R-Ark., said on Tuesday the committee will “hopefully” hold a farm bill markup next Thursday.

Forage crunch fuels push to make CRP acres easier to graze

noah@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 06:15:00 -0400

Scarcities in available forage land are pushing some cattle groups to look for ways to make existing Conservation Reserve Program acres easier for producers to graze, a shift that could give ranchers room to expand a historically small cattle herd.

Rural food insecurity ranks among nation’s highest, Feeding America report says

grace@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 06:14:00 -0400

Rural counties have some of the highest rates of food insecurity in the United States, making up 86% of the highest 10% of food insecurity rates, according to Feeding America’s annual "Map the Meal Gap" report released Tuesday.

Thune says $95B reconciliation measure is 'best path' forward

Tue, 28 Jul 2026 14:14:03 -0400

Senate Majority John Thune says he's embracing a reconciliation plan passed by the House as the best path to pass the SAVE America Act and provide funds for the military and farmers.

McConnell not yet cleared to return to Senate

grace@agri-pulse.com — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 13:00:21 -0400

Senator Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has released an update saying he is not cleared to return to the Senate and will be unable to make his annual visit to Fancy Farm this Saturday.

Daybreak July 27: Cattle groups cheer border reopening

noah@agri-pulse.com — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 09:15:12 -0400

Several livestock groups are backing USDA’s decision, announced Friday, to reopen the U.S.-Mexico border, including the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, Meat Institute, and the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association. Democrats are asking Senate Agriculture Committee leaders to add additional protections for America’s specialty crop growers in a proposed farm bill.

Farm groups express differing reactions to farm aid in reconciliation 3.0

olivia@agri-pulse.com — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 15:56:07 -0400

Farm country appears to be somewhat divided over the $12 billion in farm aid in the House budget measure approved Wednesday.

Boozman sees ag panel advancing farm bill before August break

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 15:32:32 -0400

Senate Ag Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark., is confident on the prospects of his committee advancing a farm bill before August recess.

Washington Week Ahead: Congressional time crunch, trade talks in spotlight

Sun, 19 Jul 2026 20:34:24 -0400

Farmer financial aid, a voluntary ethanol boost and an overdue farm bill are again in focus as Congress races against a legislative clock with a raft of competing concerns. Republican and Democratic lawmakers are pushing to get more aid for farmers to help sustain them until October, when updated safety-net programs passed by Congress last year take effect.

House GOP fast-tracks reconciliation 3.0 with farm aid, Save America Act

grace@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 19:46:31 -0400

Republicans aim to fast-track a sweeping spending package that includes key agriculture investments.

Brazil shows why U.S. biofuel markets are critical, Johanns says

Wed, 15 Jul 2026 06:19:00 -0400

Former U.S. Agriculture Secretary and Senator Mike Johanns discusses the future of American agriculture and farm bills.

R-CALF USA pushes for mandatory country-of-origin labeling in farm bill

grace@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 06:11:00 -0400

R-CALF USA sent a letter urging the Senate Agriculture Committee to include mandatory country-of-origin labeling for beef in its farm bill discussions.

Earliest Senate farm bill markup would be next week, Boozman says

grace@agri-pulse.com — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 17:09:38 -0400

Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark., said on Tuesday that the committee will markup the 2026 five-year farm bill next week at the earliest, ideally provided hospitalized Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., returns to the Senate.

Boozman signals openness to delaying state SNAP cost-share

lydia@agri-pulse.com — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 12:41:20 -0400

Senate Ag Committee Chair John Boozman, who has consistently said he doesn’t want to touch the state SNAP cost sharing requirements enacted in last year's One Big Beautiful Bill Act, tells Agri-Pulse Newsmakers he’s open to providing some relief to states working to comply.

Daybreak Friday, June 26: Boozman on Prop 12, E15

grace@agri-pulse.com — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 09:34:34 -0400

The Senate’s draft farm bill doesn’t include language for year-round E15 or the elimination of California’s Proposition 12, but Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman is still highly optimistic both measures will make it through Congress this year. The two biggest U.S. ethanol trade groups are defending the Trump administration against legal challenges to EPA biofuel-blending rules from environmentalists, biogas groups and oil refiners.

Most states' SNAP error rates will trigger benefit payment requirements

steve@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 14:36:55 -0400

Only nine states had payment error rates in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program below 6% in fiscal 2025, USDA has announced, which would allow them to avoid paying a portion of SNAP benefits starting in October 2027. Another six, as well as the District of Columbia, were above a higher threshold that gives them a two-year delay.

Daybreak June 24: E15 discussions intensify

noah@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 08:43:48 -0400

Discussion on the potential for Senate passage of an E15 bill swirled on Capitol Hill Tuesday after the release of a draft farm bill that doesn’t include the pro-ethanol measure. A bill to expedite Emergency Conservation Program payments to producers whose land has been damaged by wildfires cleared the House Tuesday with a 386-19 vote. It now heads to the president’s desk for his signature.

SNAP negotiations underway in Senate with farm bill at stake

Wed, 24 Jun 2026 06:07:00 -0400

Partisan fighting over nutrition aid policy is threatening to derail efforts to pass a Senate farm bill.

Boozman unveils farm bill draft that sidesteps thorny issues

noah@agri-pulse.com — Tue, 23 Jun 2026 14:29:20 -0400

The Senate Agriculture Committee's five-year "farm bill 2.0" would bolster key farm and rural development initiatives while sidestepping the most controversial food and ag issues of the day.

Daybreak June 22: Strait’s status unclear as talks commence

noah@agri-pulse.com — Mon, 22 Jun 2026 09:18:04 -0400

U.S. talks to end the war with Iran advanced over the weekend even as uncertainty hung over the status of trade flows through the Strait of Hormuz. Even in the best-case scenario for resuming key cargoes through the Strait of Hormuz, it will take time for disrupted energy and fertilizer markets to recover, says Corey Rosenbusch, president and CEO of The Fertilizer Institute.

Washington Week Ahead: Farm bill and global trade under close watch

Sun, 21 Jun 2026 21:25:48 -0400

A highly anticipated farm bill draft is in focus as senators kick off their last full legislative work week before a 10-day recess. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer is in India this week for bilateral trade talks.

Daybreak June 18: The case of the dog with screwworm in New Mexico

noah@agri-pulse.com — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 09:24:13 -0400

A New Mexico dog confirmed with a case of New World screwworm last week is no longer believed to have traveled to Mexico, New Mexico Agriculture Secretary Jeff Witte says. As Senate Agriculture Committee leaders prepare to release farm bill text, Vermont Sen. Peter Welch says lawmakers need to focus on the growing economic reality that farmers are spending more to produce crops than they're earning.

Washington Week Ahead: U.S.-Iran reach peace deal as Trump heads to G7

Sun, 14 Jun 2026 18:58:58 -0400

A peace deal between the U.S. and Iran was forged Sunday after 107 days of war that wreaked economic chaos on global fuel and fertilizer supply chains. In Washington, the House is in recess all week while the Senate reconvenes Monday afternoon.

Marshall pulls support for bill to end California's Prop 12

Thu, 11 Jun 2026 13:42:43 -0400

Sen. Roger Marshall, a Kansas Republican, has withdrawn support for a bill that would nullify animal welfare laws like California's Proposition 12.

States gird for changes in SNAP, urge delays as USDA seeks data

steve@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 06:07:00 -0400

USDA and blue states aren’t giving an inch in their continuing battle over SNAP data, as Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins continues to blast the program as rife with fraud, waste and abuse. The fight over SNAP was highlighted at a recent House Agriculture Committee hearing where Ranking Member Angie Craig, D-Minn., harshly criticized Rollins over SNAP.

Daybreak June 9: Senate Ag’s farm bill gets pushed back

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

The Senate Agriculture Committee is expected to consider a farm bill during the work period between July 4th and August recesses, Chair John Boozman, R-Ark., says. The Senate Agriculture Committee advanced the nomination of Glen Smith to be undersecretary of agriculture for rural development along party lines, setting the stage for a Senate floor vote.

Senate majority leader says new E15 bill is in the works

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 20:03:12 -0400

Senate Majority Leader John Thune says work is underway to craft a new E15 bill, though what that looks like is still to be determined.