Articles by Bill Tomson

Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow is planning to hold a committee hearing on foreign land ownership at some point this Congress, though she is still unsure of when, she told reporters Monday.

Congress is back in action this week after a two-week recess.

The drought that continues in much of the Midwest despite recent rainfall could affect not only crops but also the ability of producers to get their corn and soybeans to foreign markets.

Hopes are building in farm country for an increase in the reference prices that trigger government payments through the Price Loss Coverage program.

For the third Congress in a row, House members have offered a bill addressing agriculture’s labor shortage, reintroducing the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, which allows year-round ag labor for H-2A workers and creates a merit-based visa program for the ag sector.

The House and Senate Agriculture Committees are still several months away from voting on a new farm bill, but the major issues in each of the 12 titles are coming into focus even as lawmakers continue offering new proposals they’d like to see included. Here is a summary of the issues in play as well as notable proposals lawmakers would like to see included in the bill.

Russia’s threat to pull out of the Black Sea Grain Initiative continues to threaten global supplies of wheat and corn, but China would be one of the biggest losers would be China if that happens.

Some major farm groups aren’t satisfied with the Biden administration’s promise to revise its “waters of the U.S.” rule by September.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is warning that funding for a new farm bill is likely to be tight in the wake of last month’s debt ceiling agreement.