Latest News From USDA

The federal government is facing another lawsuit over The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. A group of farmers from five states claim they're ineligible for loan forgiveness program because they're white.

Texas Ag Commissioner Sid Miller has filed a personal lawsuit against the federal government claiming COVID relief plan discriminates against some white farmers and ranchers.

Ryan Yates, managing director of public policy for the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), says while the plan sounds simple, there are still a lot more questions than answers regarding what the plan truly means.

Details of a U.S. land and water related executive order could be unveiled soon. Known as the ’30 by 30’ plan, it would place 30% of U.S. lands and 30% of U.S. waters under federal jurisdiction by 2030.

The second round of Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP 2) restarted April 5. Farmers have 60 days to either apply or make modifications to their existing CFAP 2 applications.

USDA will move forward with $20 per acre payments for price-trigger crops outlined in the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) round three with checks going out starting in April.

For a fifth year, the White House is publicly recognizing March 23, 2021, as National Ag Day. As part of the proclamation, the White House salutes farmers and ranchers for the contributions they continue to make.

The western half of the country continues to see little moisture, and after a year of record government payments to agriculture, farm groups fear financial assistance this year will be tough to get passed in Washington.

USDA’s Ag Outlook Forum painted a brighter forecast for corn demand this year. While USDA does expect a 7% increase in production, the agency is also forecasting an increase in domestic use, as well as exports.

The Senate has scheduled a vote on Tom Vilsack’s nomination for Secretary of Agriculture on Feb. 23. In early February, the Senate Agriculture Committee unanimously approved President Biden's pick to lead USDA.

The net farm income story this year is far from over. Farmer Mac’s chief economist says history shows USDA’s initial look at net farm income is typically too low and this year may be no different.

Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) may be back on the table, but it’s far from a done deal. The topic was brought up during Tom Vilsack's confirmation hear thing week, but one economist says the economics have changed.

He’s the only USDA secretary that has served in one administration and has been asked to come back years later. For Tom Vilsack, it’s an opportunity he is looking forward to for many reasons.

AS USDA reviews the previous administration’s plans for the remaining CFAP money, President Biden’s pick to lead USDA will help spearhead those efforts, and find ways to incentives farmers for climate initiatives.

Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) says she supports the Biden Administration’s move to freeze payments under the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP).

USDA late Wednesday posted notice that $2.3 billion in supplemental Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) payments will be temporarily frozen.

From the unpredictability with trade to easing of regulations, the past four years have been a whirlwind with farmers, ranchers and policy experts looking back at the Trump Administration's impact on agriculture.

President Donald Trump several times over the past week has indicated some $16 billion of COVID-19 farmer aid would be announced soon.

Producers watch to see if retail beef demand will continue its slow decline as consumers’ freezers are now packed with meat. There’s a discussion on market manipulation and if there’s a need for an investigation.

Fears of the coronavirus continue to haunt the stock market despite the Federal Reserve’s efforts to calm it. Live cattle prices have dropped to numbers producers and traders haven’t seen in nearly a decade.

Sonny Perdue may be a champion of big agriculture and agribusinesses in all its forms. But even he isn’t immune to the lure of the vegan Impossible Burger.

President Donald Trump remains in U.S. farmers’ good graces, according to the latest Farm Journal Pulse survey.

When a livestock dealer’s check bounces, should the farmer or rancher who raised the cattle be able to get them back?

Japan on Friday lifted longstanding restrictions on U.S. beef in an agreement announced by USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue. The move is expected to pave the way for expanded sales to the U.S.’s top beef export market.

The Opportunities for Fairness in Farming (OFF) Act of 2019 has the support of presidential candidates and could reshape how agricultural checkoffs operate, something animal rights groups see as a win.

As Nebraska continues to battle what appears to be the worst natural disaster in state history, stories are slowly starting to pour out of the region from farmers and ranchers impacted by the flood.

As Nebraska continues to battle what appears to be the worst natural disaster in state history, stories are slowly starting to pour out of the region from farmers and ranchers impacted by the flood.

While Dale Durcholz does think there’s potential for a grain production number shift, he says the winter farmers and feed yards have faced is more likely to be the cause of a grain stocks shift lower.

This Friday should have been the publication of USDA’s January Cattle on Feed report. The report will not be released due to the government shutdown. 

A sale barn in South Dakota recently saw a larger than normal amount of cattle go through the auction ring and the influx is being attributed to the government shutdown.

As the fight over President Donald Trump’s border wall continues, USDA reports are at a standstill. University of Missouri economist Scott Brown says no reports or fresh data may be bad news for the cattle markets.

JBS Tolleson, Inc., a division of JBS SA, is recalling 6.5 million pounds of “various raw, non-intact beef products” due to an outbreak of salmonella, USDA-Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) said Thursday.

A checkoff war has farmers and livestock producers caught in the crossfire, and the ramifications could significantly impact the foundation of the beef and soybean checkoff system.

Expect shifting slaughter patterns.

Cattle on feed numbers increased 8% during January.

Cattle herd expansion continued in 2017, although at a much slower pace than 2016.

Cattle on feed in feedlots with more than 1,000 head capacity totaled 11.5 million head, 8% higher than last year.

March 6, 2017 is a day Beaver County, Okla., rancher and volunteer fire chief Bernie Smith will always remember. That day wildfires tore through the central and southern Plains. Nearly 2 million acres across four states were scorched by fast moving fires that month. AgDay national reporter Betsy Jibben and national videographer Russ Hnatusko report over Smith’s recollection of the fire, his future and why he’s thankful this Thanksgiving.

Harvey may not have dealt devastating blow to Texas ranchers

The Department of Interior (DOI) has made its first recommendations to modify the conservation plan for the greater sage grouse. The DOI Sage Grouse Review Team delivered recommendations to U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke in a memo Aug. 7. The report is part of a June 7 order that called for the review of an Obama-era conservation plan that set out to protect the habitat of the threatened bird.

Sage grouse are benefiting from land going into CRP in Washington.

Cattle on feed numbers slipped in November. 

Missing from the slate of late July USDA cattle reports was the July Cattle report which would have provided an indication of continued herd rebuilding, heifer retention and the size of the 2016 calf crop.  

USDA’s monthly Cattle on Feed report was pegged at 10.4 million head on July 1, 1% above last year’s total.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed that the first shipment of U.S. beef recently arrived in South Africa following the reopening of the South African market earlier this year.

South Dakota feedlots with capacities of 1,000 or more animals reported 265,000 cattle on feed on April 1, up 13 percent from last year.

It appears herd expansion has tapered off as feedlots start to increase inventories with heifers.

The plantings report revealed that U.S. producers intend to plant 93.601 million acres of corn this summer, up 6 percent from last year’s 87.999 million acres and more than 2.6 million acres higher than even the highest trade estimate.

During 2017, USDA’s Animal Health Monitoring System will focus on the cow-calf segment, collecting data from producers around the country.