Agriculture Policy

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Feb. 6 announced the availability of two federal crop insurance programs for hemp producers. A pilot hemp insurance program offered through Multi-Peril Crop Insurance (MPCI) provides coverage against loss of yield because of insurable causes of loss for hemp grown for fiber, grain or cannabidiol (CBD) oil.  Meanwhile, a Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) coverage protects against losses associated with lower yields, destroyed crops or prevented planting where no permanent federal crop insurance program is available. Producers ... Read More

Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue on Feb. 3 announced the third and final tranche of 2019 Market Facilitation Program (MFP) payments designed to assist farmers economically damaged by trade retaliation by foreign nations, principally China. USDA said the payments would begin being received by farmers by the end of this week.  The Trump administration already has distributed around $11 billion to farmers and ranchers to partially compensate for 2019 revenue losses; another $8.6 billion was awarded in 2018. The first tranche was comprised of the higher of either 50 percent of a ... Read More

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit struck down three small refinery exemptions under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The Jan. 24 court ruling follows a challenge brought against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in May 2018 by the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), the National Corn Growers Association, the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) and National Farmers Union. In a joint press release issued on Jan. 27, the groups said the decision is expected to broadly affect EPA’s approach to granting small refinery exemptions. “We are extremely pleased with the ... Read More

By Sarah Gonzalez, Director of Communications and Digital Media The Trump administration on Jan. 23 released its final rewrite of the Obama-era “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) rule, narrowing the federal government’s jurisdiction over streams and wetlands. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) jointly announced the “Navigable Waters Protection Rule,” which narrows federal regulatory authority under the Clean Water Act. The rule “provides clarity, predictability and consistency while still protecting the environment with a common ... Read More

By Max Fisher, Vice President of Economics and Government Relations The U.S. Department of Agriculture has released the 2020 county average cash rental rates for non-irrigated cropland that will serve as the starting point for calculating rental rate offers for this year’s Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) signups. The current CRP general signup is open until Feb. 28 and a CRP continuous signup is open and will be ongoing. Importantly, the 2018 farm law for the first time imposed statutory limits on rental rates, as advocated by NGFA. For the current CRP general signup, the CRP rental ... Read More

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced Dec. 27 it has approved the first set of plans submitted by states and Indian tribes for the domestic production of industrial hemp under the new federal hemp production program. The plans were submitted by the states of Louisiana, New Jersey and Ohio, as well as the Flandreau Santee Sioux, Santa Rosa Cahuilla and La Jolla Band of Luiseno Indian Tribes. The interim hemp production rule – as authorized under the 2018 farm law – took effect Oct. 31 and established testing protocols to distinguish between legal hemp and federally controlled ... Read More

By Sarah Gonzalez, Director of Communications and Digital Media After requests from lawmakers and state officials seeking additional time to provide feedback, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is allowing an extra month for public comment on its proposed industrial hemp regulations. USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced Dec. 17 it is extending the comment period for the U.S. Domestic Hemp Production Program interim final rule from Dec. 30 to Jan. 29. The interim rule – as authorized by the 2018 farm law – took effect Oct. 31 and established testing ... Read More

By Max Fisher, Vice President of Economics and Government Relations, and Sarah Gonzalez, Director of Communications and Digital Media The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced Dec. 5 it will open the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) general signup from Dec. 9 to Feb. 28 – the first general signup since 2015. Signup includes “general” enrollment of large tracts of land, as well as continuous signup for high-priority stewardship practices. The deadline for agricultural producers to sign up for general CRP is Feb. 28, 2020, while signup for continuous CRP is ongoing, USDA ... Read More