agriculture

A combine on a rural Iowa highway.

Biden launches ‘Investing in Rural America’ push with Cabinet officials

BY: - November 1, 2023

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and administration officials are kicking off an “Investing in Rural America” event series, starting with a visit to a Minnesota farm Wednesday to announce nearly $5 billion for conservation, economic development and “climate smart” agriculture. Biden, who is running for reelection in 2024, has been highlighting what the administration calls […]

At a press conference Oct. 17, 2023, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (behind lectern) and Attorney General Tim Griffin (left) announce steps the state is taking to force the sale of farmland owned by a company with ties to the Chinese government. (Screen shot from live feed)

Arkansas orders Chinese-owned seed company to sell its farmland

BY: - October 17, 2023

Arkansas officials took steps Tuesday to force a Chinese government-owned agricultural company to divest itself of 160 acres of Craighead County farmland and pay a $280,000 fine for failing to file timely disclosures to the state. “The land in question is owned by Northrup King Seed Co., a subsidiary of Syngenta Seeds LLC, which is […]

Katy Rogers, the farm manager at Teter Organic Farm and Retreat Center in Noblesville, Indiana, inspects produce growing in one of the high tunnels at the farm on June 21, 2022. Members of Congress are pushing to expand a USDA program aimed at organic farmers. (NRCS/USDA photo by Brandon O’Connor)

As consumers flock to organic foods, lawmakers urge more federal grants for farmers

BY: - October 9, 2023

WASHINGTON — U.S. lawmakers are pushing a bill that would boost support for organic farmers amid rising demand for their products. U.S. Sens. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Angus King of Maine in the Senate, alongside U.S. Reps. Chellie Pingree of Maine and Annie Kuster of New Hampshire in the House, introduced the Organic Market […]

Foreign ownership of U.S. farmland probed at U.S. Senate hearing

BY: - September 27, 2023

WASHINGTON — U.S. senators said during a Wednesday hearing that foreign ownership of U.S. farmland is a national security threat that should be further examined. The U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry discussed foreign ownership of the nation’s agricultural lands, with testimony from experts and Senate colleagues who have been taking the lead […]

The farm bill is on the verge of expiring. Congress is months away from a new version.

BY: - September 26, 2023

WASHINGTON — As the deadline for Congress to pass a new farm bill looms this weekend, staff members of the House and Senate Agriculture committees say it will be months – if not longer – until they reach agreement on a new bill. Lawmakers must rewrite the sweeping farm bill every five years to set […]

Pen of goats in a tent at a fair. (Getty Images)

Arkansas county fair funding becomes hot-button issue for legislators, fair leaders

BY: - August 28, 2023

EDITOR’S NOTE: On Aug. 25, the Arkansas Legislative Council restored funds for county fairs to last year’s levels after some lawmakers expressed anger and surprise last month about cuts made by the state Department of Agriculture. Some legislators also questioned the appropriateness of spending taxpayer funds on a private livestock show. The Madison County Record […]

USDA’s climate grants for farms and forests run into Republican buzzsaw

BY: - August 9, 2023

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is spending more than $3 billion to cultivate more American farmers and forest landowners as partners to mitigate climate change — even while some Republicans on Capitol Hill try to stop the program entirely. The administration launched a new farm program, Partnerships for Climate Smart Commodities, this year. It is […]

U.S. Senate votes to curb farmland purchases by China, Iran, North Korea, Russia

BY: - July 26, 2023

WASHINGTON — U.S. senators approved bipartisan amendments to the annual defense policy bill Tuesday night that would prohibit China, Iran, North Korea and Russia from purchasing U.S. farmland and screen American investment in high-tech ventures on foreign adversary soil. By a 91-7 vote, the lawmakers approved a measure that would require review of — and […]

Black farmer with digital tablet in crop field

U.S. Department of Agriculture to spend $300M to boost climate data in farming, forestry

BY: - July 12, 2023

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will spend $300 million to better measure the effectiveness of techniques to lower carbon emissions in farming and forestry, the department said Wednesday. The funding comes from a $20 billion allocation for climate-smart agriculture in the climate and social policy law Democrats in Congress passed along party lines and President […]

Effects of climate change on farming, federal spending explored by U.S. Senate panel

BY: - June 7, 2023

WASHINGTON — U.S. senators on the Budget Committee dug into the impacts of climate change on farming during a Wednesday hearing, raising concerns about what the next few decades hold for food production and the way of life. But Republicans and representatives of farm groups pushed back against increased government regulation. Brent Johnson, president of […]

The Gulf of Mexico's hypoxic "dead zone" at the end of the Mississippi River is seen by satellite south of Louisiana in 2017. NOAA scientists predict it will cover about 4,100 square miles this summer. (Credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)

Gulf “dead zone” predicted to be twice the size of national goal. Again.

BY: - June 5, 2023

Scientists have released their 2023 forecast for the so-called “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico — predicting it will be around 4,100 square miles this summer. That’s much bigger than last year, but still smaller than average. The dead zone is a hypoxic area where low oxygen can kill fish and other marine life. It’s caused by […]

Eleanor Green, founding dean of the Lyon College School of Veterinary Medicine

Lyon College names dean of Arkansas’ first veterinary school

BY: - May 31, 2023

Lyon College has appointed the former dean of Texas A&M’s veterinary school to lead the Lyon College School of Veterinary Medicine, which will be the state’s first veterinary school. Eleanor Green, professor emerita and dean emerita of Veterinary Medicine at Texas A&M University, begins her official duties as founding dean on July 1. She will […]