Agri-Pulse Newsmakers

USDA recently signed an agreement with the Department of Justice to protect farmers from high and volatile input costs. Andy LaVigne, president and CEO of the American Seed Trade Association, joins the show to discuss the announcement and seed costs. Plus, he explains how tariffs are impacting the seed industry and ASTA's recent acquisition of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization's crop biote...

It’s been a year of shakeup for international assistance after the abrupt closure of the U.S. Agency for International Development. We ask former Ag Secretary and current World Food Prize Foundation CEO Tom Vilsack about how the approach to international aid can be reinvented, the feasibility of moving the Food for Peace program to USDA, and whether he’s concerned President Trump’s tariff policy c...

The government is still shut down amid a congressional stalemate. Minnesota Democrat Sen. Tina Smith discusses which farmer-facing programs she's worried could be affected. She also expresses concern that the U.S. is losing export markets because of trade disruptions. Then, American Soybean Association CEO Steve Censky looks back at what the first Trump administration learned from delivering two r...

Harvest is underway, but there's still uncertainty about where some of those crops will go. We asked North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven if he thinks the U.S. is losing valuable global markets and how bailout trade aid payments for farmers could be funded through tariff revenue. Also on the show, Virginia Houston with the American Soybean Association and Joe Glauber from the International Food Policy Re...

Hundreds of women gathered in Orlando for the Women in Agribusiness Summit. We spoke with Alejandra Castillo from the North American Export Grain Association about how the ag sector could be affected by port fees set to go into effect Oct. 14. We also ask Polly Ruhland with FTI Consulting about the shifting dynamic between food producers and consumers, and Maria McWhorter from Kynetec about farmer...

China, the largest purchaser of U.S. soybeans, has yet to make a purchase from this fall's crop. We asked executive head of Terrain Ag John Newton how long the lack of purchasing could go on, if U.S. grain storage capacity can accommodate the bin-busting crop with limited export markets, and how softening interest rates may affect the farm economy. Plus, Krista Swanson from the National Corn Growe...

The Make America Healthy Again Commission unveiled a final report which suggests easing some regulations on farms, increasing research on precision agriculture technology and removing restrictions on whole milk sales in schools. We asked Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall about the report and how MAHA could expand through states in the future. Then, T.A. Hawks with Monument Advocacy and Mike Stranz with t...

Congress has returned to Washington after the August recess. House Ag Committee Chair Glenn "GT" Thompson tells us he still wants to take committee action on “farm bill 2.0” in September and is eyeing including farm aid payments funded through tariff revenue. During our conversation, we discuss some of the top issues facing agriculture this fall: Farm income, trade, ag labor reform, the USDA reorg...

Harvest is quickly approaching, but grower groups and the ag industry are on edge as China has yet to make a purchase from the fall U.S. soybean crop. At the Farm Progress Show, we asked American Soybean Association President Caleb Ragland about the letter ASA sent to President Trump urging a trade deal with China and about his conversation with Deputy Ag Secretary Stephen Vaden at the show. Rabob...

China has not made any U.S. soybean purchases from this fall's crop, which has growers concerned about the relationship with the largest U.S. soybean purchaser ahead of harvest. We asked Ted McKinney, CEO of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, about the trade landscape and what he's watching for in USDA’s quarterly ag trade outlook due out next week. Plus, we discuss how...

The public is anxiously awaiting the release of the second Make America Healthy Again Commission report. Cathy Burns, president and CEO of the International Fresh Produce Association, discusses the opportunities her group sees in the upcoming guidance, the need for ag labor reform and when consumers may begin to see higher produce prices caused by tariffs. Plus, Dan Basse from AgResource Company d...

House Ag Committee Chair "GT" Thompson wants to take action on a skinny farm bill this fall. We spoke with ranking members of both the House and Senate Ag Committees, Rep. Angie Craig and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, at the Minnesota FarmFest about their priorities within a skinny farm bill and their willingness to negotiate after nutrition program cuts in reconciliation. Plus, AFBF President Zippy Duvall...

A longtime crop insurance agent and member of both the Iowa and American Soybean Association board of directors, Pat Swanson may be new to USDA but not to the many crop insurance programs farmers depend on. On Newsmakers this week, we speak with Risk Management Agency Administrator Pat Swanson about her plans to lead the agency and how her background serving on the Federal Crop Insurance Corporati...

Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins released the long-awaited USDA reorganization plan this week including closure of some facilities and relocation of many staff to regional hubs across the country. We spoke with Maryland Rep. April McClain Delaney about the plan, including the closure of the Beltsville Ag Research Center in her state, as well as rural broadband deployment. Plus, Eric Steiner with OFW La...

The Trump administration said ag would be exempt from immigration raids, then said that "no amnesty" will be shown for those employed in agriculture. We speak with Rep. Andrea Salinas, a Democratic Congresswoman representing Oregon's Willamette Valley, about the strain this uncertainty is putting on her district's producers as well as how staff reductions at the Forest Service could impact wildfir...

The reconciliation bill passed by Congress this month cuts nutrition program spending by an estimated $186 billion over ten years. We spoke with Rep. Shri Thanedar, an ag committee Democrat who represents the Detroit metropolitan area, who tells us that after the cuts to SNAP, "I don't think it's going to be smooth sailing for what you call the skinny farm bill."Then, Tara Smith with Torrey Adviso...

Sentiment in farm country has fluctuated with talk of trade wars, weakened commodity prices, as well as rising input and regulatory costs that are squeezing producers. Christy Seyfert, president and CEO of the Farm Credit Council, discusses the state of the farm economy and the benefits rural America will see from farm provisions passed in President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill. Then, Dan Basse,...

Senate Republicans are still working through a few major issues as they continue trying to pass the reconciliation bill by President Trump’s July 4 deadline. Sen. Raphael Warnock, the only southern Democrat on the Senate Ag Committee, discusses how he thinks the bill’s treatment of SNAP, Medicaid and Inflation Reduction Act programs could hurt rural America. Then, Jacqlyn Schneider with FGS Global...

Senate leadership is still aiming to have the budget reconciliation bill through the Senate by July 4. Senate Ag Committee Chair John Boozman joins Newsmakers to outline the benefits farm country will see in the bill. He also discusses immigration, the MAHA Commission report and his optimism for passing a complete farm bill this Congress. Plus, Mike Stranz with the National Farmers Union and Tas S...

The Senate Ag Committee released budget reconciliation text this week that includes a boost to some key farm bill programs and a less aggressive state SNAP cost share proposal than the House. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., discusses the proposal and her recent meeting with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. about the Make America Healthy Again Commission report. Plus, Katie Naessens with Torrey...

The pork industry suffered one of the worst economic years on record in 2023. As producers now grapple with the uncertainty of tariffs, we speak with Kevin Stuckey, sow unit manager at Cooper Farms in Ohio, Chris Ford, VP corporate swine lender at Farm Credit Services of America and Oklahoma Pork Council Executive Director Kylee Deniz to get a pulse on the animal health, labor and economic challen...

Senate Republicans will spend the coming weeks trying to agree on changes to President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill.  We asked Clinton and George W. Bush administration ag secretaries, Dan Glickman and Mike Johanns, about how reconciliation elements may change in the Senate and the fate of the traditional rural-urban farm bill coalition. "It looks to me like the coalition broke up," Johanns says...

House Republicans passed their reconciliation bill by a one vote margin. The bill boosts farm programs and extends key tax breaks but cuts SNAP program spending. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson joins Newsmakers to talk about why the bill is so important for agriculture. He also discusses the impact of federal downsizing at USDA and whether farmers should be worried about t...

House Republicans advanced major pieces of their massive budget bill this week, including expanded tax benefits for farmers and small businesses. We asked Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., how those provisions could fare in the Senate. He also says he’s pushing back on Make America Healthy Again advocates who criticize pesticide use, and he talks about what he expects from the new dietary guidelines. T...

House Agriculture Committee members will have a lengthy markup next week to find the instructed $230 billion in budget reconciliation savings. Rep. Eric Sorensen, D-Ill., explains Democrats' opposition to nutrition cuts and the scrubbing of the term "climate" at USDA.Then, former USDA Undersecretary for Farm Production and Conservation Robert Bonnie discusses downsizing at the agency and Angela Ra...