Back when I was growing up in a small town on the Rio Grande, the border with Mexico was just a line in the sand – sometimes a barb wire …
USDA Census of Agriculture One Week Away
Videos on how to use Census data are now available The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will release the 2017 Census of Agriculture results …
USDA Launches New Farmers.gov Features to Help with H2A Applications, Managing Loans
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) launched two new features on farmers.gov to help customers manage their farm loans and navigate the application process for …
AFBF Concerned about Labor, Trade if Border Closed
The American Farm Bureau Federation is urging the administration to make sure that any steps undertaken to tighten enforcement at the U.S. border do not create more uncertainty for agricultural …
California Snowpack Tripled from Previous Water Year
The latest manual snow survey for the current water year revealed that California’s snowpack tripled from what the state experienced last year. The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) conducted …
New Report Highlights the Scale of Industry Concentration in Agriculture
A new report from the Open Market Institute examines the extent of industry concentration in agriculture. The report, Food and Power: Addressing Monopolization in America’s Food System, provides insight on …
Seed Industry Storms the Hill
A diverse group of seed-industry leaders, representing companies of all sizes, sectors and geographies, are gathered in Washington, D.C. for the American Seed Trade Association’s (ASTA) annual Storm the Hill …
U.S. Pork Can’t Afford Loss of Mexican Market
The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) asked the Trump administration to carefully consider the fallout from cutting off trade between the United States and Mexico. U.S. pork producers and other …
NPPC Calls for Swift U.S./Japan Trade Negotiation
The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) welcomed reports that the United States and Japan will commence trade negotiations on April 15, 2019 and urged the Trump administration to expeditiously complete …
California Climate Investments Make Progress on Emissions Goal
The 2019 Annual Report from California Climate Investments was recently released providing details about how cap-and-trade auction proceeds are being used to reduce overall emission levels in the state. The …
Ag Groups Urge Congress to Include Water in Infrastructure Package
A large group of agricultural and water organizations representing thousands of Western farmers, ranchers and businesses are calling on Congress to consider water issues in the next infrastructure package. More …
FDA Announces Enforcement Discretion of the Produce Safety Rule
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) announced an enforcement discretion policy for certain crops under the requirements of the Produce Safety Rule portion of the Food Safety Modernization Act …
Emergency Process Pushing New Air Quality Standard for Wildfire Smoke
A new air quality standard that addresses wildfire smoke which contains high levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is moving quickly. A petition that was filed at the end of …
Pesticide Registration Improvement Act Signed into Law
The Pesticide Registration Improvement Extension Act of 2018 (PRIA 4) has officially been signed into law by President Donald Trump. The long-term PRIA reauthorization is reported to strengthen and improve …