Agri-Pulse Newsmakers

The farm bill could get a vote on the House floor before the end of April, but House Ag Committee Vice Ranking Member Shontel Brown says revisiting new state SNAP cost-share requirements should have been a “starting point” to securing broad Democratic support. Plus, our Oliver Ward provides a report from his trip to the heart of Brazilian agriculture in Mato Grosso. Joe Glauber with the Internatio...

Attendees gathered Monday for the annual White House Easter Egg Roll which featured 40,000 real American-raised, hand-dyed eggs and 150 baby chicks. Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins and American Egg Board Chairman Andy Seger share more about the tradition. Plus, Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler joins the show to discuss the Grocery Guarantee Program, right to repair, and how the SBA is strea...

Wildfires burned more than 900,000 acres home to many cattle in western Nebraska. Sen. Pete Ricketts says he's concerned the disaster could delay rebuilding the U.S. cattle herd and says USDA programs should have flexibility and innovation to support producers through the disaster. Plus, Iowa farmer and American Soybean Association vice president Dave Walton shares his takeaways from the EPA's rec...

USDA hosted a National Ag Day event where a 'Product of USA' labeling public awareness campaign was launched. North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven discusses the event, plus provides an update on additional farm aid and what he'd like to see in a farm bill: Year-round E15, and no delay to the state SNAP cost share provision. Plus, NCFC's Duane Simpson and NGFA's Mike Seyfert discuss how their sectors are...

The farm bill was approved by the House Ag Committee and now heads to the full House for a vote. House Ag Committee Chair GT Thompson says he's confident it will pass even with the so-called "poison pills," and lays out his wish list in an Iran spending bill: $15 billion in farm aid, with $10 billion for specialty crop growers. Josh Linville with StoneX and Daren Coppock with the Ag Retailers Asso...

As the conflict in the Middle East continues, New Mexico Sen. Ben Ray Luján discusses what farmers and consumers should be concerned about with the war. Luján also says nutrition issues could resurface in Senate farm bill debate. Plus, Ohio and Arizona Farm Bureau presidents Bill Patterson and John Boelts discuss specialty crops, data centers, and ag labor issues during farmer focus segments.

High beef prices have been a bipartisan concern, and a dozen Senate Democrats introduced legislation this week to break up the big four meatpackers. Julie Anna Potts, president and CEO of the Meat Institute, stopped by the studio to discuss the issue and MAHA's impact on meat demand. University of Missouri economist Seth Meyer and Brett Gibbs with Bloomberg Intelligence also discuss biofuels and w...

Thousands of farmers and agribusiness leaders gathered in San Antonio, Texas, for Commodity Classic this week as the challenging ag economy looms over producers. We ask National Sorghum Producers Chairwoman and Kansas farmer Amy France how tariffs are affecting sorghum growers, and introduce our viewers to Idaho farmer and incoming National Association of Wheat Growers president, Jamie Kress. Plus...

The Agriculture Department is anticipating a slightly easier 2026 for U.S. ag producers, with prices for major commodities nudging higher and input and labor costs moderating. We sat down with USDA Chief Economist Justin Benavidez at USDA's annual Ag Outlook Forum to discuss the department's projections. Then, Tara Smith with Torrey Advisory Group and Laura Wood with LWP Consulting discuss what's...

The E15 Rural Domestic Energy Council has until Sunday to come up with a proposal to allow year-round sales of E15. We asked Rep. Adrian Smith, R-Neb., a member of the council, about the status of those negotiations. Smith also discusses the latest push to renew the U.S. Mexico Canada trade agreement, which is scheduled for a six-year review in July. Plus, Jessica Schulken with The Russell Group p...

Over 9,000 beef producers and industry leaders gathered in Nashville for the cattle industry's annual convention this week. We caught up with Ethan Lane from the National Cattlemen's Beef Association about the group's 2026 policy priorities, which include a focus on New World screwworm and trade. While New World screwworm has not been detected in the U.S., Steve Boren with Boehringer Ingelheim exp...

The Agriculture Department has temporarily taken over management of the Food for Peace program, which drives demand for U.S. commodities used as international food aid. We spoke with Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran about the program’s history and ties to Kansas, USDA’s commitment to distribute more than 200,000 tons of food aid by March, and his confidence that legislation could pass to permanently house...

Additional farm aid wasn't included in a government funding package but farm groups are continuing to push for additional assistance, including $5 billion specifically for specialty crops. Rep. Josh Harder, who represents part of California's Central Valley, joins the show to discuss the concerns of his district's growers: ag labor reform, tariffs, and reforming olive oil standards. Also this week...

House and Senate Agriculture Committee leaders traveled to California for the American Farm Bureau Federation's annual convention where the group agreed ag labor is one of the top issues they hear about. We spoke with Senate Ag Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark., and ranking member Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., in an exclusive joint interview touching on year-round E15, the future of the farm bill and ag lab...

Congress is back in Washington for the second session of the 119th Congress. We sat down with House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., to discuss the future of year-round E15, prospects for a second budget reconciliation bill to be passed in 2026, and odds of a five-year farm bill being passed. "For me whether it's year-round E15 ... eliminating taxes on farm machinery, whether it's creating new ta...

It's been a big year for farm policy. President Donald Trump was inaugurated in January and quickly followed through on many of his campaign promises: an aggressive trade agenda, renewed focus on food inflation, and the use of a Republican-controlled House and Senate to enact a sweeping budget reconciliation bill that included major agriculture spending. At the same time, USDA announced a broad re...

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins is nearing the end of her first year leading USDA. We sat down with two former agriculture secretaries, Dan Glickman of the Clinton administration and Mike Johanns of the George W. Bush administration, to reflect on the top issues of 2025.Tune in for a conversation on the farm economy, beef prices, and possible farm policy reforms. We also asked the leaders wha...

The Trump administration unveiled a $12 billion farm aid package last week, but some lawmakers are already saying more aid is needed. Before Congress left Washington for the year, we spoke with Senate Ag Committee Chairman John Boozman about the future of the farm bill, the potential need for more farm aid in early 2026, and if there will be a time when farmers don't need to rely on government pay...

The Trump administration unveiled a $12 billion Farm Bridge Assistance aid package to compensate farmers impacted by market and commodity market losses. House Ag Committee Ranking Member Angie Craig, D-Minn., said farmers are in need of economic support, but added "the administration has called this a bridge. Where's the bridge? This is more like a circle."Plus, Jonathan Coppess with the Universit...

A new farm aid package is expected next week to help farmers facing export losses and low commodity prices. We sat down with Deputy Agriculture Secretary Stephen Vaden, who says “a wide variety of commodity crops” will qualify. In our extended year-in-review interview, we also cover the Trump administration’s progress on major ag priorities — tackling food inflation, advancing trade deals, and add...

China has begun purchasing U.S. soybeans following a trade deal with the United States. We asked Tanner Ehmke with the CoBank Knowledge Exchange whether the recent purchases show China can meet its commitments under the agreement. Plus, Lance Zimmerman with Rabobank discusses consumer beef demand amid an ongoing low cattle supply and the Trump administration’s increased beef import quota from Arge...

The Agriculture Department will soon roll out the second stage of the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program. We asked Richard Fordyce, undersecretary of agriculture for farm production and conservation, about the program and when — or if — the trade aid payments previously teased by the administration will be announced. Plus, Joby Young outlines what’s included for agriculture in the deal lawmakers...

The longest government shutdown in American history is over. President Donald Trump has signed into law legislation that will fully fund USDA and the FDA through the rest of the new fiscal year. We asked Tennessee Rep. John Rose about why the new continuing resolution is important for agriculture. He also shares his thoughts on what’s at stake for agriculture in a ruling from the Supreme Court ove...

The Supreme Court heard arguments this week on President Donald Trump’s use of emergency powers to impose tariffs. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., the top Democrat on the Senate Ag Committee, discusses attending the arguments and why she believes the court will strike down the president’s use of a 1977 law to implement his tariffs. She also outlines what’s needed to end the government shutdown and wh...

After shunning U.S. soybeans this year, China pledged to buy 25 million tons of soybeans annually for the next three years as part of the U.S.-China trade deal. We asked Minnesota Rep. Brad Finstad about the deal, his concerns about the November lapse in SNAP benefits due to the government shutdown, and year-round E15.Plus, Barbara Patterson of Torrey Advisory Group and Ken Barbic of Invariant dis...