Needed FMMO Reform Undermined by Make Allowance Giveaway
USDA recently announced that a final Federal Milk Marketing Order decision was approved by dairy farmers and cooperatives across all 11 orders through separate referenda conducted within each order. AFBF has called for changes to the Federal Milk Marketing Orders dating back to 2019.
“We’re grateful that USDA listened to not only our calls but also calls from the broader dairy industry to switch back to the ‘higher of’ Class I milk formula, increase Class I differentials, improve cheese price discovery and update milk composition factors,” said AFBF President Zippy Duvall.
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Foreign Footprints: Trends in U.S. Agricultural Land Ownership
Foreign ownership of U.S. agricultural land, which includes timberland, remains a widely debated and often controversial topic, fueled by concerns about the implications of foreign investments — especially those from nations viewed as adversarial to the U.S. Since our previous analysis, Foreign Investment in U.S. Ag Land – The Latest Numbers, two additional years of data — 2022 and 2023 — have become available.
This article updates the trends in foreign ownership, revealing a 1.58-million-acre increase in foreign-held agricultural land between 2022 and 2023, driven primarily by investments linked to renewable energy projects.
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Tournament Rule Provides More Transparency for America’s Farmers
American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented today on the final USDA poultry tournament rule under the Packers & Stockyards Act.
“Farm Bureau appreciates USDA’s commitment to bringing greater fairness to farmers who raise poultry under the tournament system.”
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Agricultural Land: To Own or To Rent?
In 2022, 39% of agricultural land was rented – a proportion that has remained relatively stable for over 50 years. When deciding how to acquire land, rising farm real estate values can be a valuable asset or an extra hit to growing production expenses. Farmers and ranchers who operate a mix of owned and rented land make up over half of agricultural land in production and are affected by both sides of land value spikes.
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Making Ag Trade a Priority
The new year always feels like a fresh start, a time to plan for the months ahead and think about what needs to get done. For farmers, it’s a chance to think about our upcoming planting season, what we want our herds to look like or even what projects around the farm we plan to take on. It’s also a chance to look beyond our farms and look toward what challenges and opportunities lie ahead for American agriculture in 2025.
One looming challenge for agriculture this year is our projected trade deficit. According to the USDA’s latest outlook, we are expecting a $45.5 billion agricultural trade deficit for 2025.
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Bananas, Beverages and Bottlenecks: Second Port Strike on Deck
Everyone loves a sequel — don’t they? Well, ready or not, we’re gearing up for a second showdown between the International Longshoreman’s Association (ILA) union and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX). A three-day strike last fall (Oct. 1-3) delivered a tentative agreement for a 62% base wage increase for hourly dockworkers (from $39 to $63 per hour) over six years, as well as an extension of the master contract to allow more time for final negotiations. However, with that extension set to expire on Jan. 15, the union could reignite tensions by calling a new work stoppage, potentially disrupting most non-bulk shipping at U.S. East Coast and Gulf ports once again.
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Finding Solutions for Farmers and Ranchers in 2025
This past year marked my second full year serving as executive vice president at the American Farm Bureau Federation and it has been inspiring to see our organization flourish as we serve farmers and ranchers.
Although our grassroots leaders have been key to the federation for more than 100 years, in 2024, we put a special spotlight on them as we celebrated “The Year of the County President.”
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Louisiana Farmer Named to National Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee
Farm Bureau farmer and rancher members play an important role in our communities and our organization by serving on governing boards and committees at local, state and national levels. Several newly appointed volunteers will provide leadership beginning in 2025 as members of the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Promotion & Education and Young Farmers & Ranchers committees.
Duvall announced the appointment of the following members to the YF&R Committee for the 2025-2027 term beginning in March: Cleveland Jackson, Georgia, (beef cattle); Scot Schwieterman, Kansas (alfalfa hay, row crops, cereal grains); Rachel Duncan, Louisiana (soybeans, beef cattle, cut flowers); Cora Okkema, Michigan (dairy cattle); Dustin and Katie Wiese, Minnesota (beef cattle, hay, corn, sorghum, oats); Tommy Salisbury, Oklahoma (soybeans, milo, wheat, beef cattle); and Jonathan Quigley, Washington (tree fruit).
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Court Ordered Whiplash: Farmers Granted Reprieve – Again – From Legal Filing
American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented today on the ping pong of court orders that ended with a court-ordered reprieve from Treasury Department reporting requirements for many small businesses.
Earlier this month, a federal court halted the Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) reporting requirement from the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. On Monday, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit reinstated the Jan. 1, 2025, deadline.
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AFBF Expert Breaks Down What Producers Need to Know When Filing Corporate Transparency Act Reporting
The Corporate Transparency Act, passed in 2021, has proven to be a huge headache for farmers. as the deadline to file reports with the Department of Treasury Looms, we brought in an expert to discuss the situation.
American Farm Bureau Associate Economist, Samantha Ayoub spoke with RFD-TV’s own Suzanne Alexander on what businesses are subject to CTA registration, the deadline to file, and the recent back-and-forth in the courts.
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Last Minute Court Ruling Puts Farmers at Legal Risk
A last-minute court of appeals ruling could put tens of thousands of farmers in legal crosshairs for failing to register their businesses with the federal government. Farmers who operate corporations and limited liability companies are once again required to file Beneficial Ownership Information with the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) or face stiff fines or jail time.
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Trade Panel Affirms Safety of American-Grown Corn
American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented today on a United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) panel ruling that Mexico’s ban on American-grown biotech corn is a violation of the trade agreement.
“Farm Bureau applauds the USMCA panel decision regarding Mexico’s actions to ban biotech corn for human consumption and animal feed. The panel affirmed what AFBF and America’s farmers have emphasized all along – biotech corn is safe and decisions must be based on science, not politics.”
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Farm Bureau Applauds Congress for Full Passage of Continuing Resolution
American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented today on the full passage of the continuing resolution that includes economic and disaster aid for farmers and a farm bill extension.
“Farm Bureau thanks the House and the Senate for finding common ground and passing legislation that will keep the government open and help farmers who are struggling with natural disasters, high supply costs and out-of-reach interest rates. For many farmers, the disaster relief provided through the CR will be the difference between planting for another year or going out of business.
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Farm Bureau to Congress: Stand Up for Farmers in CR Dispute
American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall delivered a letter to Congress urging elected leaders to stand with farmers as they reconsider the contents of a Continuing Resolution (CR) to fund the federal government and potentially offer a lifeline to farmers and ranchers. Below are excerpts from the letter.
“Any alternative Continuing Resolution (CR) must include: a farm bill extension, aid to rebuild after natural disasters, economic assistance to bridge the gap until we can get to a new farm bill, and year-round E-15 sales.”
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Farmers Ask Congress to Pass Critical Assistance
American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall today is asking Congress to pass the continuing resolution bill that includes support for farmers.
“I know I speak for farmers across the country when I say thank you to Speaker Johnson, Leaders Jeffries, Schumer and McConnell, and many other members of Congress for recognizing the incredibly difficult agricultural economy by including in the year-end legislation: much-needed economic assistance for farmers; emergency aid for communities devastated by natural disasters; a farm bill extension; and for making E-15 available at fuel pumps all year long.
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