Articles by Bill Tomson

Several major ag states, led by Illinois, are losing seats in the U.S House as a result of the 2020 Census.

President Joe Biden is expected to release a new round of spending proposals this week, plus the tax increases to pay for them. Farm groups have been raising concerns for weeks about those tax proposals in the expectation they will include either the elimination of stepped-up basis or a new “transfer” tax on inherited assets.

The nation’s largest farm group is calling on the White House to clarify President Joe Biden’s goal of conserving 30% of U.S. land by 2030.

“The concerns of farmers and ranchers are escalating regarding the intent of the 30x30 goal, the definition of conservation, and the metrics for defining success, among other things,” the American Farm Bureau Federation says in a letter to the White House.

The last time a Democratic administration tried to pass climate legislation, in 2009, the bill died in the Senate partly because of resistance from farm groups. This year, one of the first significant climate bills a congressional committee is going to vote on is a measure backed by farm groups – the Growing Climate Solutions Act, which is aimed at facilitating the development of ag carbon markets.