Department of Agriculture News

Coverage of Department of Agriculture programs, rural policy, and farm legislation. The Daily Signal provides reporting and conservative commentary on agricultural subsidies, food stamp programs, trade policy, and the federal government’s role in farming and rural communities.
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  • news

    Zach Lahn’s Plan to Help Farmers While Cleaning Up Iowa’s Water
    Zach Lahn was told he couldn’t win in politics by talking about Iowa’s water quality and the cancer crisis. Now, as the Republican nominee for governor, he is looking to restore the culture in Iowa by running for office on precisely those issues. Lahn sat down with the Daily Signal for an interview on Tuesday…
    Virginia Grace McKinnon
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  • opinion

    How the Trump White House and the USDA Are Protecting People of Faith
    As director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Center for Faith, I witness every day the power of faith in action—feeding the hungry, strengthening families, and healing communities. Under President Donald Trump and Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, the quiet miracle of faith is no longer sidelined. It is welcomed, protected, and given room to grow.   The Coptic Christian community I belong to knows what it means…
    Steve Messeh
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  • exclusive

    Top Trump Official Responds to Rural Americans’ Concerns About AI
    FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said the issue of artificial intelligence must be approached with intentionality, as many of the rural Americans she talks to have serious concerns about the rapidly developing technology. “I do trust the president. I do believe that if we don’t stay focused on winning the AI…
    Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell
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  • exclusive

    Top Cabinet Official Signals Prices Will Drop Soon
    FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins told the Daily Signal that she predicts beef prices will decrease before the November midterm elections. Beef prices fell 1% in August, after a 0.8% decline in July. But Rollins said the Trump administration is not done working toward lower prices. “I think there’s a lot…
    Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell
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  • exclusive

    EXCLUSIVE: Trump USDA Faces Calls to Exit Climate Initiative Critics Call ‘Private Regulation’
    FIRST ON DAILY SIGNAL—The Trump administration’s Agriculture Department remains publicly listed as a participant in a Biden-era climate initiative that critics say could drive up costs for American dairy farmers, accelerate consolidation in the industry, and ultimately make milk and other food staples less affordable for consumers. The initiative, Pathways to Dairy Net Zero, was…
    Fred Lucas
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  • news

    In Effort to Boost Affordability, Trump Signs Proclamation Importing Foreign Beef
    President Donald Trump signed a proclamation Wednesday afternoon to increase foreign imports of beef in an effort to lower beef prices ahead of midterms. Trump is temporarily removing tariffs on 300,000 metric tons of imported lean beef trimmings for 90 days. According to the proclamation, the countries supplying the beef would sell it at 25% below…
    Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell
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  • news

    Republican Ranchers in Congress Urge Trump to Put American Ranchers First
    President Donald Trump announced a new deal to address the rising cost of beef, support American ranchers, and rebuild the smallest herd in modern history. Republican members of Congress are now criticizing Friday’s announcement, calling it a temporary solution that could hurt American ranchers in the long run. “For the next 90 days, the United…
    Virginia Grace McKinnon
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  • news

    Congress Wants to Overturn This SCOTUS Ruling
    Earlier this year, the Supreme Court protected pesticide companies, ruling that they are protected from liability even if they leave off a warning label. A new bipartisan bill hopes to change this and hold manufacturers accountable. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., joined a bipartisan group of members of Congress on Tuesday to introduce the Americans…
    Virginia Grace McKinnon
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  • news

    Zeldin Unveils EPA Plan to Save Truckers $12 Billion
    American truckers are expected to save $12 billion thanks to the Environmental Protection Agency and Administrator Lee Zeldin rolling back Biden-era regulations and addressing what he called a “nationwide disaster.” The administration plans to address manufacturers’ concerns, consumer pricing, and truckers’ safety by addressing system failures. “Americans depend on reliable trucks to move essential goods…
    Virginia Grace McKinnon
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  • news

    MAHA Pushes Glyphosate Ban as EPA Nears New Safety Review
    The Environmental Protection Agency is on track to complete its draft risk assessment of glyphosate by the end of the year. Following the Supreme Court ruling that Monsanto/Bayer can be shielded from liability when users are harmed by their product, the EPA is working to determine if the pesticide is safe. “The EPA is going…
    Virginia Grace McKinnon
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  • analysis

    The Great American State Fair Showcases MAHA
    The Great American State Fair kicked off “MAHA Monday” by spotlighting the Make America Healthy Again movement, featuring healthier food choices and wellness speakers, hosted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The dedicated day is a testament that MAHA isn’t going anywhere, proving that you can make healthy choices even at a state fair. “Today…
    Virginia Grace McKinnon
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  • opinion

    For the USDA, Equal Still Means Equal at 250
    Scott Wynn grows sweet potatoes and corn and raises cattle on land his family has farmed for decades. When the pandemic crushed beef prices in 2020, the federal government offered farmers in his position relief from their loans. Unfortunately, Wynn did not qualify—not because his need was small, but because he is white. In June…
    Devon Westhill
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  • news

    New Federal Plan Aims to Replace Synthetic Fabrics With American Cotton
    The United States Department of Agriculture has launched the Great American Cotton Plan to support cotton farmers and protect Americans from “forever chemicals” in our daily lives. Over the past decade, America has moved to almost all synthetic fibers, often for clothing and linens made of plastics such as polyester, nylon, polypropylene, and polyethylene. While…
    Virginia Grace McKinnon
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  • news

    Farm Bill Clears House as Congress Sides With MAHA
    Congress secured major wins for the Make America Healthy Again movement, including striking pesticide liability shields and passing the 2026 Farm Bill. States’ and families’ rights are protected, and pesticide companies can continue to be held liable for poisoning Americans. The Farm Bill passed the House on Thursday by a vote of 224-200. Rep. Anna…
    Virginia Grace McKinnon
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  • news

    Kennedy Acts to Swat Parasitic Livestock Fly Infestation
    The Trump administration is taking preemptive efforts to combat an American infestation of the New World screwworm. The Department of Health and Human Services on Tuesday permitted the Food and Drug Administration to issue so-called emergency use authorizations for drugs for animals to treat or prevent the parasitic flies.  “Today, we are taking decisive action…
    Jacob Adams
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  • news

    $5 Million on Trees, $300K to Trans Farmers: Brooke Rollins Shares Woke Agriculture Department Spending Cuts
    The Department of Agriculture has worked with the Department of Government Efficiency to slash millions in woke spending projects, from a $300,000 contract educating queer and transgender farmers to $5 million to keep trees alive. “Probably the most stunning for me was the $500,000 grant to study transgenderism in mice,” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told…
    Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell
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  • news

    As Deals Advance, Farmers May Not Need Tariff Bailouts, Agriculture Secretary Hopes
    As deals advance with foreign countries, farmers may not need bailouts from tariffs, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins told The Daily Signal. Rollins hopes deals will be “struck pretty quickly” with foreign countries facing Trump administration tariffs so bailouts to farmers will be unnecessary.  “The economy has already begun to realign around putting America first,…
    Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell
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  • news

    EXCLUSIVE: Biden Admin Adds LGBTQ Strings to Foreign Agriculture Grants
    The U.S. Department of Agriculture intends to cultivate the transgender ideology on a global scale using international farm-aid programs.  That could mean attaching strings to international grants that the USDA doles out to support the Biden administration’s LGBTQ agenda, which President Joe Biden ordered in a presidential memorandum.  The USDA’s Sub-Working Group for the Memorandum…
    Fred Lucas
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  • opinion

    5 Things to Know About Agriculture Amnesty Bill
    The House of Representatives is expected this week to take up one of the most egregious immigration amnesty bills in recent memory, the Farm Workforce Modernization Act. In 2019, the House passed the bill, but fortunately, it went nowhere in the Senate. Now, the new Congress is taking it up.  The legislation would, among other…
    Daren Bakst
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  • opinion

    Expect US Agriculture Exports to China to Increase in Coming Months
    Since the signing of the U.S.-China trade deal in January, much media focus has been on China’s agreement to buy over $142 billion worth of U.S. manufactured, energy, and agriculture goods this year.  At this point in time, it is likely that China will fall short of its purchase agreement. However, there is ample reason…
    Riley Walters
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