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Farm Bill

  • Livestock producers, especially beef operations, see record profits in 2025, while crop farmers struggle with low returns, trade disputes, and echoes of the 1980s farm debt crisis. Economists warn of long-term risks as tariffs and high input costs squeeze margins.
  • The USDA projects a $47B agricultural trade deficit for 2025, sparking concerns about long-term trends and data transparency. Meanwhile, the Great Western Ranch sold in New Mexico, highlighting surging land values, and Congress remains stalled on passing a new Farm Bill.
  • The 2018 Farm Bill remains stalled as extensions drag on, leaving U.S. farmers facing uncertainty. Tariffs, volatile corn and soybean prices, and rising input costs threaten profitability into 2026, while global trade shifts cut U.S. access to key markets.
  • Over half of ag economists say U.S. row crops face recession, while Congress stalls on a new farm bill and USDA plans to close key research facilities.
  • USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins pushes for a 2025 farm bill, while facing challenges like trade deficits, regulations, and financial squeezes impacting farmers and ranchers.
  • Hay stocks improve across some of the Four Corners states, mental health resources are available for farmers and ranchers who need help, and a new version of the Farm Bill seems destined to fail in Congress.
  • The research into how Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza is being spread to dairy cows shows a link to cats, the House Agriculture Committee Chair indicates that committee members might be close to finalizing a new farm bill, and some online gardening tips for spring planting.
  • Wildfires in the panhandle of Texas and south central Oklahoma could impact beef supply, more concerns about getting a new Farm Bill passed in Congress, the EPA announces a new Office of Agriculture and Rural Affairs,and cases of canine respiratory disease in Colorado have dropped significantly.
  • Problems with Dicamba herbicide leaves farmers caught in the middle, a new Farm Bill continues to languish in Congress, and a Livestock Workshop Series will offer local producers educational opportunities.
  • A new Farm Bill from Congress seems to still be a long way off, the Senate Agriculture Committee Chair outlines key farm bill programs, the American Farm Bureau Federation wants a new farm bill to address agriculture's labor challenges, John Deere partners with Elon Musk’s Starlink to provide satellite-based high-speed internet for its machines, and drought continues to hamper the number of ships that can traverse the Panama Canal.