The American Farm Bureau Federation sent letters to President Donald Trump and Congressional leaders to emphasize the severe economic pressures facing America’s farmers and ranchers. Falling crop prices, skyrocketing expenses and trade disputes are creating conditions that are too much for farm families to bear.
Read MoreFarm Bureau veteran Dr. John Newton returns to the American Farm Bureau Federation team on October 20, 2025, to serve as Vice President of Public Policy and Economic Analysis. In this role, he will lead AFBF’s government relations and advocacy staff and serve as chief economist, guiding AFBF’s team of economists.
Dr. Newton previously served as AFBF’s chief economist from 2018 to 2021. He returns to AFBF after serving as the chief economist for the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry from 2021 until 2024, and most recently serving as part of the Farm Credit system as the executive head of Terrain.
Read MoreSoybean growers this week are set to hear details of a potential bailout. The White House is promising to make farmers a “fortune” after their largest buyer, China, left the market and has not returned.
Meanwhile, critical services are on hold as the government shutdown continues. The Senate will gather this afternoon for another vote on a continuing resolution to fund the government.
Read MoreShoppers preparing for upcoming fall holidays, including Thanksgiving, should brace for higher turkey prices this year. New analysis from the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Market Intel series says economic factors as well as disease challenges have driven wholesale turkey prices up about 40%. While prices may be higher, the analysis shows there will be enough birds to meet consumer demand and Thanksgiving specials are likely to be offered by retailers.
Read MoreA new wage rate rule for agricultural guestworkers takes a much-needed step towards reforming regulations that have put labor out of reach for many of America’s farmers. The Department of Labor announced its new Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) Methodology for the Temporary Employment of H-2A Nonimmigrants in Non-Range Occupations in the United States. The new rule revises agriculture wage rates for all 50 states and Puerto Rico.
Read MoreThe American Farm Bureau Federation announced the opening of general registration today for the 2026 American Farm Bureau Convention. The convention will be held Jan. 9-14, 2026, in Anaheim, California.
The theme of the 107th consecutive American Farm Bureau Convention is “Imagine. Grow. Lead.” It will empower attendees with forward-thinking perspectives and policy insights to navigate the future of agriculture.
Read MoreAmerican Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented on an EPA proposal to reallocate renewable fuel production that will be lost to small refinery exemptions.
Read MoreFertilizer costs are having a bigger and bigger impact on farm budgets. In the lead-up to the 2022 crop year, fertilizer prices surged to record highs, driven by tight global supplies, energy shocks and trade disruptions. That period became a turning point in how farmers and policymakers thought about farm input risks. Fertilizer prices eased somewhat in 2023 and 2024 as energy markets stabilized and supply chains recovered, but price volatility is at the forefront once again.
Read MoreAmerican Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented today on a Bureau of Land Management proposal to rescind the 2024 Conservation and Landscape Health Rule which threatened the future of ranching in the U.S. by destabilizing a decades-old tradition of grazing on federal lands.
Read MoreFour start-up companies offering agricultural innovations have advanced to compete for a top prize of $100,000 in the 2026 Farm Bureau Ag Innovation Challenge. The American Farm Bureau Federation, in partnership with Farm Credit, continues to elevate the importance of entrepreneurship in agriculture through the contest.
Read MoreWhen people are asked what a “small farm” is, they may base their answer on the number of acres or number of animals a farm has – and they often assume that there aren’t many of them. However, small, family-owned farms continue to dominate the makeup of American farms and ranches across the country.
Read MoreAmerican Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented today on the Make America Healthy Again Commission’s “Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy.”
Read MoreAmerican Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented Friday on a federal court decision that vacates a burdensome and unfair disaggregation labor rule, which is part of the 2023 Adverse Effect Wage Rate Rule.
Read MoreAmerican Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented today on the Environmental Protection Agency’s announcement regarding small refinery exemptions, which impact renewable fuel production.
“Renewable fuels have been a tremendous success story for the country and the rural economy. The Renewable Fuel Standard has reduced our country’s dependence on foreign oil, reduced air pollution, increased farm income, and provided good-paying jobs in rural America.”
Read MoreThe president of the American Farm Bureau Federation says farmers might need more federal assistance to make it through 2026.
Zippy Duvall tells Brownfield “I’m beginning to hear in the last few weeks, especially in the southeast part of the country starting with the Bootheel of Missouri south, it’s time for the USDA and President Trump to start talking about that.”
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