Policy Updates
Democrats’ significant wins in the 2026 midterm elections could reshape federal agricultural policy, with farm input costs, trade, labor, and competition in agricultural markets among the issues facing renewed scrutiny.
Key farm-state races may determine control of Senate; key leadership roles set to shift
Significant turnover looms with at least nine members of the House Agriculture Committee and five members of the Senate Agriculture Committee expected to depart when the 119th Congress ends.
Meridian Ag Advisor’s Wesley Davis puts data behind 10 puzzles in the 2026 farm economy. Three of them: land values that won’t fall, input costs that won’t ease and a downturn that looks like the 1980s until it doesn’t.
USDA to provide one-time payments to help offset soaring costs for diesel and other inputs, President Trump announced in a campaign rally ahead of next month’s midterm elections.
The latest extension of the 2018 Farm Bill expired Sept. 30 without Congress reaching agreement on a new five-year package.
U.S. diesel prices have reached record highs, up 61% from the prior year, just as farmers prepare for the fuel-intensive fall harvest, putting additional pressure on already strained crop-farm margins.
The U.S. Department of Justice is expanding its investigation into high beef prices to include eight major retailers, broadening a probe that initially focused on the country’s largest meatpackers.
Farmers and rural organizations across the country are reporting growing difficulties accessing USDA services following a major reduction in the department’s workforce.
This week, President Donald Trump nominated Dr. Heidi Overton to serve as the next commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but she faces criticism due to involvement in executive orders and lack of management experience.