The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the appointment of Dr. Jaye L. Hamby as the Director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). As Director, Dr. Hamby will lead USDA’s efforts to advance agricultural innovation, community outreach, and fostering the next generation of agricultural leaders. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that starting on March 19 farmers …

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. have announced their continued work on the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and are committed to releasing the final Guidelines ahead of its statutory deadline of December 31, 2025. Moving forward beyond 2025, HHS and USDA are looking to make holistic process …

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins praised President Donald J. Trump’s action to make adjustments to tariffs imposed on imports from Canada and Mexico that fall under his historic United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) in addition to a reduction of tariffs on potash, a key ingredient in fertilizers that farmers depend on. The American Farm Bureau Federation and Alabama Farmers Federation …

CropLife America, RISE and National Ag Day will host a Celebration of National Ag Day on Tuesday, March 18 from 5:30–8 p.m. in the Kennedy Caucus Room, SR-325, The Russell Senate Office Building. RSVP here. Attendees and exhibitors from around the world gathered in Tulare, Calif., for the 58th Annual World Ag Expo®, the world’s largest annual outdoor agricultural exposition. …

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced that USDA will release the first tranche of funding that was paused due to the review of funding in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). In alignment with White House directives, Secretary Rollins will honor contracts that were already made directly to farmers. Specifically, USDA is releasing approximately $20 million in contracts for the …

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a statement regarding the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) review of former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Thomas J. Vilsack’s choice to modify the longstanding Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) obligation practice. At its monthly meeting, the Farm Credit Administration board approved a final notice on regulatory burden to be published in the Federal Register. …

Be part of the experience as we celebrate the American farmers who work and preserve the land to feed millions. This year National Ag Day celebrates with live AND virtual events. Visit agday.org for more details. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a statement commending Mexico’s action to declare ineffective measures concerning genetically engineered (GE) corn that the United …

Farmer and rancher delegates to the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 106th Convention adopted policies to guide the organization’s work in 2025. Key topics ranged from labor to rural broadband to trade. The American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture presented its 18th Book of the Year award to author Peggy Thomas for “The Soil in Jackie’s Garden.” The award was presented …

Corn production declined, while soybean production increased from last year, according to the 2024 Crop Production Annual Summary released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. U.S. corn growers produced 14.9 billion bushels in 2024, down 3 percent from 2023. Corn yield in the United States is estimated at 179.3 bushels per acre, 2.0 bushels above 2023 …

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the 2025 enrollment periods for key safety-net programs including the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC), Price Loss Coverage (PLC) and Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC). Agricultural producers can submit applications to USDA’s Farm Service Agency for ARC and PLC for the 2025 crop year from Jan. 21 to April 15 and for DMC for the 2025 …