Cattle Policy Issues

What’s in the 2026 Farm Bill?

carrie.veselka@agproud.com — Thu, 14 May 2026 17:56:18 -0400

The Farm, Food and National Security Act of 2026, the next iteration of the farm bill, was passed by the House of Representatives with a vote of 224-200 on April 30.

‘Farm Bill 2.0’ advances out of committee

tyrell@agproud.com — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 01:00:00 -0400

Early on the morning of March 5, after more than 20 hours of deliberation, the U.S. House of Representatives’ agriculture committee advanced the Farm, Food and National Security Act of 2026 – often referred to as Farm Bill 2.0 – to the House floor. The legislation now moves to the full House for consideration before the Senate starts working on its own farm bill proposal.

U.S. exports are back on China's menu

carrie.veselka@agproud.com — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 00:00:00 -0500

Negotiations on U.S.-China trade relations have taken a step forward by ending China’s retaliatory tariffs imposed on U.S. exports since March of 2025, reopening Chinese markets to U.S. ag products including beef and soybeans.

White House announces new plan for ranchers

david@agproud.com — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Officials for the Trump administration launched a new initiative Wednesday to build and prioritize key actions in the beef cattle ranching industries to protect ranchers’ “critical role in the national security of the United States.”

Federal government shuts down, farm bill expires

tyrell@agproud.com — Wed, 01 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0400

As the clock struck midnight and the calendar turned from September to October, the U.S. government officially shut down, with the Senate unable to strike any sort of budget compromise.

New legislation approves significant farm funding, cuts welfare and Medicaid

carrie.veselka@agproud.com — Wed, 16 Jul 2025 00:00:00 -0400

On July 4, President Donald Trump signed a budget reconciliation bill that brings significant funding to the ag sector. The House of Representatives passed the nearly 900-page bill, nicknamed the One Big Beautiful Bill, on July 3 with 218-214 votes, after the Senate passed the bill on July 1 with a 51-50 vote.

USDA recloses border as NWS migrates farther

david@agproud.com — Thu, 10 Jul 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Just two days into a scheduled plan to reopen the southern border with Mexico to cattle imports, the USDA issued a new border closure on July 9.

Federal government drops charges against South Dakota ranchers

carrie.veselka@agproud.com — Mon, 12 May 2025 10:51:40 -0400

Federal authorities formally dropped the charges levied against South Dakota ranchers Charles and Heather Maude on April 28, following a nearly yearlong dispute with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) over a 25-acre parcel of land bordering the federally administered Buffalo Gap National Grasslands in South Dakota.

Ag Secretary Rollins promises clarity on trade, farm bill in near future

tyrell@agproud.com — Wed, 30 Apr 2025 00:00:00 -0400

“Ag has changed yesterday, it’s changing today, and it will surely change tomorrow,” U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said in a speech to attendees at the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) Convention on April 12. “What has stayed the same for far too long are the broken systems in Washington, D.C. – including systems at the USDA that haven’t been updated in decades.”

The historical impact of New World screwworm outbreaks in U.S.

Tue, 22 Apr 2025 10:00:00 -0400

For more than 70 years, the USDA has fought to keep New World screwworms out of U.S. livestock, but the battle has incurred some heavy costs along the way.

Tariffs loom over cattle industry

Fri, 04 Apr 2025 00:00:00 -0400

The tariffs on beef proposed by President Donald Trump have added volatility and uncertainty to the beef industry. While the national beef herd is at its smallest size in over 50 years, demand for beef is good and prices are regularly breaking record highs. Enter the tariffs.

Rollins confirmed as ag secretary, Greer as USTR

tyrell@agproud.com — Sun, 09 Mar 2025 23:00:00 -0400

Brooke Rollins was confirmed on Feb. 13 by the U.S. Senate as secretary of agriculture by a vote of 72-28. She is just the second woman to serve as secretary of agriculture.

[Podcast] NCBA CattleCon 2025 – Part 2

Fri, 21 Feb 2025 00:00:00 -0500

Join us as we visit with NCBA's Kaitlynn Glover about some of the most pressing D.C. issues impacting the cattle industry; talk risk management in the current beef market with Rabobank's Lance Zimmerman; and learn about the science of beef yield with John Stika from Certified Angus Beef.

NCBA lobbyists see excitement for Trump policies

david@agproud.com — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 00:00:00 -0500

The NCBA lobbying team told those in attendance at NCBA’s CattleCon that better days lie ahead for beef producers with President Donald Trump.

American Relief Act includes farm bill extension, disaster relief funding

tyrell@agproud.com — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 17:52:34 -0500

The federal government narrowly avoided a shutdown in the wee hours of Dec. 21, 2024, when the American Relief Act of 2025 was signed into law by President Joe Biden. Importantly for the agriculture industry, the act also includes a second extension of the 2018 Farm Bill and $2.5 billion in additional aid that will be distributed through the USDA.

Farm bill expires amid congressional partisanship

tyrell@agproud.com — Wed, 02 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Farmers and ranchers across the country are expressing frustration – but very little surprise – at Congress’ continued inability to make any progress on a new farm bill. The omnibus legislation, which historically has received strong bipartisan support, expired on Sept. 30 after receiving a one-year extension in 2023.

Farm bill talks remain idle

tyrell@agproud.com — Mon, 02 Sep 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Frustration continues to simmer as evidence continues to mount that legislators in Washington are unmotivated to move forward on a new farm bill.

Report: Consumers lack familiarity with farm bill

tyrell@agproud.com — Fri, 19 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0400

While lawmakers on Capitol Hill continue to debate several points of a potential 2024 Farm Bill, the general public shows a severe lack of familiarity with the proposed omnibus legislation, according to the June 2024 Consumer Food Insights report.

Supreme Court's Chevron ruling thrills ag, ranchers

david@agproud.com — Mon, 01 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Agricultural and commerce groups celebrated a Supreme Court ruling on June 28 reducing the power of the federal agencies in determining legal regulations against producers, businesses and farming operations.

E-ID tag update

abby@agproud.com — Tue, 11 Jun 2024 00:00:00 -0400

The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) issued its final ruling regarding e-ID tags on April 26, requiring these tags as a way to increase disease traceability.

Congress makes progress on farm bill

tyrell@agproud.com — Tue, 04 Jun 2024 00:00:00 -0400

The House Ag Committee finished its markup of the new farm bill on May 24. The legislation now awaits its turn on the House floor.

House and Senate announce proposals for 2024 Farm Bill

carrie.veselka@agproud.com — Tue, 07 May 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Both the Senate and House Ag Committees released section-by-section outlines of the proposed 2024 Farm Bill on May 1.

USDA’s final traceability ruling regarding e-ID tags

abby@agproud.com — Mon, 06 May 2024 00:00:00 -0400

The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) issued its final ruling on traceability, now requiring electronic ID (e-ID) tags with the goal of better responding to foreign animal diseases.

Higher gas prices hitting harder in spring

david@agproud.com — Mon, 15 Apr 2024 17:20:25 -0400

U.S. gas and diesel fuel prices stretched into a third consecutive month of spikes, as the weekly regular average price hit $3.591 per gallon on April 9, up more than 50 cents from the $2.944 conventional price on Jan. 15, 2024.

$15 million approved for e-ID tagging

abby@agproud.com — Mon, 08 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Disease traceability efforts in the livestock industry is nothing new. Aimed to help in the effort, a provision of $15 million for electronic identification (e-ID) tags was passed in the Consolidated Appropriations Act 2024 in early March 2024.

‘Product of USA’ label for consumer protection

abby@agproud.com — Fri, 05 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

On March 11, 2024, the USDA announced the finalized rule regarding the use of the “Product of USA” label. The Product of USA rule allows the voluntary Product of USA or “Made in the USA” label claim to be used on meat, poultry and egg products only when they are derived from animals born, raised, slaughtered and processed in the U.S.

Cattle Q&A: Understanding the proposed Public Lands Rule with Errol Rice

tyrell@agproud.com — Fri, 29 Mar 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Last spring, the U.S. Department of the Interior published a proposal with the potential to shift priorities on 245 million acres of public land managed by the Bureau of Land Management. A public comment period yielded thousands of substantive comments for the BLM to consider.

Innovative FEED Act update: FDA encourages early contact in product development process

abby@agproud.com — Mon, 26 Feb 2024 00:00:00 -0500

The Innovative Feed Enhancement and Economic Development Act of 2023, better known as the Innovative FEED Act, was developed to create options for producers to buy and use products that may not exist on the market today.

USDA to allow imports of Paraguayan beef

tyrell@agproud.com — Fri, 01 Dec 2023 00:00:00 -0500

APHIS published a final rule on Nov. 13 that allows the importation of fresh beef from Paraguay. The agency conducted a risk analysis and ultimately decided that fresh beef can be imported safely from Paraguay under certain conditions.

Innovative FEED Act: What is it and what do you need to know?

abby@agproud.com — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 15:36:37 -0500

The Innovative Feed Enhancement and Economic Development Act of 2023, better known as the Innovative FEED Act, will create options for producers to buy and use products which may not exist on the market today.