POPULARITY
In a letter recently sent to the US Senate, the National Farmers Union highlights significant challenges in the farm economy, such as high input costs, low commodity prices, market volatility, trade uncertainties, and rising farm exits and bankruptcies.
President Donald Trump visited Wisconsin on Friday where he promised relief for farmers in the state. Plus, an energy company is using Artificial Intelligence cameras to look for wildfires in Wisconsin.
Welcome to Inside D.C., where we break down how decisions in Washington shape the tools you use on your farm. This week, Brownfield's Carah Hart talks with Stephen Vaden at the USDA about the department's major reorganization plan, including regional hub relocations, restructuring, and what the changes could mean for farmers and rural America.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Alberta has a new minister of agriculture and irrigation, and she’s bringing decades of farm and farm policy experience to the role. Following a late May cabinet shuffle, Tara Sawyer, MLA for Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills, has been appointed minister, stepping into a portfolio she says feels more like a homecoming than a new assignment. In this... Read More
Welcome to Inside D.C., where we break down how decisions in Washington shape the tools you use on your farm. This week, Brownfield's Carah Hart talks with Collin Peterson about the future of the farm bill and growing concerns that U.S. ag policy is “breaking down under pressure from ad hoc disaster spending and political gridlock.”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Host Ben Eagle is joined by Brussels based agri-food journalist Natasha Foote to discuss how the Common Agricultural Policy may change in 2027 and what farmers across Europe should be aware of.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed its farm bill without including year-round E15 legislation, a setback for corn growers and ethanol producers. The E15 debate overshadowed the bill's passage, with a split among Republicans over small refinery exemptions nearly derailing the bill.
The National Association of Wheat Growers reports that the U.S. House of Representatives is advancing a new Farm Bill with bipartisan support.
ohnathan Coppess says farm policy has a real opportunity to create incentives for conservation programs.
Joel Hollingsworth runs Smoke River Ranch in northeast Oklahoma. This conversation from our Farmer Stories Series talks about why Joel believes we need to keep manufcaturing in America & why Oklahoma's culture of self-governance is a cultural model the country can build around. Farmer Stories pulls the best conversations from The Regenaissance archive - real voices from American farmers on the systems, economics, and communities shaping food and land in the US. Timestamps0:00 — Why build in America, not abroad1:30 — The federalist structure and America's creation story4:00 — Oklahoma's culture of self-governance6:30 — Regen ag as a churn factory7:30 — Triffin dilemma and hollowing out of domestic production9:00 — How crop insurance locks out new farmers11:00 — Foreign cattle and the 30% currency gap12:30 — Land as money, not farmland14:00 — Farm credit weaponized (Dustin Kittle story)15:30 — Average rancher age 58.517:00 — What rural collapse looks like18:30 — Sovereign debt and centralizing riskLinks:Full podcast episode:- YouTube- Spotify- AppleConnect with Joel:- Smoke River Ranch Website- X
Farmers rely on farm policy to provide stability and support in such a volatile industry. But right now many are feeling that the system isn't working the way it should.
The March 20 edition of the AgNet News Hour delivered a mix of practical field insights and high-level agricultural policy discussion, giving California farmers both immediate takeaways and long-term perspective. The show opened with a timely conversation on fire ant management in almond orchards, a growing concern for producers across the state. John Mays of Central Life Sciences explained that while many growers rely on spot treatments, the most effective control comes from broadcast applications that cover entire orchard floors. This method helps eliminate colonies more thoroughly, protecting both yields and workers from the aggressive pests. Fire ants don't just damage almonds—they pose serious risks to equipment and field crews. Their ability to nest in machinery and aggressively attack workers makes them a unique challenge compared to other orchard pests. With pressure increasing in many regions, having a proactive management strategy is becoming essential for maintaining productivity and safety. The program also featured a continued in-depth interview with former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns, who provided insight into the broader forces shaping agriculture today. Johanns emphasized the importance of profitability, innovation, and strong policy support in ensuring the future of farming, particularly in highly regulated states like California. One key topic was the role of research and development tax credits, which Johanns says can provide meaningful financial relief for growers. Farmers may be able to amend prior tax returns to claim credits, potentially bringing much-needed capital back into their operations. These incentives are designed to reward innovation already happening on farms—from equipment upgrades to improved production practices. Johanns also touched on the importance of technology adoption, including automation and precision agriculture tools that are helping farmers operate more efficiently. As labor costs rise and regulatory pressures increase, these technologies are becoming critical to staying competitive. Trade and market access were another major focus. Johanns noted that expanding export opportunities and maintaining strong trade relationships will be essential for U.S. agriculture to remain competitive globally. Without access to international markets, American farmers risk losing ground to countries that are rapidly increasing production and investment. For California growers, the episode highlighted a clear theme: success in today's environment requires both strong on-farm management and engagement with the policies shaping agriculture's future. From controlling pests in the orchard to navigating tax policy and global trade, farmers are balancing more variables than ever before.
As compared to the outbreak of war between Russia and Ukraine years ago, the earliest days of the war between the U.S., Israel, and Iran did not seem likely to affect U.S. ag markets. Then the Iranian regime announced its intent to close the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint in global fertilizer supply chains through which as much as 80% of the world's nitrogen fertilizer travels. Concerns set in immediately about fertilizer availability, and already high input prices began to rise just as farmers are finalizing their plans for the 2026 season. And this is just one of nearly a dozen key agricultural news stories that are being driven right now not by weather or conditions in the field, but by decisions coming from the White House and Capitol Hill. To help us stay on top of all the latest updates, we're joined today by DTN Ag Policy Editor Chris Clayton. Our conversation starts with fertilizer news, and what ag groups and Trump Administration officials are doing to calm concerns. Then, we'll hear news about the Farm Bill, which has passed out of the House Ag Committee though, despite needs throughout the countryside, looks like it will have a long road to the President's desk. We'll also talk about the year-round E15 debate, which farmers and their advocates increasingly see as a way to relieve some of the worst economic pressure in farm country in the short term, and hear insight on President Trump's executive order on glyphosate. Finally, we'll learn the latest on the trade front as the USMCA continues to be reviewed by its North American signatories, and hear about growing action in the antitrust space, where meatpackers, chemical manufacturers, and even railroads may be in the crosshairs.
The National Sorghum Producers' priorities include getting a Farm Bill passed and pushing for biofuels expansion, including a 45Z tax credit.
Jonathan Coppess Research Page: https://ace.illinois.edu/directory/jwcoppes"The Fault Lines of Farm Policy" book"Between Soil and Society" bookToday's episode explores an important area of agriculture that I probably don't talk enough about on this show: ag policy. I wanted to bring Dr. Jonathan Coppess on the program to ask fundamental questions like: Is ag policy working? Is the Farm Bill still relevant? What has changed in ag policy and what needs to change? As you'll hear we dive into this and a whole lot more. For some quick background: Jonathan Coppess is the Gardner Associate Professor of Agricultural Policy in the Department of Agricultural & Consumer Economics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The author of two books on the legislative history and political development of farm policy (THE FAULT LINES OF FARM POLICY, and BETWEEN SOIL AND SOCIETY), he is a member of the farmdoc project and a frequent contributor to farmdoc daily. Jonathan previously served as Chief Counsel for the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, as well as on a temporary, part-time basis as a special counsel. Prior to his service on the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee, Jonathan served as the Administrator of the Farm Service Agency at USDA and Legislative Assistant to Senator Ben Nelson. Jonathan grew up on his family's farm in Western Ohio.
Following a discussion on this week's NFU Conference Big Debate hosts Ally Hunter Blair and Sophie Gregory are joined by three farmers to ask : ‘Is the Cereals Sector Fit for the Future?' Guests include: Chris Baylis – Director of Farming at Sir Richard Sutton Limited which has farms in Lincolnshire and Berkshire. Andrew Court – Arable and beef farmer on 110 hectares (274 acres) in Staffordshire, farming regeneratively. James Bowditch – 4th generation mixed farmer from Dorset. Arable, dairy, beef and sheep.
Michael Klein reports from a packed USA Rice Farm Policy Fly-In in D.C., where growers discussed rising input costs, trade pressures, emergency assistance, world rice stocks, planting intentions, and more. USA Rice members Paul T. Combs and Fred Zaunbrecher talked planting strategy and rice's reception on Capitol Hill. USDA senior leaders shared their thoughts on the ag economy, and then recently retired USDA ag economist Nathan Childs was honored and sat down to share his uncensored thoughts on applied economics, agriculture, the PIK years, market instability and how to counteract it, and learning from history. With special guests: Nathan Childs, USDA-ERS (Retired) Paul T. Combs, Sunrise Land Company Fred Zaunbrecher, Chair, USA Rice Farmers Board of Directors Richard Fordyce, Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation, USDA Stephen Vaden, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, USDA Hosted by: Michael Klein
On today's AgCastWe all know how vital the Alabama Extension System is to agriculture in our state. Just last month, a new director was named. Co-host, Mary Wilson, of our TV show, Simply Southern, sat down with Dr. Eve Brantley on her new appointment.Is your farm properly covered? If you have Alfa Insurance, there's a good chance it is. Alfa's Rex Seabrook will break down some of the features of Alfa's new farmowner policy.As the South thaws from the recent winter storm, we'll check in to to see how the ice and snow affected Alfa customers in Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia. We'll get a report from Alfa's David Bailey. Check out additional ways to prepare for cold weather here.We all know that fuel is a big part of input costs, Chris Prevatt will let us know what is affecting oil costs as we look In The Markets.Morgan Desselle files her weekly report of several bills of interest to farmers in her Legislative Report. Sign up for the Capitol Connection here.Find out more about our sponsor, Alabama Ag Credit, and also about Alabama Farmers Federation.
Joe's Premium Subscription: www.standardgrain.comGrain Markets and Other Stuff Links —Apple PodcastsSpotifyTikTokYouTubeFutures and options trading involves risk of loss and is not suitable for everyone.
Mark Kahn is the Managing Partner of Omnivore, India's pioneering agriculture and rural economy venture capital fund with over $325 million in assets under management. Since 2011, Omnivore has backed 50+ startups including DeHaat (India's near-unicorn agritech platform), Pixxel (space tech), Ecozen (climate hardware), and dozens of companies transforming India's 600 million rural population.In this conversation with host Akshay Datt, Kahn unpacks his contrarian thesis on smallholder farming, explains why "B2B SaaS is fucked by AI," dissects the horseshoe politics blocking GM crops in India, and reveals why Trump's 50% tariffs and Modi's dairy farmers are on a collision course. From his operational years at Godrej Agrovet to building India's leading agritech VC, Mark offers a masterclass in sectoral investing, the realities of raising from DFIs, and why India's bioeconomy could hit $300 billion by 2030 - if entrepreneurs stop becoming software engineers and start doing actual biology.What You'll Learn:
The Associated Press says reopened USDA offices are helping farmers access $3 billion in aid and key services.
At a recent Washington DC, fly-in, farmers and ranchers lobbied for a new farm bill and would like food procurement programs included in the policy.
Doug Stephan — veteran broadcaster and proud dairy farmer (EastleighFarm.com) — breaks down the week's top stories impacting family farms across the country. This week:Why the term “crisis” may be overused in U.S. agriculture.The USDA's reorganization plan and what it means for farmers.How the Big Beautiful Bill could affect depreciation and capital gains taxes for farmers selling to other qualified farmers.The Skinny Farm Bill — and the $8 billion needed to fund programs left out of the Big Beautiful Bill.And yes… could ice cream actually be good for your heart? One analyst found that people with Type 2 diabetes who ate small amounts of ice cream a couple times a week had a lower risk of cardiovascular disease.It's the latest ag news with a healthy scoop of Doug's insight — and maybe a side of ice cream.
The Red Dirt Agronomy Podcast team traveled to Wichita for High Plains Journal Live, where they sat down with Dr. Shannon Ferrell of Oklahoma State University. In this lively conversation, Dr. Ferrell dives deep into the realities of farm succession planning, from the traditional “farm kid vs. city kid” dilemma to the increasingly common “no heirs returning” challenge. He explains how recent legislative changes in the “One Big Beautiful Bill” affect payment limits for LLCs, estate tax exemptions, and spousal portability—critical details for farm families planning their future.The discussion also turns toward energy, with a look at the booming solar industry, the economics of battery storage, and what the phase-out of renewable tax credits might mean for rural Oklahoma. Dr. Ferrell offers a bold proposal for modernizing transmission easement compensation, encouraging landowner participation in much-needed infrastructure projects. Whether you're thinking about passing down your farm or eyeing new opportunities in renewable energy, this episode is packed with insights you can use.Key TakeawaysFarm transition planning is shifting from farm kid vs. city kid challenges to situations where no heirs return to the operation.LLCs can now receive combined payment limits for partners, removing a barrier to certain succession structures.Estate tax exemption rises to $15M per individual in 2026, with spousal portability ensuring up to $30M passes tax-free.Gift tax exclusions allow $19,000 per person annually without impacting the unified credit.Renewable energy development in Oklahoma remains strong despite upcoming tax credit phase-outs.Solar power costs have plummeted globally, with innovative uses emerging.Battery storage is now economically viable, making renewable power dispatchable.Phase-out of federal tax credits may alter investment patterns but likely won't halt projects.Transmission easement models may need modernization to include ongoing revenue for landowners.Distributed generation could reduce long-distance transmission needs, but grid resilience still requires infrastructure expansion.Timestamps00:00 – Live from High Plains Journal Live in Wichita, KS02:00 – Introducing the Dream Team of Dirt03:15 – Dr. Shannon Ferrell's summer speaking tour highlights04:39 – Farm succession planning: Farm kid vs. city kid dilemma06:32 – No heirs returning: options for farm asset transitions08:14 – “One Big Beautiful Bill” and changes to payment limits for LLCs09:14 – Estate tax updates and spousal portability explained13:49 – Gift tax rules and unified credit in farm succession15:15 – Tax provisions that impact transition planning15:46 – Renewable energy development: wind, solar, and batteries18:08 – Phase-out of renewable energy tax credits and industry impacts20:36 – Battery storage economics and dispatchable power22:15 – Tariffs, supply chains, and domestic manufacturing for energy tech25:18 – Transmission easements and incentivizing landowners27:38 – Distributed generation and grid resilience28:21 – Wrapping up the Summer Ferrell Tour RedDirtAgronomy.com
On this week's episode of The American Family Farmer, host Doug Stephan (EastleighFarm.com) unpacks the latest developments from Washington and beyond that are shaping the future of America's small farms.Policy Watch:Doug covers updates from the new "Big Beautiful Bill" — including key tax policies and increased federal spending aimed at supporting ag-businesses. With border security becoming an even bigger issue for American farmers, Doug shares why immigration reform and labor access are crucial to keeping small farms afloat.Protecting Our Farmland:The USDA has rolled out its National Farm Security Action Plan, aiming to limit foreign ownership of U.S. farmland — a move designed to reduce influence from adversarial nations and preserve our agricultural independence.Tomatoes, Tariffs & Trade Wars:Doug dives into the latest news on import restrictions from Mexico, including a 17% duty on fresh Mexican tomatoes, and ongoing prohibitions on live animal imports due to screwworm detection. Plus, how similar tariffs on European agricultural goods could impact our domestic food supply — and whether the U.S. is putting enough focus on what's grown here at home. This episode delivers a timely look at the intersection of farming, policy, and global trade — and how it affects the families who feed America.Website: AmericanFamilyFarmerShow.com Social Media: @GoodDayNetworks
Brian Glenn, director of government affairs with the American Farm Bureau Federation, says several critical farm programs still need updating through a new farm bill.
The National Farmers Union hopes that bipartisan discussions will not be lost over the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill.
In this insightful summer bonus episode of The Food Professor Podcast, co-hosts Michael LeBlanc and Dr. Sylvain Charlebois sit down with Keith Currie, President at the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, live from the floor of SIAL Toronto. Representing more than 190,000 farmers and ranchers across the country and an eighth-generation farmer himself, Currie provides a candid, wide-ranging view on the future of Canadian agriculture—and why it's time for policymakers to pay closer attention.Currie highlights that agriculture contributes more than $150 billion to Canada's GDP and employs 2.5 million Canadians, surpassing the combined total of the auto, forestry, oil and gas, and steel industries. Yet agriculture remains a "quiet success story," underrepresented in national economic strategy. He argues that improved connectivity between farm producers, food processors, retailers, and policymakers is essential for ensuring sustainable growth.Topics include the implications of carbon pricing on rural producers, where Currie underscores the infrastructure gap that limits farmers' ability to adopt greener technologies. He advocates for more innovative climate solutions—such as cap-and-trade and regionally tailored resiliency programs—that don't unfairly penalize producers while acknowledging that border carbon adjustments are rapidly approaching in trade policy.Currie also stresses the importance of regulatory reform, referencing Ontario's red tape reduction model as a blueprint. Trade remains a central pillar of his advocacy, particularly in addressing non-tariff barriers and ensuring that agreements are effectively enforced, especially in complex markets like India.On the issue of succession planning, Currie discusses tools now available to help multi-generational farm families transition wealth and ownership without heavy tax burdens. With rising land values and farm assets, he emphasizes the need for financial institutions and governments to support the next generation of agricultural leaders.Throughout the conversation, Currie brings passion, realism, and a long-view perspective on agriculture's unique position in the Canadian economy. He calls on policymakers to shift from viewing farming as a sector in need of aid to one of untapped potential and national strength.From food security to innovation and sustainability, this episode is a must-listen for anyone who eats, votes, or works in the food industry. The Food Professor #podcast is presented by Caddle. About UsDr. Sylvain Charlebois is a Professor in food distribution and policy in the Faculties of Management and Agriculture at Dalhousie University in Halifax. He is also the Senior Director of the Agri-food Analytics Lab, also located at Dalhousie University. Before joining Dalhousie, he was affiliated with the University of Guelph's Arrell Food Institute, which he co-founded. Known as “The Food Professor”, his current research interest lies in the broad area of food distribution, security and safety. Google Scholar ranks him as one of the world's most cited scholars in food supply chain management, food value chains and traceability.He has authored five books on global food systems, his most recent one published in 2017 by Wiley-Blackwell entitled “Food Safety, Risk Intelligence and Benchmarking”. He has also published over 500 peer-reviewed journal articles in several academic publications. Furthermore, his research has been featured in several newspapers and media groups, including The Lancet, The Economist, the New York Times, the Boston Globe, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, BBC, NBC, ABC, Fox News, Foreign Affairs, the Globe & Mail, the National Post and the Toronto Star.Dr. Charlebois sits on a few company boards, and supports many organizations as a special advisor, including some publicly traded companies. Charlebois is also a member of the Scientific Council of the Business Scientific Institute, based in Luxemburg. Dr. Charlebois is a member of the Global Food Traceability Centre's Advisory Board based in Washington DC, and a member of the National Scientific Committee of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) in Ottawa. Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur. He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada's Retail Marketing conference with leaders from Walmart & Google. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fourth year in a row, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer. If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael's cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.
The Trump Administration's "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) Commission report, spearheaded by Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr., has ignited a major debate across the U.S. food and agriculture landscape. While the National Potato Council applauds the report's focus on a healthier America and increased fruit and vegetable consumption, certain recommendations are raising critical questions for our industry.In this episode, we're joined by NPC CEO Kam Quarles and returning guest Beth Johnson, Founder & Principal of Food Directions. We dive deep into the MAHA report, exploring its implications for food policy, the integrity of our science-based regulatory system, and the future of American family farms.Join us as we discuss:An overview of the MAHA Commission's key findings.Effective strategies for expanding access to and awareness of healthy foods.Defining "ultraprocessed foods" and distinguishing between beneficial and unhealthy food processing.The critical importance of peer-reviewed science in food and agricultural policy, and the dangers of allowing popular opinion to sway regulatory decisions.The implications of the report's criticisms of pesticides, including glyphosate, on farm practices and food safety protocols.The broader philosophical shift in the MAHA report regarding scientific consensus versus individual beliefs.How the agricultural industry and policymakers can collaborate to achieve a healthier America while safeguarding our science-based regulatory system and supporting family farms.Top priorities for a science-based and practical implementation of the MAHA report's health goals.This podcast is possible thanks to our presenting sponsor, Syngenta. Delivering solutions to help producers face the potato industry's complex challenges, Syngenta provides growers with unmatched field expertise along with an array of effective products. Explore syngenta-us.com/spud-doctor to discover solutions for your potato-growing obstacles.
The Japanese government said Monday that it will establish a ministerial council for the reform of the country's agricultural policy in order to tackle soaring rice prices.
After speaking at the Midwest Forage Association Symposium in the Wisconsin Dells, WIAmanda sits down with John Osterhaus, of Silver Streak Ag Services and president of the Wisconsin Custom Operators in Chadwick, IL, to talk custom harvesting, building your agricultural enterprise, and the policies coming out of the new administration that may have an impact on farm labor.Presented by Bid on Beef | CK6 Consulting | CK6 Source | Real Tuff Livestock Equipment | Redmond RealSalt | By-O-Reg+ | Dirt Road RadioSave on Redmond Real Salt with code RADKE at https://shop.redmondagriculture.com/Check out Amanda's agricultural children's books here: https://amandaradke.com/collections/amandas-books
A patch of commercial forest has been left "flattened" by Storm Eowyn and looking like "a bunch of giants have gone in there and played rugby" according to one farm manager in Scotland. We catch up on how the clear up is going.Since the Budget in October, farmers have been coming to terms with the introduction of inheritance tax on their businesses. Many are now trying to work out how much money they might owe the Government when the changes come into force next year. So what does that mean for the agricultural valuers doing the sums?And we catch up on progress towards the introduction of the Sustainable Farming Scheme - due to start being rolled out across Wales in 2026, after years of negotiation between farmers, environmentalists and the Welsh Government. This is the farming policy and payments that will replace old EU payments: to gain access to the funding under the new rules, farms will have to sign up to 12 so-called universal actions. These range from soil health planning and habitat maintenance, to "continuous professional development". Presented by Anna Hill Produced by Heather Simons
The Government 'risks creating a culture of fear and resistance' amongst farmers, according to the Nature Friendly Farmers Network. It's highlighting the suspension of grants which help farmers in England invest in infrastructure to improve the environment. That's things like better slurry storage to protect waterways or planting hedges to reduce soil erosion. Defra says the Capital Grants Scheme has been temporarily closed after unprecedented demand.Farmers and crofters held a rally to lobby the Scottish Government ahead of next week's Scottish budget. They want more money for agriculture, and a guarantee that it's ringfenced.The Welsh Government has backed down on its policy to insist farmers put 10% of their land into woodland. The decision came after farmers demonstrated against the Government's plans for its Sustainable Farming Scheme, which replaces the payments to farmers under the old EU Common Agricultural Policy. All week on Farming Today we've been digging into winter veg. Parsnips, carrots and sprouts are all firm favourites but today we visit a farm growing a relative newcomer, tenderstem broccoli. For farmers who grow it, it's labour intensive but high value.And we hear how Ivor, a detection dog, is sniffing out disease in trees. It's hoped Ivor and other sniffer dogs could play a key role in maintaining UK biosecurity and reduce the threat of serious pests and diseases that damage woodlands and commercial forestry. Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Beatrice Fenton.
Join Kelly Brownell in a conversation with Michael Dimock, Executive Director of Roots of Change, about transforming food systems through innovative policies. Discover how Roots of Change collaborates with various stakeholders to create nutrition incentive programs and support sustainable agriculture, focusing on community-first approaches. Learn about pioneering projects, insights into policy influence, and the future of agricultural practices. This episode provides an optimistic view of the evolving food system landscape and the potential for significant positive change. Interview Summary Why don't we begin by you explaining what Roots of Change does. What's the mission and role of the organization? Yes. We were originally founded by a group of philanthropic foundations that were very interested in food system change but had not seen much success in years. So we were really designed to be a catalyst to ignite the growth of what we would call the Good Food Movement. For 10 years, we were actually a philanthropic fund investing in different projects that built the power of the food movement. And then implemented projects that would catalyze change. That would show how you could scale change fairly rapidly by building collaboration. So that's really what we've been doing. And in 2013, the philanthropic fund ended, we'd spent down all the money. So we joined the Public Health Institute at that time because public health is such an incredibly important engine for food system change because the food system impacts public health so greatly. We've been since that time focused on policy change and implementing model demonstration projects. Thanks for that explanation. You talked about catalyzing change for transforming the food system. What sort of changes have you emphasized? We've been focused on a few key things. I would say that one of the most important for us has been healthy food access. And doing that through the creation of nutrition incentive programs. And the reason we're interested in that is, all the changes that we pursue are aimed to hit several different levers of change simultaneously. By building nutrition incentive programs, you help the small and midsize farmers who are supplying local grocery stores, the farmers markets, and at the same time, you're creating the funding for low-income families to actually purchase organic, regenerative, sustainable agriculture. From their local market. You get a lot of payoff for that kind of action. You mentioned incentives. How do incentives fit into this? There is a program, a federal program called the GUSNIP. Named after Gus Schumacher, who was Undersecretary at USDA during the Clinton years, and actually worked with us early on. And so that program is a pool of funding through the Farm Bill that is given as grants to either states or nonprofits that are creating these programs where a family comes in with their SNAP benefits, and their purchasing power is doubled. They're given matching dollars to buy fruits and vegetables from a farmer's market, a local store, grocery store. So it's an incentive to purchase fresh nutritious food. And so, we have worked on the original federal policy. We're one of the first demonstration projects to show how you do nutrition incentives working with folks in the upper Midwest and in the East. And then we created an analog. California also has a matching fund which helps us pull more money from the federal level. So, we can really get a big impact at the local level. And we built that California program as well. We've been really deep in nutrition incentives. But we also work on farmer farmworker protections from heat. It's a big problem out here in the West. Increasing temperatures. We're working with different scientists, epidemiologists, and farmers to figure out best management practices or technologies that keep farmers cool. And then we also work on programs to provide incentives for ranchers to produce regenerative meat, that is grass-finished meat. So, those are the three areas working in right now. But we're also just starting a project. I have a meeting today with the California Department of Food and Agriculture to develop a plan for mid and small-scale infrastructure for regional food systems in the state of California to be achieved by 2040. One thing I really like about your approach is the lining up of incentives to produce food in a way that's better for both human health and the environment. Because so many incentives are lined up the other way. Obviously, the food industry wants to make as much money as they can, and that comes from highly processed foods that aren't very good for health. And then the same sort of incentives lines up for agriculture to do industrial forms of agriculture where you maximize the yield per acre. To turn that around is really going to be a major effort. One thing I like about your approach is that you're trying different things that can become models for what could be used in a very broad scale in terms of public policy. I really admire that and like what you're doing. Do you have an overall strategy for helping bring about change? One of the things that we did in 2010-11 is we did a deep analysis of the food system and did a systems dynamic map of the entire food system. Working with leaders, Secretary of Agriculture for California, farmers - big size, small size, organic, conventional, with food justice folks. And we looked at where are the real intervention points. One of the things that we really realize is that, as you were pointing out, the current incentives are for industrialization, basically. And so, the question is, how do you actually change that? And policy is one important lever for doing that. So, we work a lot on trying to change the policy levers to create incentives for what we would call healthy and resilient agriculture. Tell me more about how you go about doing that. I'd love to hear when you're done with that, how you go about doing that with policymakers. Well, I'll jump right in on that. Let's look at what we did with nutrition incentives. So, working with Fair Food Network out of the upper Midwest, and Wholesome Wave out East, Roots of Change did a study. We created our own nutrition incentive programs using philanthropic dollars and some USDA kind of innovative dollars, and then we studied it for two years, what the impacts were. We wrote a report then, which went to Congress, to Debbie Stabenow in Minnesota, who was the Senator there who was on the ag committee. And she began writing a bill that would say, okay, let's provide incentives for people to buy healthy food that also helped the small farmers. So that switched the incentive from the big agricultural systems to the regional food system players. That was one way we did it. The other thing that we did in California was we organized all the farmers markets to go to the State of California and say, look, if you provide this nutrition incentive program in California and analog, we'll pull down more dollars from the federal government. The California legislature said that's a great idea. They got on board. Which then helped the farmers markets to provide more funding because farmers markets are often stressed. Too many markets, so there's problems. Competition between markets. So, to provide a new market, which is low-income families who are using nutrition incentives and their SNAP dollars, that was really important for the farmer's market. Those farmer's markets became another big piece of our strategy. Our way of making change was just to build collaborations, large collaborations of people. We work with many other nonprofits and farming groups in California to approach the legislature and over the last three years we've gotten $1.3 billion dollars in investments from the state of California into sustainable agriculture and food justice. Because we're able to build these large collaborations who convince the legislators who really care about votes that there's enough people out there want to see this happen. And we have just placed a billion-dollar request on the next bond, which will be in the next election, November. This November there's the climate bond. It's called a climate bond for the State of California. Ten billion dollars, one billion of that will be dedicated to nutrition, nutritional health, farm workers, and sustainable agriculture. So, in all ways, it's about getting enough voices. So, if you look at what we're really trying to do, we're trying to build the power of what we would call the Good Food Movement. Best of luck with that billion-dollar request. I really hope that goes through. You know, in the beginning of your response to my last question, you talked about a report that you did in concert with other organizations around the country and how that became influential in the policy process. Very often, some of the people in my orbit, scientists, wonder how they can help with this kind of thing and how they can do work that makes a difference. And I've often thought that speaking with people in the policy and advocacy world, like you, turns up some really interesting questions they could help address, if they knew what those questions were. But they often aren't having those conversations because they're mainly speaking to other scientists. That's one of the reasons why I so much like having people who approach things like you do on this podcast series. Scientists aren't our only listeners, but they're among them, and it's nice to give them ideas about how they can connect their work with what's going on out there on the ground in terms of policymaking. So, you emphasize putting people in communities first. What does that mean? And how does that play out in the work you do? It's a great segue from what you were just saying about the need to combine community voices with nonprofits and scientists, academics, and people who are good at research and who are good at analysis. Back to this idea of nutrition incentives that really grew out of what community groups were doing. The IRC (the International Rescue Committee) works with immigrants from Africa, primarily at that time who were coming into San Diego. And they were farmers, mostly. They were escaping violence, war, in their countries. And they came to San Diego and the IRC worked with them to create a farmer's market, and a farm - a community farm. And those folks were the ones that were saying, this program works. And this is a really good way to solve many problems at once. So, we were hearing from community members and the nonprofit that had created this model. So, it was a way of us understanding what was actually working on the ground. So that's one example. I can also say that in 2017, 2019 and 2020, we had terrible fires here in California. We also had all that followed with COVID in 2020. We were working with the University of California at Davis. Tom Tomich, who at that time was with the Ag Sustainability Institute at UC Davis. And we were doing research on how do you deal with climate change as small farmers? And what we realized is there was this moment in time when all of these things that have been piling up were impacting the ability to get meat. You'll remember that meat disappeared from shelves for a while because all the big plants that process meat in the Midwest were shut down due to COVID. So, what we did is then went out and we interviewed ranchers up and down the State of California, and we asked them, what do you need? And are you interested in finishing animals for grass-fed markets? Are you interested in building local markets? We got a lot of feedback that led to a white paper that Roots of Change published with the University of California at Davis and put out to the world. Which led to us getting a grant to actually take some of the suggestions and the recommendations we had gotten from the producers about what to do. What's that led to now? We have built a relationship with the University of California: ten campuses, five medical systems. They have committed to buy regenerative regional meat from the State of California. That grew out of a white paper, which was fed information by the ranchers on the ground, analyzed by academics and nonprofits, and delivered in a system that's now gotten the university to make a commitment. So, it's another example of just how you can mix all these great parties to get some sustainable change at a large scale? Now that leads me pretty nicely to what my next question. And it has to do with what's needed going forward and how do these things occur in more places in a bigger way than the places they are now. Now you mentioned, for example, the regenerative agriculture pledge that got made by the University of California system. That's a big enterprise. There are a lot of people that get touched by that system. So, that's a pretty impressive example of taking an idea that might've been smaller to begin with and then became bigger. Going forward, what kind of things are going to be needed to make that kind of thing happen more often? That's a really good question. Kelly, I think that one of it is communication. I mean, perhaps some somebody will hear this and reach out to us and say, how'd you do that? And then we'll say, well…and they'll tell us what they did and we'll learn from them. One of the things I'm really interested in, always been interested in, and one of the things that Roots of Change is focused on is trying to convene people to share information. Because you build partnerships when you share information. And those partnerships can become the engines for getting the policy makers or the corporations to change their modalities. How they're doing things. Because they realize, hey, the writing is on the wall. This has to happen. We need to figure out how to get there. And sometimes it's complex to get there because the food system is very complex. So, I would say that one of the things I'm really looking forward to is more cross collaboration. You know, we're living in the season of elections. We're hearing it on the news all the time. And the thing that drives the policy makers is whether or not they're going to be elected or reelected. And so, the more that we can convince them that there is a large majority of the public that wants to see these fundamental changes in the food system. We will have their support. We've seen it in California. We are getting incredible support from our Secretary of Agriculture, our governor, and our Secretary of Natural Resources. They work together to create things on the ground. I would say that the Tom Vilsack and Biden did a lot for regenerative agriculture, working on two big projects that have been funded by the USDA that will touch a thousand ranchers of bison and beef to get them to learn about, adapt, adopt, and then build new markets for their products. So that's an important piece. The other is the marketplace and companies want to sell their products. So, the more that consumers become discerning and what they're purchasing, the better off we're going to be. So, we have a podcast like you do. And what we're trying to do is just educate people about the connections between what they're doing and what the farmers and ranchers out there who are trying to do good work with the land and with health and with their workers. We just try to promote this idea of making good decisions about what they purchase. Tell us a little bit more about your podcast, which is called Flipping the Table. Tell us more about what you're trying to accomplish and the kind of people that you speak with. Well, it's similar to yours in a certain way, I would say. Because what I'm doing is interviewing the people that are doing the kinds of projects that we think are scaling change or could scale change. Or people who have a depth of understanding. So, the regenerative meat world, we've done a lot in the last few years. Talking to Nicolette Hahn Nyman, who wrote a couple of books about the meat system, with a great rancher up in Northern California, who advises other ranchers on how to finish their animals on grass in California in a dry environment. I just, today we dropped a podcast with Cole Mannix from the Old Salt Co op in Montana about the ranchers he's pulled together. The co op he's built that has a slaughter plant, restaurants, a meat shop, and has an online thing. And then they do a big, they do a big annual event in the summer during the solstice. So, you know, we're just trying to get voices who, like you are, who are, who are modeling and educating the public around what is happening. How much is actually happening. I've been in this world for 30 years almost, and I have to say, I have never been more optimistic about the scale of change, the accelerating speed of change, and the possibilities that lay ahead. BIO Michael Dimock is an organizer and thought leader on food and farming systems and heads Roots of Change (ROC) a project of the Public Health Institute. ROC develops and campaigns for smart, incentive-based food and farm policies that position agriculture and food enterprises as solutions to critical challenges of the 21st century. Since 2006, Michael has been spawning and leading education and policy campaigns, community dialogues and creative engagements with government and corporate leaders to advance regenerative food and farm policies and practices that make agriculture and food enterprises solutions to critical public health challenges of the 21st century. His leadership has helped create one new law and funding program at the federal level and three new California laws that included two new funding programs and five successful budget requests. He began his career in 1989 as a sales executive in Europe for agribusiness and in 1992 founded Ag Innovations Network to provide strategic planning for companies and governments seeking healthier food and agriculture. In 1996, he founded Slow Food Russian River and, from 2002 to 2007, he was Chairman of Slow Food USA and a member of Slow Food International's board of directors. Michael's love for agriculture and food systems grew from experiences on a 13,000-acre cattle ranch in Santa Clara County in his youth and a development project with Himalayan subsistence farmers in Nepal in 1979. He is the host of the podcast Flipping the Table featuring honest conversations about food, farms and the future.
In this episode, after a week of torrential rain and floods washes away newly drilled cereal crops, we ask: will it really be another wet autumn?We find out why Defra policy is on hold ahead of the Autumn Budget – in a special interview with NFU president Tom Bradshaw.We discover how farmers are measuring their environmental and social impact –and making their businesses more profitable as a result.You can find out more about environmental and social baselining by visiting Soil Association Exchange and the Lloyds Banking Group. And we speak to Andrew Brewer – the newly crowned Carbon Farmer of the Year, courtesy of the Farm Carbon Toolkit.This episode of the Farmers Weekly Podcast is co-hosted by Johann Tasker and specialist arable reporter Louise Impey.To contact the Farmers Weekly Podcast, email podcast@fwi.co.uk.In the UK, you can also message us by texting the word FARM followed by your message to 88 44 0.
Join us on this episode of The Dirt as we break down the complex world of agricultural policy. Mike Howell is joined by Nutrien Manager of Government & Industry Affairs Connor Hamburg to delve into how he represents farmers on Capitol Hill, three policy priorities for agriculture and what the Farm Bill really entails. Looking for the latest in crop nutrition research? Visit nutrien-ekonomics.com Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@NutrieneKonomics
This week on AgweekTV, a look at vice presidential candidate Tim Walz's farm policy. We take you to the grand opening of North Dakota's second dedicated soybean crush plant. We'll have important information for soybean growers about soybean cyst nematodes. And we'll take you to central South Dakota for a look at this year's sunflower crop.
What will this week's announcement by the Government on changes to the rules on planning permission for large scale housing projects and for solar farms on agricultural land mean for the countryside?The Welsh minister in charge of policy on climate change and rural affairs has drawn up new payment schemes for farmers to apply for as the EU's Common Agricultural Policy is replaced.And one of the country's large dairy processors is ending contracts with many smaller farms because it says they don't supply enough milk and there are welfare and sustainability concerns.A BBC Audio Bristol production presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Heather Simons
Farmers from across Tennessee advocated for pro agriculture policy at the Tennessee State Capitol in Nashville this week. They say it's well worth their time to spend a day in Nashville meeting face to face with their lawmakers.
The Farm Bill expired in September 2023, and the dysfunction in Washington, D.C. continues to threaten this essential rewrite of our nation's farm policy. Risk management, export promotion, pest and disease prevention, nutrition policy and numerous other programs that make growers competitive are tied up in political infighting. During Potato Expo 2024, Kam Quarles of National Potato Council and Tyson Redpath of The Russell Group sat down to talk about how we got here, where we might be going, and what growers can do to break the impasse on Capitol Hill.Guests: ● Kam Quarles, CEO, National Potato Council● Tyson Redpath, Principal, The Russell GroupThis podcast is possible thanks to our presenting sponsor, Syngenta. Delivering solutions to help producers face the potato industry's complex challenges, Syngenta provides growers with unmatched field expertise along with an array of effective products. Explore syngenta-us.com/spud-doctor to discover solutions for your potato-growing obstacles.
The Co-op is launching a new scheme to encourage its beef producers to cut emissions. The Beef Sustainability Pilot, which will run for two years, will pay farmers who reduce the carbon footprint of the beef they rear. It'll initially cover up to10% of the beef supplied and could mean an extra payment to farmers of between 6 and 12p per kilo. The supermarket says the data will form part of its plans to be net zero by 2040.Since we left the EU, different agricultural policies are being developed and introduced at different speeds in all four nations of the UK. They are all, in their own ways, shifting towards rewarding farmers for benefiting the environment, rather than the old EU system which largely paid farmers based on the amount of land they farmed. We speak to four farmers from around the UK who are all part of the Nature Friendly Farming Network, a group "working to mainstream nature-friendly farming as the most sustainable way of producing food" to hear their views on the current policy landscape, and whether they're able to have an influence on the new schemes. All week we've been talking about family farms - the joys and the challenges of running a business with your closest relatives. For the younger generation taking over the business can be tricky, doubly so when it happens suddenly and unexpectedly, which is what happened to the Pollock family who farm in Fife. Claire Pollock now runs the farm while her mum and sister run the on site farm shop. Presenter = Charlotte Smith Producer = Rebecca Rooney
Grain futures ended 2023 significantly in the red, with corn futures suffering their biggest yearly drop in a decade, according to a new analysis by the University of Illinois' Farm Policy website.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
This week we have some fun with Australian accents... which I think happens a lot, we learn what Jamal has been doing to support the WGA strikes, and of course we talk about Top Chef Season 7, Episode 5 - "Farm Policy". Top Chef talk starts at 22:00 Try Nom Nom today, go to https://trynom.com/podchef and get 50% off your first order plus free shipping. ----more---- Subscribe for new episodes every Monday. Rate us 5 stars and let us know what you had for dinner last night in the review! This episode was edited by Bryan A Jackson. The Pod Chef theme song was produced and performed by Jeff Ray. Pod Chef Links Follow us on Instagram and Twitter - @podchefpodcast Follow Bryan on Instagram - @bjacksonininaction Follow Jamal on Instagram - @hell0newman Our intro was produced and performed by Jeff Ray - https://www.instagram.com/jeffrayfilms/
How do we ensure fair prices for farmers and consumers while building climate resilience, protecting the environment and sustaining rural communities? And what happens when Farm Bill policies incentivize the opposite approach? Hear from IATP's Ben Lilliston and Karen Hansen-Kuhn in Episode One of the Farm Bill Uprooted, which dives into Farm Bill basics, and how it's shaped a food and farm system dominated by commodity production and overgrown corporate agribusiness interests. References and further reading: USDA ERS, Food Access Research Atlas USDA ERS, Key Statistics and Graphics About half of US water 'too polluted' for drinking, swimming or fishing, report finds. The Hill. Shirin Ali, 2022. Food fight: The Citizen's Guide to the Next Food and Farm Bill. Daniel Imhoff, 2012. The new deal's impacts on sharecropping and tenant farming in the US South: a history Michael Sligh, 2021. Crisis by Design: A Brief Review of U.S. Farm Policy. Mark Richie & Kevin Ristau, 1987.
Farm Policy in the 2000s New Mesonet Tools for Producers Milk in School and Ice Cream 00:01:05 – Farm Policy in the 2000s: Jenny Ifft, K-State agriculture policy specialist, begins today's show with information about agriculture policy and the food and farm bill in the 2000s. 00:12:05 – New Mesonet Tools for Producers: Continuing the show is Kansas State University's Chip Redmond, A.J. Tarpoff and Jonathan Aguilar as they talk about the evapotranspiration and animal comfort forecasting tools which are new on the Mesonet for producers to use. Evapotranspiration Tool Animal Comfort Forecast 00:23:05 – Milk in Schools and Ice Cream: Finishing today's show is K-State dairy specialist Mike Brouk as he covers the topics of reducing added sugars in flavored milks for the school lunch program and National Ice Cream Day. Send comments, questions or requests for copies of past programs to ksrenews@ksu.edu. Agriculture Today is a daily program featuring Kansas State University agricultural specialists and other experts examining ag issues facing Kansas and the nation. It is hosted by Shelby Varner and distributed to radio stations throughout Kansas and as a daily podcast. K‑State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well‑being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K‑State campus in Manhattan.
On this episode, we talk with mental health advocate and Wisconsin dairy farmer Randy Roecker about the important topic of mental health on the farm. We discuss the importance of understanding the warning signs, the need for expanded mental health care in rural America, and breaking down the stigma surrounding mental health crises and treatment. We then talk with Ohio Rep. Max Miller, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives Agriculture Committee, about the 2023 farm bill and about ag policy. And, John Deere this week unveiled a new compact utility tractor and upgrades to others in that segment. We give you the inside scoop. In this week's installment of The Dirt with Nutrien, Senior Agronomist Mike Howell returns with the second half of his look at Sulfur. In our Meat Monitor segment, we learn about how the ongoing labor issues at West Coast ports are affecting U.S. red meat exports, and in “Bushels and Cents,” Ray Bohacz discusses fuel trim in farm vehicles. The episode also features the music of Clarksville Creative Sound recording artist Laurie Lace. Timestamps Fastline Marketing Group advertisement: 0:00 Intro/news: 0:30 Goatlifeclothing.com advertisement: 6:39 Randy Roecker, Farmer Angel Network: 6:58 Max Miller, U.S. House of Representatives: 25:59 Mark Davey, John Deere: 38:39 Mike Howell, Nutrien: 43:59 Soil Test Pro advertisement: 48:53 Dan Halstrom, U.S. Meat Export Federation: 48:26 Ray Bohacz, “Bushels and Cents”: 51:50 Laurie Lace: 53:32
- Jonathan Coppess, University of Illinois- Nick Paulson, University of Illinois ★ Support this podcast ★
Much of what we do at RealAgriculture is simply connecting dots — between different pieces of information and people and experiences — in an attempt to create a clearer picture of our world and the big issues in farming, ranching, and food. Creating that clearer picture often requires looking to the past to understand where... Read More
#071: Lindsey Lusher-Shute, co-founder of the National Young Farmers Coalition and the "other half" of Real Organic Project certified Hearty Roots Farm in NY, speaks to us about her next venture - the GrownBy App, a cooperative tech solution for direct sales that give farmers full control.Lindsey Lusher Shute is the co-founder and former Executive Director of the National Young Farmers Coalition (2009-2019). She lives and works from Hearty Roots Farm in NY's Hudson Valley. A longtime activist and policy advocate, Lindsey was recognized as a “Champion of Change” by President Barack Obama and was named among “ 20 Food Leaders Under 40” by Food Tank, and an “American Food Hero” by Eating Well Magazine. Lindsey helped to found Farmer Generations Coop which launched the GrownBy App in 2020/ To watch a video version of this podcast with access to the full transcript and links relevant to our conversation, please visit:https://www.realorganicproject.org/lindset-lusher-shute-tecnology-farming-cooperation-epsiode-seventy-oneThe Real Organic Podcast is hosted by Dave Chapman and Linley Dixon, engineered by Brandon StCyr, and edited and produced by Jenny Prince.The Real Organic Project is a farmer-led movement working towards certifying 1,000 farms across the United States this year. Our add-on food label distinguishes soil-grown fruits and vegetables from hydroponically-raised produce, and pasture-raised meat, milk, and eggs from products harvested from animals in horrific confinement (CAFOs - confined animal feeding operations).To find a Real Organic farm near you, please visit:https://www.realorganicproject.org/farmsWe believe that the organic standards, with their focus on soil health, biodiversity, and animal welfare were written as they should be, but that the current lack of enforcement of those standards is jeopardizing the ability for small farms who adhere to the law to stay in business. The lack of enforcement is also jeopardizing the overall health of the customers who support the organic movement; customers who are not getting what they pay for at market but still paying a premium price. And the lack of enforcement is jeopardizing the very cycles (water, air, nutrients) that Earth relies upon to provide us all with a place to live, by pushing extractive, chemical agriculture to the forefront.If you like what you hear and are feeling inspired, we would love for you to join our movement by becoming one of our 1,000 Real Friends:https://www.realorganicproject.org/real-organic-friends/To read our weekly newsletter (which might just be the most forwarded newsletter on the internet!) and get firsthand news about what's happening with organic food, farming and policy, please subscribe here:https://www.realorganicproject.org/email/