Farm Policy, Food Supply & Rural Coverage
305 articles · page 7 of 11
Part-Time Farming Has Become the American Norm for Beginners
New USDA data shows 72% of beginning farmers rely on off-farm income—revealing the structural barriers that trap new growers outside the industry they're trying to join.
New Bill Demands Fair Wages and Safety for Farmworkers
Senators Welch, Booker, Wyden, and Warren introduce the Agricultural Worker Justice Act (S. 4995), legislation tying USDA funding to labor compliance and worker pay. The UFCW endorses the bill on July 21.
John Deere's Right-to-Repair Settlement: A Win for Farmers
After an FTC antitrust lawsuit, John Deere must share repair tools and software with farmers for 10 years, ending decades of equipment monopoly control.
How USDA's Regenerative Feedstock Rule Works
USDA's new rule connects regenerative farmers to biofuel markets. Here's what it means for farm economics and soil health.
Rodale's $139M Bet on Regenerative Farms
Rodale Institute launches a $139 million campaign to transition 10 million acres of U.S. farmland to organic and regenerative agriculture by 2030.
H-2A Wage Cuts Hit Farmworkers as Court Ruling Stands
On July 1, a new federal wage rule cut H-2A farmworker pay by up to 32%. A federal court upheld the cuts, and estimates show workers will lose $4.4 billion annually.
Poultry Farmers Lose Payment Protections in USDA Rollback
The USDA is rescinding rules that protected 20,000 contracted farmers from predatory payment practices in a $45 billion industry dominated by four companies.
OSHA Scales Back Farmworker Heat Enforcement
OSHA removed inspection targets from its heat program in April, eliminating enforcement tools as farmworkers face peak summer conditions and record heat-related workplace deaths.
April Bankruptcy Spike: Farm Economy Hits Breaking Point
62 Chapter 12 filings in April 2026 marked a 130% surge from last year, signaling a deepening crisis for family farms grappling with record input costs and debt service.
USDA Exodus: 80% of Staff Ready to Quit Reorganization
As USDA cuts 2,600 D.C. workers to regional hubs, 80% of employees say they'll resign rather than relocate. Farm support collapses at record crisis moment.
Foreign Farmland Disclosure Gets Real: USDA Cuts Threshold to 10%
USDA proposes sweeping AFIDA rule overhaul, lowering foreign ownership reporting threshold from 50% to just 10% in historic shift on land control.
EPA Challenges Farmers to Ditch Harvest Pesticides for $30 Million
The agency launches a national innovation challenge for crop-desiccant alternatives, betting chemical-free harvests can work at scale—if the ideas are there.
Why 72% of Beginning Farmers Can't Farm Full Time
New data reveals most new farmers must work another job to survive—a symptom of consolidation and soaring land costs that lock out the next generation.
House Blocks H-2A Expansion as Farm Labor Crisis Deepens
A congressional panel refused to advance a bill that would expand access to temporary farmworker visas, leaving farms with few options as labor shortages grow.
USDA Tightens Rules on Foreign Farmland Ownership
New disclosure regulations would lower thresholds and close loopholes in decades-old law tracking who controls American agricultural land.
EPA Expands Carcinogenic Forever-Chemical Pesticide to Food Crops
The agency approved expanded use of bifenthrin, a PFAS pesticide the EPA classifies as a possible carcinogen, on kale, broccoli, coffee, and other foods—even as contamination spreads through U.S. waterways and farmland.
Farm Bankruptcies Hit 6-Year High as Debt Crisis Spreads
Chapter 12 farm bankruptcies jumped 46% in 2025 and surge further in 2026, with April filings marking the highest monthly total since 2020 as debt and input costs crush family farmers.
Congress Takes Aim at Corporate Farmland Grabs
Farmland for Farmers Act seeks to ban corporate land ownership while 25 states lock out foreign investors—the latest salvo against agricultural consolidation.
FTC Forces Deere to Unlock 10-Year Right to Repair Win
Federal Trade Commission settles antitrust suit with John Deere, guaranteeing farmers access to repair codes, parts, and independent technicians through 2036.
Winter Wheat Crop Collapses to 60-Year Low Amid Plains Drought
USDA forecasts winter wheat production down 25% to smallest crop since 1965 as severe drought devastates prime growing regions across the Great Plains.
States Lead Heat Protection for Farmworkers While Federal Rule Stalls
Eight states now have occupational heat standards. Federal regulators have proposed protections, but the rule's future remains unclear as farmworkers face deadly summer conditions.
The Neighbors Beating Corporate Meat One County Vote at a Time
No federal law stops a mega-dairy or a 13-million-bird poultry operation from moving in next door. So rural communities from Oregon to Indiana are doing it themselves — county by county, permit hearing by permit hearing.
The Deere Settlement Isn't the Finish Line — It's a 10-Year Clock
The FTC's landmark right-to-repair settlement with John Deere sounds like a win. But it expires in a decade, covers one manufacturer, and doesn't touch state law — which is why Minnesota farmers are already fighting the next battle.
House Judiciary Committee Blocks H-2A Expansion Push
Just three days after Thompson's bipartisan bill on farm labor, chair Jim Jordan bars the immigration committee from taking it up—killing momentum on farmworker visa reform.
Seed Patents Lock Out Farmers From Breeding Innovation
DOJ reveals that patented seeds and genetic monopolies restrict farmer breeding rights and block competition, paralleling the John Deere fight for equipment access.
EPA Quietly Approves PFAS Pesticides as 'Forever Chemicals' Spread
The EPA has greenlit three new PFAS pesticides despite health risks, bringing the total to five approved during this administration. Your food is already contaminated.
Cattle Futures Collapse as Ranchers Face Perfect Debt Storm
August cattle futures plunged to lowest levels since March as rancher debt loads hit record highs, squeezing margins and threatening operations across the Great Plains.
New H-2A Wage Rules Cost Farmworkers $3B Annually
DOL's new wage-setting methodology, live since July 1, slashes farmworker pay by up to $5 per hour and triggers a legal battle over wage theft.
USDA Invests $500M to Defang Fertilizer Monopoly
Secretary Rollins launches the FIELDS program to expand domestic fertilizer production and break the grip of soaring input costs on struggling farmers.
Record Heat Threatens Northern Plains Spring Wheat and Barley
As temperatures shatter records across the Northern Plains, wheat and barley crops at a critical growth stage face severe yield damage. USDA warns of compounding climate and financial crisis for growers.