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Friday, Sep 25
Save US Farms
The Daily Dirt · 2026-09-12-morning

The Daily Dirt — Morning Edition

Senate farm bill vote expected, beef prices hit records, federal watchdog flags USDA climate-pest gaps, and farmworker wage fight heads to court.

The bottom line
  • [Senate Agriculture Committee Chair John Boozman said he plans to call for a vote on a farm bill next week](https://www.farmprogress.com/farm-policy/will-senate-return-yield-long-awaited-farm-bill-), signaling progress on legislation stalled since the House passed its version in April.
  • [Ground beef prices surged to record highs in August as the U.S. cattle herd, now at its lowest level since 1961, limits supply](https://www.farmprogress.com/marketing/ground-beef-prices-rose-in-august-impeding-trump-efforts), contradicting claims that a cattle shortage doesn't exist.
  • [The Government Accountability Office found that the USDA has not adequately addressed climate-related risks of pests and disease](https://civileats.com/2026/09/11/congressional-watchdog-urges-usda-to-boost-pest-and-disease-prevention/), leaving farms increasingly vulnerable as warming creates new threats.
  • [Federal health officials declared the record-setting cyclospora outbreak linked to Taylor Farms lettuce over, after sickening more than 12,000 people and killing two](https://www.politico.com/news/2026/09/11/feds-declare-record-setting-cyclospora-outbreak-over-01072391).
  • [Heat is taking a toll on greenhouse workers across America, with workers enduring dangerous conditions to supply the nation's houseplant market](https://grist.org/extreme-heat/americas-houseplants-come-at-a-steep-price-for-greenhouse-workers/).
  • [A federal judge rejected an emergency order from the Trump administration that would have forced a Michigan coal plant to stay open](https://grist.org/energy/court-reject-trump-energy-emergency-coal-plant/), dealing a setback to efforts to keep aging fossil fuel infrastructure alive.

Morning, desk. Here’s what broke overnight and early this morning in agriculture, labor, and food security.

The Senate is finally moving on farm bill language. After months of stalling, Ag Committee Chair John Boozman says he’s planning a vote next week on long-delayed legislation that farmers have been waiting on since spring. Commodity prices, input costs, and crop insurance rules all hang in the balance. Watch for whether SNAP funding becomes the dealbreaker again.

Beef prices have climbed to record highs, and it’s not because we’ve suddenly run out of cattle — it’s because the herd is at its smallest since 1961, and that concentration of supply in fewer operations means consolidation is winning. Ground beef especially hit record highs in August despite no shortage narrative in the news. The real story: a shrinking herd in a consolidated market means fewer independent ranchers and higher prices at checkout.

The federal government’s own watchdog just flagged a major gap: the USDA is not prepared for how climate change is reshaping the pest and disease landscape on American farms. The GAO report, released this week, says the department lacks adequate monitoring and response strategies as warming winters, shifting rainfall, and new ranges of pests threaten crops nationwide. For farmers already stretched by debt, this is another uncontrolled variable with no federal backup plan.

Heat stress is putting pressure on workers across the ag supply chain. Grist reporting shows that greenhouse workers are enduring dangerous conditions to supply the nation’s houseplant market, with heat protection often an afterthought when margins are thin.

The cyclospora outbreak is officially over. More than 12,000 people got sick from lettuce linked to Taylor Farms, and two people died. The CDC has closed out the investigation. Food safety advocates are already asking what took so long and whether consolidation in produce supply made the outbreak worse.

A federal court dealt Trump’s energy rollback a loss: a Michigan coal plant will not be kept online by emergency decree. The ruling signals that “emergency” powers have limits when the claimed emergency isn’t actually an emergency.

What to watch: Will the Senate farm bill vote happen next week, and what gets traded away to get SNAP funding passed? As harvest ramps up and diesel prices stay high, keep an eye on farmer debt levels and equipment sales — both tend to spike when margins collapse.

Save US Farms Desk

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