Articles by Bill Tomson

The next chairman of the House Agriculture Committee tells Agri-Pulse that climate policy will be a top priority for the panel in the next Congress.

U.S. pork exports to China are still very strong, but trade is expected to decline as the Chinese rebuild the country’s swine herd after the devastation of African swine fever. That means that U.S. exporters are going to have to rely more on other markets in coming years.

U.S. farmers have watched for years as Brazil has become an agricultural powerhouse by converting its vast rainforests and savanna into cropland, with plans to expand even more over the coming decade. Now, American producers are hoping the progress they are making on sustainability will pay off in a competitive advantage for U.S. ag exports in the lucrative European and Asian markets. This is the fifth and final installment of our series,“Agriculture’s sustainable future: Feeding more while using less.”  Part Four looked at the potential for technological innovations to make a significant impact on U.S. agriculture's environmental footprint.

A handful of ag groups have been pushing the federal government to get farm and food employees right behind health care workers and vulnerable populations in the COVID-19 vaccine distribution line. Now, that request has also been filtered to the nation’s 50 governors.

Martha Scott Poindexter will be returning to the Senate Agriculture Committee as staff director for GOP Sen. John Boozman, according to sources close to the Arkansas senator.

It’s official. Georgia Democrat David Scott will chair the House Agriculture Committee next year. The full House conference voted to approve Scott as recommended by the House Democratic steering committee.

The power shift in the House Agriculture Committee is close to being complete. The House Republican steering committee on Wednesday picked Pennsylvania Rep. Glenn “G.T.” Thompson as the Ag committee’s ranking member, replacing the retiring Mike Conaway.

President-elect Joe Biden tells a New York Times columnist that he won't immediately remove the 25% tariffs on Chinese exports, but instead will reassess the situation and work with allies to pressure China to stop intellectual property abuses.

Georgia Rep. David Scott is one step away from becoming the first Black chairman of the House Agriculture Committee. The Democratic Steering and Policy Committee on Tuesday night selected Scott over California Rep. Jim Costa by a vote of 32-19.

Brazilian farmers planted more soybeans than ever this year, but it’s still unclear if the country will produce another record-breaking harvest in a drier-than-usual year with uncertain yields.