Farm Policy, Food Supply & Rural Coverage
305 articles · page 5 of 11
The real history of Black farming: recovering the NFA legacy
A forgotten agricultural organization trained generations of Black students in the segregated South. Now historians are recovering its story—and its lessons for young farmers today.
FTC Deere Settlement Renews Push for Federal Repair Rights
A ten-year FTC settlement opens dealer-grade repair resources to farmers and independent shops. Advocates say Congress should make those protections permanent.
USDA Reopens Cattle Imports, Hands Screwworm Risk to Ranchers
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins opens the Douglas, Arizona port to cattle imports after a year of closure for screwworm control. Ranchers face the disease burden.
Climate's Cherry Crop Reckoning Hits Michigan Hard
Traverse City's cherry harvest, a generational livelihood, faces a cascading climate crisis: bud kill, frost damage, and unsustainable water demands threaten the region's iconic fruit.
Southwest farmers face steep water cuts as Colorado River dries
The Department of Interior announced drastic reductions to Colorado River allocations, threatening irrigation farmers in three Western states and signaling harder times ahead for drought-stressed agriculture.
Farm Subsidies for Urban Millionaires. Congress Keeps Paying.
Senators Chuck Grassley and Peter Welch agree: city residents shouldn't collect farm payments. Yet Big Ag's revolving door keeps the subsidy machine spinning.
Workers in a Pit: What Farm Safety Really Means
A Colorado emergency call reveals the gap between food-safety regulations and worker protection—Big Ag isn't held accountable when workers are hurt.
Climate Grants Finally Coming to Rural Farms. Will Farmers See a Dollar?
A court order forces the release of billions earmarked for rural climate work. But getting that money to family farmers depends on federal agencies moving fast and designing programs that actually fit farm economics.
Cotton jassid is ravaging the Southeast. Here's what farmers face.
An invasive leafhopper is spreading through U.S. cotton fields, threatening yields and forcing growers to adapt—fast.
Seven States Block $85B Railroad Merger Threatening Farm Shipments
State attorneys general unite to oppose a Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger, arguing the consolidation would crush rural shippers and eliminate rail competition for farmers.
Federal Court Upholds EPA's First PFAS Hazard Standard
A federal appeals court unanimously rejected an industry lawsuit challenging EPA's landmark 2024 designation of two 'forever chemicals' as hazardous substances, protecting water supplies nationwide.
Tariffs Aren't About Trade. They're About Crushing Small Farmers
New tariffs on farm equipment aren't protecting anyone—they're accelerating the machinery consolidation that's already locked farmers into John Deere's grip.
Trump's Beef Import Waiver Tests His Farm Base
The Trump administration is allowing 300,000 tons of imported beef at reduced tariffs for 90 days—a move that divides his core rural supporters over cheaper meat vs. domestic rancher survival.
Tariff Waiver on Beef Imports Sets Domestic Ranchers Up for a Squeeze
Trump administration green-lights 300,000 tons of ground beef imports at reduced tariff rates, threatening cattle prices already under pressure from consolidation and weak markets.
RANCH Act Opens 20 Million Acres to Rebuild Cattle Herds
A new bipartisan bill from Klobuchar and Rounds would pay ranchers to restore grazing lands—a rare bright spot for herd economics.
Illinois study pins weed-control costs in the hundreds of millions
Research on a potential glyphosate ban reveals the economic shock to Midwest farmers—and why alternatives aren't ready to scale.
Congress Eyes Cuts to the Programs Saving Small Farms
Two USDA conservation programs are under fire from House and Senate Republicans. Slashing their budgets would abandon farmers trying to go regenerative.
The Economics of Independence Are Starting to Work
As consolidated systems falter and policy shifts, small farmers can finally build viable alternatives. The numbers—and USDA support—are changing.
Who picks the food? Who pays when it sickens
A cyclospora outbreak hits farmworkers hardest—the workers least likely to have health care or time off to recover.
Big Food's Lawsuit Machine Blocks Health Protections
Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Mars and others routinely sue governments to prevent public health regulations. A new investigation reveals the pattern.
NC's Poultry Boom Is Drowning Its Water Supply
Factory farms in North Carolina house 421 million birds generating 3.6 million tons of manure annually, contaminating drinking water and threatening public health.
45 Million Acres Opened to Logging and Drilling
Trump administration resccinds 25-year forest protection rule, exposing vast tracts of national forest to extraction and threatening rural communities.
Illinois Farmland Values Soften as Fall Auctions Begin
Analysis of 5,000 Illinois farm sales shows high-quality land values down 4% year-over-year. What it means for family farmers as fall market season sets the tone for 2027.
Bees and Soil: Regenerative Farming Reclaims Ground
As pollinator populations plummet, farmers are finding that building soil health and diverse crops offer solutions. Inside the movement to farm for bees.
Illinois Diverts Pesticide Oversight Funds to Broader State Operations
Pesticide registration fees collected for enforcement are being redirected to general operations, leaving the program underfunded and oversight weakened.
Major Beef Processors Shutter Plants as Losses Mount
Tyson and peers close facilities nationwide, eliminating 10,000 head per day of capacity and deepening the squeeze on cattle feeders.
USDA rolls out support for small beef processors
New funding programs and size classifications give independent processors tools to compete as consolidation dominates the meatpacking corridor.
USDA names Iowa farmer Glen Smith to lead rural development
Fifth-generation farmer with ag-finance expertise confirmed to oversee billions in rural infrastructure funding, signaling focus on farm country's economic backbone.
Tyson quietly cuts 3,000 head/day in Midwest beef corridor
Illinois facility shuts without warning, leaving cattle feeders scrambling as consolidation reaches a tipping point in feedlot country.
American Ag Drones Get Affordable—and Farmers Notice
Semiconductor breakthroughs are bringing precision agriculture within reach of family farms, finally challenging Chinese dominance and corporate equipment lockup.