Politics

Fordyce says no hiring freeze at FSA as Democrats decry cuts

grace@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 18:39:32 -0400

Undersecretary Richard Fordyce said USDA isn’t in a hiring freeze, as lawmakers pressed him on staffing reductions at FSA and NRCS during a House Ag Committee hearing.

Trump seeks E15, hemp fix and $11B in farm aid in funding bill

lydia@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 17:06:19 -0400

The Trump administration is asking Congress to package year-round E15, $11.1 billion in additional farmer aid and a hemp law framework in a nearly $90 billion spending package related to funding of the Iran war.

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.

Trump hosting Rose Garden dinner to honor farmers during Great American State Fair

lydia@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 13:26:08 -0400

On the first day of the Great American State Fair Thursday, President Donald Trump will host a White House Rose Garden dinner honoring farmers, ranchers, cattlemen and growers from across the country and featuring appearances by top administration officials and lawmakers.

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.

Former USDA officials dispute Rollins' criticism of their screwworm efforts

steve@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 06:05:00 -0400

Former officials at USDA who dealt with New World screwworm as it advanced closer to the U.S. push back against criticism of the Biden administration's efforts leveled by Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins.

Center for Biological Diversity sues USDA to get glyphosate EO info

grace@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 06:02:00 -0400

The Center for Biological Diversity has sued USDA to release records about potential behind-the-scenes interests of President Donald Trump’s executive order to increase production of glyphosate.

Boozman sees ‘stars aligned’ on E15, momentum on farmer aid

Tue, 23 Jun 2026 19:23:44 -0400

Senate Agriculture Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark., is optimistic on the prospects for E15 and additional farmer aid to pass Congress.

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 23: E15, Prop 12 among AFBF’s farm bill issues

noah@agri-pulse.com — Tue, 23 Jun 2026 08:43:16 -0400

As policy watchers await a draft farm bill from the Senate Agriculture Committee, lawmakers also need to focus on passing year-round E15, weighing in on California’s Proposition 12, and getting more economic aid into the hands of crop growers, American Farm Bureau Federation’s John Newton says. The Trump administration’s record-high biofuel-blending rules are a clear economic win for rural America, says Clean Fuels Alliance America CEO Donnell Rehagen.

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.

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.

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.

As retirement nears, CDFA’s Ross reflects on trade, water and Prop 12

lydia@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 06:04:00 -0400

As California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross prepares to retire at the end of 2026 after more than a decade leading the nation's largest state agricultural economy, she says farmers are facing some of the toughest conditions she's seen since the 1980s farm crisis.

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 16: Fertilizer prices drop on news of peace deal

noah@agri-pulse.com — Tue, 16 Jun 2026 08:58:12 -0400

Price indicators for key farm inputs tumbled on Monday following news of the U.S.-Iran preliminary peace deal. The latest U.S. soybean crush data signals robust oilseed processing for the June-August quarter, says Arlan Suderman, chief commodities economist for StoneX Group.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Daybreak June 11: USDA using terminated food programs to fund screwworm efforts

noah@agri-pulse.com — Thu, 11 Jun 2026 09:18:39 -0400

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins says the $1.3 billion fight against a potentially deadly livestock pest includes federal funds reallocated from a local food buying program. Rollins said USDA is “stretched” on using the Commodity Credit Corporation because the $30 billion annual cap has not been increased since 1987.

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.

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.

Kennedy: Defining ultra-processed foods is first step toward reshaping Americans' diets

lydia@agri-pulse.com — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 06:06:47 -0400

Speaking to attendees at the International Fresh Produce Association’s Washington Conference, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the UPF definition is currently under review at the Office of Management and Budget with a goal of unveiling a final publication in “the next couple of months.”

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.

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.

Washington Week Ahead: Rollins heads to Texas amid screwworm outbreak

Sun, 07 Jun 2026 17:15:13 -0400

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins heads to Texas on Monday as an expanding outbreak of New World screwworm threatens U.S. livestock.

Vaden, union clash over relocation of food and nutrition employees

steve@agri-pulse.com — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 17:04:34 -0400

Union members at USDA’s Food and Nutrition Administration – formerly the Food and Nutrition Service, or FNS – are pushing back against criticism by the Ag Department’s deputy secretary that their demands during relocation negotiations are unreasonable.