Farm Policy, Food Supply & Rural Coverage
201 articles · page 3 of 7
Farmland values surge past $6,000 per acre nationwide
Cropland prices climbed $2,000 in six years as pasture values soar, raising questions about who can afford to farm and who's cashing out.
When Geopolitics Meet Farm Inputs: The Strait Crisis Reshapes Fertilizer
A Persian Gulf supply crunch pivots fertilizer markets from price discovery to pure survival. What happens when US farmers compete for scarcity.
The Debt Is the Story: Chapter 12 Filings Keep Climbing Into 2026
Chapter 12 farm bankruptcies jumped 46% in 2025 and the pressure hasn't let up in 2026. The numbers behind a slow-motion squeeze on family farms.
USDA Reorganization Could Hollow Out Farm Trade, Research, and Aid Programs
Relocation orders covering more than half of USDA's Washington workforce could trigger large staff losses across trade promotion, agricultural research, food aid, and nutrition programs.
EPA Approves PFAS 'Forever Chemicals' Despite Cancer Warnings
The agency green-lit three new toxic pesticides despite evidence one poses carcinogenic risk, escalating contamination of farmland and water across the country.
Senate Pushes Food Warning Labels to Reshape Markets
Senators introduce rules requiring clear warning labels on ultra-processed foods, signaling a shift toward transparency that could benefit farmers producing real food.
Michigan farmers turn to precision data as rainfall turns chaotic
New app combining soil sensors and hyperlocal forecasts helps growers adapt to erratic weather while cutting water use and input costs.
Congress Eyes Warning Labels on Ultra-Processed Foods
Senate Democrats introduce food labeling bill requiring warnings on ultra-processed foods and those high in added sugar, sodium, and saturated fats.
Fertilizer Cartel: Farmers Demand Feds Speed Antitrust Probe
State grower organizations are pushing federal regulators to accelerate investigations into fertilizer industry pricing practices that have kept costs far above historical levels.
Senate Races Heat Up Over Big Ag Consolidation
Iowa and Nebraska candidates are running hard against agricultural monopolies as farm costs soar and consolidation tightens. A populist turn is reshaping farm-belt politics.
Cyclospora, climate, and why produce keeps making us sick
As water systems warm and weather destabilizes, cyclospora outbreaks are becoming more frequent and harder to predict. Here's what's actually happening to our food.
House Dems probe Taylor Farms over massive cyclospora outbreak
Congress scrutinizes one of America's largest produce processors as the outbreak spreads to 41 states with 4,100+ confirmed cases. The question: why wasn't this caught sooner?
Chapter 12 Bankruptcies Jump 46% as Farm Debt Hits Record
Farm bankruptcies surged 46% in 2025, marking the third straight year of increases. Total farm debt is forecast to hit a record $624.7 billion in 2026.
Foreign Farmland Ownership Thresholds Could Drop to 5%
USDA proposes sweeping changes to farmland disclosure rules, tightening oversight of foreign acquisition as 29 states pass their own restrictions.
Forever Chemicals Creep Into U.S. Farmland Via Biosolids
EPA and state regulators move to curb PFAS contamination of agricultural soils as 3 million U.S. acres face permanent chemical poisoning.
Tomorrow, Farmers Can Earn Real Money From Regenerative Practices
USDA's new feedstock rule takes effect tomorrow, creating a market for regenerative agriculture—if farmers know where to start.
Part-Time Farming Has Become the American Norm for Beginners
New USDA data shows 72% of beginning farmers rely on off-farm income—revealing the structural barriers that trap new growers outside the industry they're trying to join.
New Bill Demands Fair Wages and Safety for Farmworkers
Senators Welch, Booker, Wyden, and Warren introduce the Agricultural Worker Justice Act (S. 4995), legislation tying USDA funding to labor compliance and worker pay. The UFCW endorses the bill on July 21.
John Deere's Right-to-Repair Settlement: A Win for Farmers
After an FTC antitrust lawsuit, John Deere must share repair tools and software with farmers for 10 years, ending decades of equipment monopoly control.
How USDA's Regenerative Feedstock Rule Works
USDA's new rule connects regenerative farmers to biofuel markets. Here's what it means for farm economics and soil health.
Rodale's $139M Bet on Regenerative Farms
Rodale Institute launches a $139 million campaign to transition 10 million acres of U.S. farmland to organic and regenerative agriculture by 2030.
H-2A Wage Cuts Hit Farmworkers as Court Ruling Stands
On July 1, a new federal wage rule cut H-2A farmworker pay by up to 32%. A federal court upheld the cuts, and estimates show workers will lose $4.4 billion annually.
Poultry Farmers Lose Payment Protections in USDA Rollback
The USDA is rescinding rules that protected 20,000 contracted farmers from predatory payment practices in a $45 billion industry dominated by four companies.
OSHA Scales Back Farmworker Heat Enforcement
OSHA removed inspection targets from its heat program in April, eliminating enforcement tools as farmworkers face peak summer conditions and record heat-related workplace deaths.
April Bankruptcy Spike: Farm Economy Hits Breaking Point
62 Chapter 12 filings in April 2026 marked a 130% surge from last year, signaling a deepening crisis for family farms grappling with record input costs and debt service.
USDA Exodus: 80% of Staff Ready to Quit Reorganization
As USDA cuts 2,600 D.C. workers to regional hubs, 80% of employees say they'll resign rather than relocate. Farm support collapses at record crisis moment.
Foreign Farmland Disclosure Gets Real: USDA Cuts Threshold to 10%
USDA proposes sweeping AFIDA rule overhaul, lowering foreign ownership reporting threshold from 50% to just 10% in historic shift on land control.
EPA Challenges Farmers to Ditch Harvest Pesticides for $30 Million
The agency launches a national innovation challenge for crop-desiccant alternatives, betting chemical-free harvests can work at scale—if the ideas are there.
Why 72% of Beginning Farmers Can't Farm Full Time
New data reveals most new farmers must work another job to survive—a symptom of consolidation and soaring land costs that lock out the next generation.
House Blocks H-2A Expansion as Farm Labor Crisis Deepens
A congressional panel refused to advance a bill that would expand access to temporary farmworker visas, leaving farms with few options as labor shortages grow.