Farm bill negotiators prodded to resolve SNAP work rules With the Senate returning early from its August recess, a panorama of farm, conservation, ag retailer, insurer, lender and anti-hunger groups said on Monday that urban and rural America needs prompt passage of the 2018 farm bill. California avoids the SNAP snafu engulfing… Continue reading

Perdue takes control of USDA’s economics agency The Economic Research Service, the USDA’s self-described “honest broker of economic information,” is being placed under the control of the agency’s top political appointee, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue. The move, announced on Thursday, would make the ERS part of the office of Perdue’s chief… Continue reading

Produce safety rule will weigh heaviest on small growers The smallest fruit and vegetable growers will pay comparatively more than big operators to comply with the so-called Produce Rule from the FDA — as much as 6.8 percent of their sales compared with less than 1 percent for big farmers,… Continue reading

‘Right to farm’ is a state issue, says Senate Judiciary chairman Although leaders of two national farm groups called for a federal shield to protect farmers from lawsuits by neighbors, Sen. Chuck Grassley said on Tuesday that states should decide land use questions. Agricultural leaders are seeking federal legislation because of three… Continue reading

With trade war, farmer support for Trump erodes sharply One-in-seven farmers who voted for President Trump in 2016 would not vote for him today, according to a poll released on Monday. The escalating trade war was the leading cause of erosion for Trump among a staunchly Republican group. But a… Continue reading