News

Trump delays 50% Canadian levies for three days

olivia@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 10:01:54 -0400

President Donald Trump announced a three-day pause on the 50% levies on Canadian alcohol, dairy and motor vehicles.

USDA employees push back on reorganization plans

steve@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 06:15:00 -0400

USDA employees are amping up their concerns over a brain drain at the agency as reorganization plans proceed apace affecting multiple functions in the department, including trade, food and nutrition assistance and forest management.

Bipartisan water resources bills advance, but floor path remains uncertain

noah@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 06:14:00 -0400

Biennial bills to authorize construction and maintenance of key lock and dam projects across the U.S. have advanced out of House and Senate committee, but to actually pass this year, they may need to hitch a ride on other major legislative vehicles expected to move before the end of December, a lawmaker and shipping industry advocates tell Agri-Pulse.

Intoxicating hemp ban could lead to first-time regulations

olivia@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 06:13:00 -0400

A hemp regulatory bridge could soon be in the future, provided Congress maintains the one-month delay of the so-called "intoxicating hemp ban" in the stopgap measure.

U.S. wine industry offsets sales decline with premiumization, niche offerings

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 06:11:00 -0400

Producers are leaning into premium, low‑alcohol and niche wine categories as overall U.S. wine volumes decline and consumer tastes evolve.

Forest Service proposes rescinding 'roadless rule'

noah@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 06:09:00 -0400

The Trump Administration is proposing to rescind a 2001 rule limiting new road construction and commercial timber cutting on a large swath of U.S. Forest Service lands.

Report details 'permitting burden' of broadband program

grace@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 06:07:00 -0400

BroadbandExpanded has released an analysis detailing the “multi-jurisdictional permitting burden” of the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program, finding that there is a median of 11 permits needed per broadband project area.

Farmers squeezed between pesticide limits and delayed alternatives

brad@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 06:05:00 -0400

California lawmakers are pressing pesticide regulators over slow approvals, uneven enforcement and health risks, while farm groups warn growers cannot lose existing tools without faster access to safer alternatives.

Low-water crops for SGMA meet high-cost reality

brad@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 06:04:00 -0400

PPIC panelists warned that low-water crops may help growers adapt to SGMA, but they won’t erase the financial pressures reshaping San Joaquin Valley agriculture.

Winegrape growers put vineyards on ice

brad@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 06:03:00 -0400

California winegrape growers are mothballing vineyards to weather the market slump without permanently ripping out vines.

Avocados’ daily sex switch comes down to one gene

brad@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 06:01:00 -0400

Researchers have pinpointed the gene behind avocados’ unusual daily switch between female and male flowering phases, a finding that could help breeders develop new varieties faster.

Tyson to reduce beef capacity amid continued supply crunch

noah@agri-pulse.com — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 19:03:12 -0400

Tyson Foods is closing plants in Illinois and Utah and seeking to sell a Washington facility amid limited cattle supplies that are straining beef processor profits, the meatpacking giant announced Thursday.

Grain group joins other shipping interests in calling for rejection of UP-NS rail merger application

noah@agri-pulse.com — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 18:04:16 -0400

The National Grain and Feed Association on Thursday became the latest major shipper group to urge federal rail regulators to reject Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern’s most recent merger application, adding to recent calls from chemical, fuel, fertilizer and industrial transportation interests advocating against the deal.

Robust demand signals clash with acreage boost in latest WASDE

Wed, 12 Aug 2026 17:51:22 -0400

USDA's latest crop report contains mixed signals for corn and soybean growers, with some robust demand signals colliding with the agency's upward revision of expected harvests. U.S. wheat remains on track for the smallest crop in nearly 60 years.

Food costs remain relatively steady in latest Consumer Price Index

steve@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 12:48:35 -0400

Grocery prices fell slightly in July, but food prices overall were up 0.1% as consumers spent more at restaurants and eateries outside the home, according to the latest Consumer Price Index.

Primaries pave way for ag committee shakeups

grace@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 11:42:30 -0400

It was a consequential primary day yesterday for the House and Senate Agriculture committees, with Minnesota results paving the path for a shakeup in Democratic agriculture leadership on Capitol Hill.

JBS to turn Pennsylvania beef plant into value-added processing facility

noah@agri-pulse.com — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 13:20:14 -0400

Meatpacking giant JBS has announced plans to turn its beef processing plant in Souderton, Pennsylvania, into a value-added processing facility, preserving about 400 jobs at a plant the company previously planned to close.

FDA proposes GRAS definition, advances 'white paper' on ultraprocessed foods

steve@agri-pulse.com — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 15:14:15 -0400

FDA is proposing a rule that would require companies to notify the agency when they decide a food additive is “generally recognized as safe.” The agency has also sent OMB a white paper outlining a proposed definition for ultraprocessed food.

Senate passes bill to avert shutdown, delay hemp ban as midterms loom

Sat, 08 Aug 2026 15:50:01 -0400

The Senate has passed a stopgap measure to keep the government funded until Dec. 11, a move aimed at averting a government shutdown just weeks ahead of high-stake midterm elections. The spending bill also would delay a ban on certain hemp-related products by about a month.

Senate confirms Smith as USDA rural development undersecretary

steve@agri-pulse.com — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 17:50:20 -0400

The Senate has confirmed Iowan Glen Smith to be undersecretary for rural development, filling a position that has been vacant since January 2025.

Boozman eyes mid-September farm bill vote, urges farmers to speak out

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 16:32:53 -0400

Senate Ag Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark., intends to hold a new vote on his panel's farm bill draft in mid-September, and is calling on farmers from around the country to speak out on the need for passage.

Daybreak August 7: Farm bill paused in committee

noah@agri-pulse.com — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 09:29:44 -0400

The Senate Ag Committee’s failure to advance a farm bill comes as senators are scrambling to address multiple priorities in order to begin a five-week break from Washington. McConnell has been discharged from rehabilitation and will spend the August recess completing “an intensive regimen of physical therapy,” he said in a statement Thursday.

Stalled farm bill spotlights ag woes and state budget strain

grace@agri-pulse.com — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 19:00:52 -0400

The Senate farm bill is stalled, putting a spotlight on both economically strained crop growers and states.

Senate Ag Committee fails to advance farm bill amid SNAP feud

grace@agri-pulse.com — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 13:23:05 -0400

The Senate Ag Committee failed to advance a proposed farm bill. Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark., vowed to hold another vote after the Senate returns from a late-summer break in September.

Food for Peace, fertilizer measures added to Senate Ag farm bill

Thu, 06 Aug 2026 12:50:52 -0400

Food for Peace, a definition of specialty crops, hot rotisserie chicken and more are the focus of bipartisan amendments approved during the Senate Ag Committee's farm bill markup.

Senate Ag Committee at odds over SNAP with farm bill at stake

Thu, 06 Aug 2026 10:39:07 -0400

The Senate Ag Committee farm bill is in danger of stalling due to partisan sparring over SNAP.

Senate Ag Committee to debate farm bill with over 200 amendments

grace@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 21:40:22 -0400

More than 200 amendments were filed ahead of the Senate Ag Committee's markup of a proposed farm bill, signaling a potentially contentious markup as Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark., seeks to advance the legislation.

Klobuchar says farm bill SNAP proposal falls short

grace@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 17:25:02 -0400

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, top Democrat on the Senate Ag Committee who is also running for governor of Minnesota, says the GOP-led panel's SNAP measure in a draft farm bill falls short.

Boozman offers fresh SNAP deal ahead of farm bill markup

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 15:23:25 -0400

Senate Agriculture Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark., is offering Democrats a new SNAP deal ahead of a Thursday farm bill markup.

Daybreak August 5: Sell eyes ag panel

noah@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 10:52:29 -0400

Tom Sell, founder and manager of lobbying firm Combest, Sell & Associates and the Republican candidate for Texas’s 19th congressional district, says he hopes to serve on the agriculture and budget committees if elected to Congress in November. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention should broaden its cyclosporiasis interviews beyond just food exposures and include questions about drinking water, septic systems, recent camping trips, and interactions with soil or waste, the International Fresh Produce Association says in public comments submitted to the agency.