More in Government

As Congress decides whether to move on a new farm bill or to continue to punt the issue into next year, some wonder if this could be the last farm bill available to U.S. producers....More

While budget negotiations have predictably devolved into partisan sniping, farm bill leaders are expressing optimism that a new farm bill can be quickly passed....More

The Supreme Court's decision to review Bowman v. Monsanto Co., has created substantial discussion in agriculture regarding the scope of patent rights for agricultural biotechnology. What really has the agricultural law community talking is the planting of seeds not "saved" by the farmer from the previous growing season, but rather the purchase of seeds from a grain elevator (known as commodity seed)....More

A USDA audit that found that agencies monitoring organic food producers were not conducting periodic testing for pesticide residues has led to new rules requiring such tests on 5 percent of organic foods, the Agriculture Department announced....More

Back in September, David Wasserman, with the Cook Political Report, discussed the election outlook during the Southwest Ag Issues Summit in Austin, Texas. The feeling at the time was that the presidential election was too close to call with President Obama perhaps picking up support following the Democratic National Convention....More

The 2013 change to the estate tax law does a disservice to agriculture because it is a land-based, capital-intensive industry with few options for paying estate taxes when they come due. The current state of the economy, coupled with the uncertain nature of estate tax liabilities, makes it difficult for family-owned farms and ranches to make sound business decisions....More

Former organic food inspector says current inspection system needs overhauling to make sure organic foods are what their growers claim them to be....More

America's farm census is taken every five years and that time is approaching, according to Wilbert Hundl, Jr., director of the Oklahoma field office of the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service....More

“We could see those storms coming over the horizon,” Littlefield says. “The dirt would blow in your face and hit your skin so hard it hurt. Dad would get our animals in the best shelter he could, while my mom started packing the windows with rolled wet towels and hung sheets to try to keep dirt out. “It still didn’t work,” he says, shaking his head at the fury and intensity of the storms. “Fine sand would get in our food no matter how well we protected it. It would get behind the wallpaper in our house. Our white sheets on the bed would turn brown....More

The hope is that unity within the 3-million member Farm Bureau organization will generate unity among the other ag groups on issues of immigration reform....More

A long list of pressing issues awaits congressional action during the lame duck session. Chief among them is what to do with a new farm bill....More

The election did not change which party controls the White House, the House or the Senate, but there are changes in the composition of the 113th Congress that will affect the Cotton Belt and key committees....More