House farm bill advances after E15 fight, but Senate hurdles remain (Progressive Farmer): On Thursday, the House of Representatives passed its latest version of the farm bill in a 224–200 vote after a long and contentious debate, sending the legislation to the Senate where it will need 60 votes to advance. The vote followed overnight negotiations and a series of amendments, with 14 Democrats joining Republicans to approve the bill.
A major sticking point throughout the debate was year-round access to E15 ethanol. Disagreements within the Republican caucus—particularly between farm-state lawmakers and those representing refining interests—drove delays and forced leaders to remove the E15 provision from the bill. Lawmakers instead promised a separate vote on the issue in May, a move that drew frustration from ethanol groups and skepticism from some Democrats about whether that vote will actually happen.
The House also stripped out provisions related to pesticide regulation that would have limited state and local authority and reinforced EPA control over labeling. That amendment passed with bipartisan support, marking a setback for crop protection interests. With both E15 and pesticide language removed, the bill now heads to the Senate, where lawmakers may draft their own version or significantly revise the House proposal before any final agreement is reached.
EPA rolls out fungicide strategy, signaling new compliance steps for growers (Agri-Pulse): The Environmental Protection Agency has released a draft strategy outlining how it plans to address the impact of fungicides on endangered species, marking the latest step in a broader overhaul of pesticide regulations. The framework is designed to guide how fungicides are evaluated and regulated under the Endangered Species Act, using data on exposure, toxicity, and how products are used in the field. The goal is to better account for risks to protected species during both new registrations and ongoing reviews of existing products.
The strategy would apply nationwide, with the exception of Hawaii, and is intended to identify mitigation measures that could reduce potential harm from fungicide use. These measures are expected to become part of pesticide labels and regulatory decisions moving forward, meaning farmers could see additional requirements tied to how and where certain fungicides are applied.
For agriculture, the release signals continued movement toward more detailed, species-specific pesticide rules that could affect day-to-day crop protection decisions. While the strategy is still in draft form, it builds on similar EPA efforts for herbicides and insecticides and points to a future where compliance will increasingly depend on managing application practices to meet environmental standards alongside production needs.