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Leading advocates for former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris clashed over trade, immigration and tax policy during an informal debate Monday.

Some 300 organizations are sending a letter to congressional leaders today, appealing for a farm bill, and teams of farmers representing a cross-section of commodity groups will be fanning out across Capitol Hill this week to make the pitch in person.  North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum defended former President Donald Trump's tariff policy on Sunday.

Farmers who grow the crops being hammered the hardest by commodity market declines are hitting Capitol Hill this week, accompanied by ag bankers and Farm Credit lenders, to make a last-ditch push for a new farm bill.

The presidential campaign of Democrat Kamala Harris has named Matt Hildreth, the founder and executive director of RuralOrganizing.org, as its national rural outreach director.

The farm economy is in much better shape than feared at the beginning of the year, according to USDA’s revised farm income forecast. USDA now estimates that net farm income will decline by 7% and remain above the 20-year historical average. Back in February, USDA had projected net farm income would plummet by nearly 26%. 

USDA is due out today with its latest forecast for farm income, and the numbers are expected to be bad. Look for more new calls for Congress to pass a new farm bill to shore up incomes of row crop producers. 

Former President Donald Trump, outlining his economic agenda Thursday, said he would use a second term to ensure Americans have "safe, healthy, high quality foods"' through the use of "new and modern agricultural techniques."

The Agriculture Department has sharply raised its forecast for farm earnings this year, projecting that net farm income will fall by close to 7% from 2023, a far smaller decline than USDA economists had estimated in February.