Section
Farm bill, USDA rules, state law, trade.
7 stories
The Environmental Quality Incentives Program is the biggest pot of cost-share money most ranchers never apply for. Applications are accepted year-round, but each state sets ranking cutoffs, and most of them land between October and January. What it covers, what it pays, and how to get in line.
Sep 29
USDA reopened the Douglas, Arizona port to Mexican cattle in late August, the first step in a phased reopening. For feeders it means supply. For cow-calf operators enjoying record prices, it means competition.
Sep 10
The House passed its version 224-200. The Senate Ag Committee recessed its August 6 markup without a vote after a fight over who pays for SNAP. Here is what is in both bills and what happens if the deadline passes.
Sep 8
USDA asked ranchers to keep heifers on a Monday. The White House confirmed 300,000 tons of tariff-free foreign beef that Friday. One of those messages is going to be believed, and it is not the one with the two-year payoff.
Sep 6
The 90-day tariff pause on Brazilian and Argentine beef drew immediate fire from cattle groups and Republican lawmakers. The September 4 executive orders on labeling and direct sales were the response.
Sep 5
An NDSU analysis finds the California price premium never faded. The House farm bill carries language stopping one state from dictating housing standards to farms in another. Hog producers want it; the Senate version is where it lives or dies.
Sep 4
Heifer-retention insurance, a guaranteed loan program for regional packers, and a federal buy-American-beef push headline the August 31 announcement. What is real money and what is still a proposal.
Sep 1