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Advocates for local and small-scale farming faced a bleak future as Congress prepared to write a new farm bill, so they decided to broaden support by reaching across party lines.  

Just as its commissioner predicted when he unveiled his plans to the public, the Food and Drug Administration likely will face a lawsuit if it moves forward with pursuing standard of identity enforcement to prevent plant-based products from using dairy-related nomenclature.

The U.S. sugar market is changing, with more emphasis placed on secure supply and fast, dependable delivery over the bare market price, experts said at the annual American Sugar Alliance conference.

Researchers in the U.S. and abroad are reporting progress on eliminating Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS), an incurable pig disease that costs the American pork industry as much as $660 million per year. However, regulatory hurdles and consumer perceptions are slowing down the commercialization of a possible cure through gene editing.

Local food advocates are marking National Farmers Market Week this week (Aug. 5-11) by celebrating the growth of farmers markets across the country. But a cloud is hanging over the celebration.

When USDA officials announced last week that they were planning to help farmers hard hit by trade disputes with up to $12 billion in assistance, the news was largely welcomed in farm country as a way to provide short-term relief. But new concerns are emerging.