Trending Stories - Ag & Politics


Putting it in words: Ainsley Wilson on the Morrill Fire

Ainsley Wilson, her husband Brad, and their family ranch in Arthur County, Nebraska. She came to the U.S. from her family’s cattle station in Australia in 1996 to freelance as a writer and photographer for...


Why good conservation programs still struggle to reach farmers

Recent data found the reality of sustainable agriculture programs is unsettling. As funders of agricultural conservation programs face growing pressure to demonstrate impact, those implementing the programs are acknowledging an array of inefficiencies in recruiting...


Boozman sees farm aid in supplemental bill

Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark., said Tuesday he expects additional aid to farmers to be included in a supplemental appropriations bill rather than in a reconciliation package. Speaking to the North American Agricultural...



Ag leaders call for farm bill now, but differ

Four high-ranking congressional agriculture leaders said Tuesday that Congress should pass the farm bill this year, but they differed so much on the bill that it’s hard to see a path forward. Senate Agriculture Committee...


Farm groups urge Trump to nominate Bechdol to head FAO

A large coalition of U.S. farm and agriculture groups have sent a letter to President Trump urging him to nominate Beth Bechdol, an American who is currently a deputy director-general of the United Nations Food...


Critics angry over Trump budget cuts to food

The Trump administration has released a budget that Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought said “has made historic progress on righting our fiscal ship” and “returned accountability to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program”...


House Ag Approps subcommittee, full committee markup set   

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., has scheduled the markup of the fiscal year 2027 agriculture appropriations bill at the subcommittee and full committee levels.  The House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee will mark up the bill...


USDA to develop ‘One Farmer, One File’ with Palantir

SAN ANTONIO — At the Commodity Classic here Thursday, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced that USDA is establishing a “One Farmer, One File” technology system “to create a single, streamlined record that follows the farmer...


What comes next?

Moving on after the Nebraska fires In the last few weeks, Nebraska has suffered the biggest wildfires in recorded history. Over 820,000 acres have burned among four fires: the Morrill Fire in the west Sandhills...


Nebraska senators advance amendment to brand bill

The Nebraska Unicameral took a big step toward changing their state’s brand inspection laws. In a 36-4 vote, (seven members were “present, not voting”) the senators approved an amendment to a brand inspection fee increase...




The mule: A versatile hybrid

In the world of agriculture, a primary goal is maintaining genetic varieties necessary for evolution, be it crops or livestock. An applied practice in achieving this objective is hybridization. In other words, two unrelated strains...