Farm Bill

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. 

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.

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 Roger Marshall, a Kansas Republican, has withdrawn support for a bill that would nullify animal welfare laws like California's Proposition 12. 

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.

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

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.

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. 

President Donald Trump says he doesn’t care if negotiations with Iran over the U.S.-Israeli war on the country are over. Sixty-five national and state commodity groups on Monday asked the Commerce Department to remove countervailing duties on phosphate fertilizer imports. 

A flurry of high-profile events are on tap this week as Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins speaks on Capitol Hill, U.S. officials talk trade in India and Senate work on a new farm bill kicks into high gear.