Farm Policy, Food Supply & Rural Coverage
201 articles · page 6 of 7
Supreme Court Shields Pesticide Makers from State Warnings
A 7-2 ruling protects federal EPA authority over product labels, blocking states from requiring pesticide cancer warnings. Thousands of Roundup lawsuits hang in the balance.
Extreme weather deepens farm debt crisis
Frost, flooding, and planting delays are ravaging Midwest crops and forcing emergency spending, intensifying the debt trap that makes consolidation inevitable.
Wall Street's Dirt Play: How Institutional Investors Beat Farmers to Farmland
Billionaires and mega-funds are buying prime Midwest cropland with cash, while family farmers bleed equity at $900-per-acre input costs and $4.30 corn.
EPA's Dual PFAS Gambit: Delay Some Rules, Rescind Others
The EPA proposed two conflicting PFAS drinking water rules on May 18. One extends compliance deadlines, the other rescinds protections for four classes of forever chemicals. Farmland water sits in the gap.
44 Million Acres at Stake as Small Farms Face Consolidation Cliff
Nearly 15% of American cropland is projected to change hands in three years. Small farms are most vulnerable, with half already unprofitable.
H-2A Certifications Hit Record High as Labor Crisis Deepens
Guest worker program expands 17% in first half of 2026 as dairy and crop farms face ongoing labor shortage despite wage cuts and policy shifts.
USCIS Opens H-2A Door for Dairy Farms
Federal guidance clarifies that dairy operations may hire temporary H-2A workers, offering labor relief for an industry facing chronic staffing shortages.
FTC Opens Fertilizer Pricing Investigation Amid Farmer Crisis
Amid mounting input costs and industry consolidation, the FTC launches formal antitrust probe into major fertilizer producers as farmers face historic margin squeeze.
USDA Unlocks Biofuel Markets for Regenerative Farmers
A new federal rule lets farmers earn premium prices for regenerative corn and soybeans, connecting sustainable practices to billion-dollar biofuel markets.
Court Bars Roundup Cancer Suits, Leaving Farmworkers Exposed
A 7-2 Supreme Court ruling blocks thousands of state-law cancer claims against Monsanto, stripping farmworkers and farmers of their last legal remedy for Roundup exposure.
Supreme Court Blocks Roundup Cancer Suits, Shields Monsanto
In a 7-2 ruling, the Supreme Court said pesticide companies can't be sued under state law—a massive win for Monsanto and Bayer that silences thousands of victims.
California Acts on PFAS: Assembly Bans Forever Chemicals by 2035
California's legislature just took aim at toxic PFAS pesticides contaminating soil and water. The ban would phase out forever chemicals that already coat the state's fruit and vegetables.
April Farm Bankruptcies Hit Highest Monthly Total Since 2020
Chapter 12 filings jumped 130% in April 2026, signaling a structural farm debt crisis accelerating faster than forecasts predicted.
USDA Proposes Tougher AFIDA Penalties for Foreign Adversary Filers
A proposed USDA rule would end agency discretion to reduce farmland disclosure penalties and create steeper tiers for foreign-adversary entities. Comment period closes August 10.
Schumer Pushes Bill to Break Up Meatpacking Monopoly
Sen. Schumer's Family Grocery and Farmer Relief Act targets the four companies that control 85% of beef and lock farmers into bad prices.
Higher Loan Caps, Same Debt Trap: The 2026 Farm Bill Draft
The Senate's Agricultural Act of 2026 raises loan ceilings as sector debt hits $624.7 billion — but borrowing more is not the same as getting out.
Spring Drought Dries Up Farm Cash as Midwest Hits 127-Year Low
Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan recorded their driest May in over a century, threatening crop yields and farm income as drought spreads across the region.
Wage Floor Collapse: DOL Cuts H-2A Minimum to Poverty Levels
New federal wage rules slash the H-2A farmworker minimum by as much as 15%, costing migrant workers $4+ billion annually as growers lock in lower labor costs.
Federal Lands in Play: Grazing Access Becomes a Flashpoint
As ranchers face tighter margins and consolidation pressure, competition for federal grazing permits is reshaping who can survive on the land—and who gets bought out.
On the Screwworm Line: Ranchers Across the Border, One Crisis
As the parasitic pest hits ranches on both sides of the US-Mexico border, cattle producers share how it's squeezing operations and threatening what little margin they have left.
PFAS from Pesticides Found Widespread in California Water
Environmental testing reveals pesticide-derived 'forever chemicals' contaminating California's surface water and sediment, raising alarm for agricultural communities.
Senate Farm Bill 2.0 Targets Foreign Farmland Disclosure
The 902-page Agricultural Act of 2026 would strengthen AFIDA reporting and bolster USDA's homeland security office — a long-sought upgrade to a 48-year-old law.
Senate Farm Bill Draft Locks In Corporate Ag Status Quo
The Senate Agriculture Committee's new draft Farm Bill drew sharp condemnation from family farm advocates who say it extends stagnant policies and ignores the consolidation crisis.
Screwworm Returns: Another Cost Shock for Squeezed Cattle Ranchers
A livestock parasite reemerging on the U.S.-Mexico border threatens cattle herds and ranch margins already compressed by consolidation, debt, and volatile commodity prices.
H-2A Workers Dig Deeper Into Poverty as Wages Stall
Migrant farm workers on H-2A visas are seeing wages stay flat while input costs climb, forcing families into debt. New data exposes how the program shields growers from market pressure.
Factory Farms Are a Food Safety Risk. Consolidation Made It Worse.
Industrial livestock farming drives most U.S. foodborne illness outbreaks. The same consolidation that concentrated market power also concentrated biological risk.
Disclosure Isn't Enough: The Push to Close the Farmland Loophole
Federal law requires foreign buyers to report ag land purchases — but doesn't block them. A wave of state bans tries to fill the gap, unevenly.
The Debt Squeeze Pushing Family Farms Into Chapter 12
Family farm Chapter 12 bankruptcies have been climbing as commodity prices fall, input costs stay high, and market consolidation squeezes producers from both sides.
H-2A Opens to Dairy. Advocates Say the Program Runs on Coercion.
The Trump administration opened the H-2A guestworker program to dairy farms. Farmworker advocates say it expands a system with documented trafficking, wage theft, and forced labor.
DOJ Opens Antitrust Probe of the Big Four Meatpackers
The Justice Department confirmed an antitrust probe of major beef processors in May, calling for whistleblowers as ranchers face persistent market consolidation.