Latest News From POLICY

The Ukranian government announced removal of corn and sunflower oil export license requirements to allow for easier exports, while also hoping the sale of the commodities will provide money for spring planting.

The commodity markets came under pressure to start the week as traders tried to shed risk over shipping concerns in China as COVID-19 concerns caused officials to shut down transportation amid a two-pronged lockdown.

President Biden's USDA FY 2023 budget proposal focuses on climate, conservation and research with $3.8 billion discretionary spending increase for USDA with climate, conservation and clean energy the major focal points.

As March prepares to make its exit this week, the U.S. pork industry received some long-awaited news. Dale Moore, executive vice president at AFBF, said it’s absolutely good news during a conversation on AgriTalk.

USDA now expects food price inflation in 2022 to be from 4.5% to 5.5%, compared with 2021, based on the all-food Consumer Price Index. No category shows a potential decline.

Precedent-setting mandates are coming at ag from all angles, undermining freedom of farmers. These regulations aren't based on science. They aren't based on experience. Many argue they aren't based on a shred of truth.

Ted McKinney, NASDA CEO, led the climate conversation with a diverse list of speakers. From wildfires to water quality, each corner of the nation spoke to their state’s ag adversity, and their work in overcoming it.

Canada's Minister of Labour Seamus O'Regan Jr, who mediated the talks, said normal operations will continue at CP during the arbitration period.

A labor dispute that shut down operations at Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd on Sunday is set to aggravate a shortage of commodities, and a prolonged lockdown could hurt farmers ahead of the spring planting season.

The Right to Repair movement in agriculture is a popular cause with farmers, for various good and questionable reasons. As multiple states create Right to Repair rules, it looks like we may be watching the wrong battle.

A foreign leader addressing a joint session of Congress this week was a rarity. Not to be outdone, the partisan and often cantankerous members of the U.S. Senate passed legislation unanimously on a voice vote!

A bipartisan group of senators penned a letter to President Biden, urging his administration to mitigate rising fuel costs by increasing higher blends of American biofuels.

In 2021, the agency reported it received 3,500 dicamba-related incident reports, including approximately 711 incidents in Minnesota and 528 incidents in Iowa.

The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) gets a lot of headline time in agriculture as it directly correlates with corn and soybeans. Understanding the dynamics of RFS and the role government agencies play is another ballgame.

It is clear the current administration sees the USDA and its influence over domestic agriculture as critical to fight climate change. What is not so clear is the definition of a “climate-smart” commodity.

“Before the war with Ukraine, the President encouraged Russia to produce more oil to help us lower the price at the pump,” says U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS). “That’s so hypocritical.”

Oil prices soared to their highest since 2008 due to delays of Iranian nuclear talks and the potential return of Iranian crude to global markets, which are already suffering from Russian supply disruptions.

Secretary Vilsack supports attorney generals search for answers. He says once the market studies are completed, “we may learn additional steps we can take.”

A new Reuters report indicates the White House is exploring a solution that would remove Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) blending requirements for ethanol to help soften increasing food prices. 

UPDATE: 03/02 4:23 pm-EST-There are reports a missile struck a vessel flying under the flag of Bangladesh in Ukraine.

Expect Russia's invasion of Ukraine to dominate the State of the Union address tonight. As for issues affecting agriculture, there may be few details offered, says USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack.

"This is my plea, from a humble farmer in Ukraine to the people of the world: Please ask your governments to stop this reckless war, launched by that cruel and power-hungry authoritarian, Vladimir Putin."

With the U.S. on the back end of COVID-19 and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine unraveling, USTR Katherine Tai says her office is currently focused on three themes: resilience, sustainability and competition.

Hot-button issues in agriculture and rural America are sometimes subject to filters via message and messenger, contends Chris Gibbs.

Congress returns Monday, but to a very different situation due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which is expected to be one of the key issues President Biden talks about during his State of the Union address.

By Nayara Figueiredo SAO PAULO, Feb 22 (Reuters) - U.S. grains merchant Archer-Daniels-Midland Co said on Tuesday it has carried out the largest soybean shipment in the history of the Ponta da Montanha

The top 10 export markets all saw gains in 2021, with six of the 10 (China, Mexico, Canada, South Korea, the Philippines and Colombia) setting new records.

In 2021, the first year the program was made available, producers enrolled 12.2 million acres of cover crops in PCCP, capturing a collective $59.5 million in premium subsidies.

EPA public comment on WOTUS closed on Feb. 11. Industry leaders and lawmakers are rushing to plead their Clean Water Act case with agency officials.

Wiesemeyer says “you don’t spend some $300 million on these [soybean crushing] plants without a solid foundation of a market in the future.”

Dry conditions in South America continue to damage crop potential.

U.S. goods exports to China fell in December, cementing a $45 billion increase in the 2021 U.S.-China trade deficit and a major two-year shortfall in Beijing's purchase commitments under the "Phase 1" trade deal.

In his opening statements, Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) set the tone for the meeting, saying “a better, more sustainable future won’t come from the harsh, scolding voices of the naysayers.”

If international trade were an Olympic sport, then the U.S. would have lost this latest round of competition by more than a mile.

Rep. Garamendi says the USDA partnership with the Port of Oakland “isn’t going to solve the problem” because shippers deliver product to the U.S. and leave ports with empty containers.

“Both the EPA and the Department of Labor have had a fairly active agenda,” ARA's Richard Gupton says.

Ukraine is a key player in global agriculture, and how these conflicts play out will have international impacts.

Less than 1% of fruits and vegetables tested by the USDA show pesticide residue levels outside permitted ranges.

Mark Mills, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, recently joined Chip Flory on AgriTalk to talk about the logistics and supply chain challenges ahead for electric vehicles.

The United States and the European Union have downgraded their dispute at the WTO over steel and aluminum tariffs applied by former U.S. President Donald Trump in 2018 and subsequent EU retaliation.

Rural communities are likely to see an outbreak of the COVID-19 variant omicron later than big cities but Chief Medical Advisor to President Biden, Dr. Anthony Fauci says the pandemic will eventually end.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will use $732 million in federal infrastructure funding to modernize a lock and dam on the Upper Mississippi River crucial for shipping grain and soybeans to export markets.

When we think of carbon credits, we often think of renewable energy markets like wind, solar and electric vehicles. Hemp is proven to absorb more CO2 per acre than any forest or commercial crop.

AFBF President Zippy Duvall told members this week he will continue to press for policy that progresses agriculture, citing AFBF's work on changes to the White House's "America the Beautiful" plan as an example.

The EPA says prior to Jan. 11, 2022, the agency “did not consistently assess the potential effects of conventional pesticides on listed species when registering new active ingredients.”

AFBF's in-person annual convention focused on everything from H-2A workers, drought, supply chain chaos and policy changes like the Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule. USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack addressed the group Monday.

Available in select counties in 11 states, the Post Application Coverage Endorsement is available for non-irrigated corn.

USTR Katherine Tai announced Tuesday that the United States prevailed in its first dispute settlement panel proceeding brought under USCMA. As U.S. dairy leaders applaud the ruling, Canada is also claiming victory.

The House and Senate are on recess this week, but work is ramping back up to finalize 2021 legislation before the New Year begins.

For the upcoming 2023 farm bill, expect chatter and debate about carbon markets, conservation, trade and more. Policy watchers encourage farmers to keep an eye on these issues, as discussions begin in January.