Farm Bill

While the president-elect continues to nominate prospective members of his incoming administration, the outgoing Congress faces a hectic sprint to complete a long list of unmet legislative duties before their pre-Christmas adjournment.

Though growth in economic activity was generally small, expectations for growth rose moderately across most geographies and sectors across the Federal Reserve Districts.

Garrett Hawkins, a Waterloo farmer, was elected president of the Illinois Corn Growers Association for 2024-2025 at its recent reorganizational meeting.

This year’s Greater Peoria Farm Show will include a new Kubota Sidekick UTV giveaway and the new University of Illinois Extension seminar series.

The U.S. agriculture sector is responsible for nearly 6% of the nation’s gross national product, yet it is operating on farm bill policy set six years ago.

Any change in political party leadership from the top down draws questions of how it will impact agriculture.

As Thanksgiving approaches, families across America are getting ready to gather with loved ones, share favorite dishes and reflect on the past year.

It’s a new day. No more campaign text messages. No more political ads. We open a new chapter and prepare for a new dialogue with a new Congress and new president come January.

Calls for $20 billion in “emergency” farm program payments won’t go away now that the proposal’s principal audience, voters, have done their duty.

Voters chose to send Donald Trump, who served his first term as U.S. president from 2016 to 2020, back to the White House in the Nov. 5 national election.

Every preelection poll for the U.S. presidential race saw it as a too-close-to-call nail-biter. Not one predicted the sweeping victory posted by former, now President-elect Donald Trump.

National Farmers Union has sent a letter to President-elect Donald Trump urging focus on policy priorities essential to the health and vitality of rural America and the sustainability of the nation’s agricultural system.

A constructed wetland designed to receive tile drainage water from 73 acres of corn and soybeans is doing its job of removing nitrates.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a $1.5 billion investment for 92 partner-driven conservation projects, including one in Illinois and Indiana, through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will begin issuing more than $2.14 billion in payments to eligible agricultural producers and landowners — providing much needed support through key conservation and safety net programs.

Election Day, Nov. 5, will end the costliest, dirtiest American political campaign season in memory and it will likely also mark Opening Day for what could be the costliest, dirtiest post-election fight in American history.

Mark Seib, a grain farmer in southern Indiana, has finished soybean harvest and is closing in on corn.

National Corn Growers Association President Kenneth Hartman Jr. told officials farmers are living through difficult economic times, but they can help by removing barriers so growers can access expanding markets for corn.

Registration for the 2025 American Farm Bureau Convention is officially open. Whether you are a seasoned attendee or thinking of joining us for the first time, this is an event you do not want to miss.

Between harvest and preparing for the state corn-husking competition, From the Fields contributor Clay Geyer has a busy October ahead of him.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced up to $7.7 billion in assistance for fiscal year 2025 to help agricultural and forestry producers adopt conservation practices on working lands.

The building gloom in today’s ag commodity markets — wheat, barley, oats and cotton farmers all face increased production and decreased prices — has caught the attention of a long-distracted Congress.

It’s easy to see why Eligio “Kika” de la Garza was elected to 16 consecutive terms in the House of Representatives and served his final seven as chairman of the wide-sweeping and often unruly House Ag Committee.

Every day, rain or shine, farmers rise to do their jobs. Whether we’re tired or stressed, we press on. If we disagree with a family member, we find a way forward. We don’t stall on planting or harvesting or caring for our animals.

With the farm bill, Next Generation Fuels Act and global trade discussions on the table in Congress, now is the time for farmers to make their voices heard.

When you set a record ag trade deficit for the third consecutive year, the decline isn’t an aberration or a coincidence. It is growing proof that your national ag policy is headed in the wrong direction.

County fair, state fair, Learfield Ag/Brownfield summer meeting and Farm Progress Show filled my August. Hot and worn out at the end of many of those days, but my cup is full.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded $22 million for projects in 36 states that expand access to technical assistance for livestock producers and increases the use of conservation practices on grazing lands.

Berkeley Boehne harvested an excellent wheat crop in July and his corn and soybean crops also look good at the start of August.

Trying to stem the flow of money in politics is like trying to hold back the Mississippi River. It’s dirty, dangerous work that is almost always washed away by a flood of even more money.

Time is running out for Congress to pass a modernized farm bill this year. Families — on and off the farm — cannot afford a delay.

In a recent letter to congressional leadership, more than 500 agricultural groups called for the passage of a new farm bill.

As soon as the large mahogany door in the congressional building was opened, the farmers were greeted with hellos and handshakes. “Do you want some Indiana popcorn?” the staff in Republican U.S. Rep. Greg Pence’s office proudly asked.

As he walked to the stage to collect the Corn Advocate of the Year award, Tim Thompson looked genuinely shocked. His mouth fell open, and his eyes widened.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling to overturn the Chevron deference was a business-favoring decision to upend 40 years of legal precedent and redirect federal power from agencies like the USDA to the courts and Congress.

This year, like last year, is a farm bill year — and this year, like last year, probably won’t deliver a farm bill. The reason is the oldest one in Washington, D.C.: politics.

The Fourth of July is a highlight of the year on our family farm. Each summer, my family gets together for a traditional cookout, celebrating our nation with delicious food and the company of loved ones.

A longstanding complaint here is the utter incomprehensibility of federal milk pricing policy. For years we’ve joked that only four people in the world understand its complexity.

Nominations are now being accepted for farmers and ranchers to serve on local Farm Service Agency county committees.

We in agriculture have a long tradition of marketing our bounty by more pleasant, if not less-than-truthful, names in hopes that less-informed eaters buy the sizzle rather than the fact.

When it comes to the 2024 farm bill, we are at one of those critical points, and if we’re going to reach the finish line, it’s time for Congress to pick up the pace.

The slowest dance on Capitol Hill, the writing of a new farm bill, gained tempo May 1 when both the House and Senate Ag committees released versions of their bills.

It is unclear when the U.S. Congress will pass the next farm bill. However, it is clear starting with a conservation plan is the best first step farmers can take to the best advantage of the programs in that bill.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of what is referred to as the foundation of the modern crop insurance program.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is encouraging dairy producers to enroll for 2024 Dairy Margin Coverage, an important safety net program that helps offset milk and feed price differences.

Each year, the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute at the University of Missouri and its collaborators put together a baseline projection for the U.S. and world ag sectors for the major grains, oilseeds, biofuels, livestock and dairy commodities.

With a September deadline, and a congressional summer vacation on the calendar, the clock is ticking on a new five-year farm bill.

Even when Speaker of the House Mike Johnson finds enough baling wire to lash together the votes to pass the budget, it’s little more than a signal to some of his colleagues to heat up the tar and gather the feathers.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that agricultural producers and private landowners can sign up for the general Conservation Reserve Program through March 29.

Farmers and ranchers don’t shy away from hard work. When there’s a storm coming, we band together to bring the crops in. When our neighbors need a hand rebuilding, we pack our tools in our trucks and head right over.