Farm Policy, Food Supply & Rural Coverage
305 articles · page 2 of 11
Michigan puts $1.9M behind PFAS fixes for farmers
Michigan is investing $1.9M to help farmers protect farmland from PFAS contamination. New research aims to give them detection and mitigation tools.
Congress demands USDA explain $12M funding gap for urban farms
House Democrats pressed USDA this week over $12 million in unspent funds for urban and suburban farmers. For two fiscal years, the money meant to support small-scale growers sat unused.
Minnesota mega-dairy expansion sparks family farm reckoning
West River Dairy's herd-doubling in Minnesota raises questions about environmental costs, rural economics, and the future of family farming. A consolidation reckoning.
Soybeans hit 4-month low as China tariff deal excludes farm
U.S. soybean prices collapsed to four-month lows after China agreed to cut tariffs on $60 billion in goods. Crops didn't make the list.
Trade ceasefire talks leave farmers empty-handed
Trump and Xi extended negotiations through January with no new agricultural commitments. Farm futures fell. The recurring pattern: farmers fund geopolitics, gain nothing.
Illinois climate law promised migrants a home. Implementation stalled.
Illinois passed the nation's first climate migration law, but the program has languished unfunded for three years. The gap between policy promises and rural reality on climate impacts.
When rural desperation rewrites energy policy
An Idaho county that banned solar is reconsidering. The real story: drought-crushed farms and vanishing rural services are forcing a choice between purity and survival.
Germany is backing up US climate data. Here's why that matters for farms.
Facing fears of political interference, climate scientists are preserving decades of US agricultural and weather data in German repositories. It's a sign of how fragile our climate records have become.
Crushed by Debt: Farmers Struggle with Fertilizer Costs
Farmers face historically volatile fertilizer markets, leading to financial challenges and debt accumulation.
USDA invests $50M to break the meatpacker stranglehold
Secretary Brooke Rollins' Stand Up program funds states to rebuild local processing power and give ranchers options beyond the Big Four.
Carbon Capture Won't Save Farmland from Big Tech
Data center expansion is reshaping rural land use. The new carbon capture partnerships between Big Tech and oil companies could make it worse for farmers and soil health.
Farmers weaponize AI to reclaim meat supply control
As consolidation squeezes ranchers, independent growers are turning to AI-powered logistics to bypass corporate middlemen and own their processing and sales data.
Rio Grande Valley's hidden labor crisis: workers and growers at odds
In south Texas, a shortage of labor meets a crisis of job scarcity. Growers can't find workers. Workers can't find jobs. Something's broken.
California Communities Push Back on Carbon Capture Plans
Environmental justice groups are warning that California's new carbon capture program could benefit corporations more than the climate or farmland protection.
Permitting Reform Could Fast-Track Data Centers Onto Farmland
Senate moves to streamline federal approval for data centers and energy infrastructure, raising stakes for farmland in tech-target counties already under pressure.
What Is Glyphosate, and Why It Matters
As federal agencies announce research into the herbicide's safety, a primer on what glyphosate is, how it's used in farming, and why the debate continues.
El Niño boom: Farmers brace for a disaster relief shortfall
A historic El Niño threatens heavy rains and flooding across farming regions through February. Farm economies already stressed by debt face a relief system that won't keep pace with climate shocks.
California Opens E-15 Market, Boosting Corn Demand
California just cleared E-15 ethanol fuel, potentially unlocking 250 million bushels of new corn demand and reshaping farm commodity prices heading into 2027.
California's Paraquat Ban Opens Door for Wider Pesticide Crackdown
California's paraquat prohibition signals a shift in pesticide policy as evidence of long-term health risks, especially Parkinson's disease, mounts globally.
Ogallala farmers are taking control of water, one pivot at a time
Farmers across the High Plains are rethinking irrigation to conserve the Ogallala Aquifer. The choices they make now will determine whether family farming survives the drought ahead.
Indiana farmers confront data center threat to water and land
When a data center proposal came to Shelby County, Indiana, farmers realized they had to fight back. Now they're helping others see what's at stake.
Crushed by Debt: Fertilizer Prices Weigh Heavily on Farmers
Farmers face financial challenges as fertilizer prices skyrocket, with some questioning whether the US can forgo Canadian potash and others exploring alternative energy sources.
How one Michigan farm stayed in the family for a century
How one Michigan farm has thrived for a century under family leadership and now, female-led, shows the path forward for smaller operations resisting consolidation.
USDA backs regenerative farming with new pilot program
An executive order directs federal resources to support farmers transitioning to regenerative agriculture at scale. The question: can it compete with corporate ag consolidation?
Why California's paraquat ban matters everywhere
California is phasing out a toxic herbicide. When the industry refused to provide safety data, it revealed why other states should follow suit.
Farm Bill Stalled Again: Four Years Without Renewal
As the farm bill faces a Democratic blockade over SNAP cuts, farmers face a fourth consecutive year without farm policy renewal, risking commodity support and conservation funding.
USDA Invests $50M in Local Meat Processing to Counter Consolidation
The USDA announces $50 million for states to establish and expand small meat-processing operations, offering an alternative to corporate meatpacker control.
USDA Funds 194 Value-Added Ag Projects, 80 Going to Beef Producers
USDA's $26.5 million grant round shows farmers are fighting consolidation by keeping more value on farm. Here's what the program does and who can apply.
USDA Launches $400K Grants to Fight PFAS Contamination on Farms
The Department of Agriculture is funding research to understand and remediate forever chemicals poisoning American farmland, soil, and water supplies.
The Data Center Invasion: Big Tech Eyes Rural America
AI data centers are rapidly claiming rural land, water, and power. Communities are beginning to fight back against the next wave of corporate extraction.