Congressman Clay Higgins (R-LA) introduced H.R. 9781, the Defend American Agriculture Act, legislation that raises the borrowing authority of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) from $30 billion to $45 billion through September 2031.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is taking steps to speed up progress in plant science by calling on universities and stakeholders to help build new AI tools that can translate the huge amount of germplasm data the agency collects.

Through the Genesis Mission and the Agriculture Advanced Research and Development Authority (AgARDA), USDA is expected to launch an Agricultural National Science & Technology Challenge later this year.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins is urging Congress to approve more than $11 billion in additional farm assistance, telling lawmakers many producers continue to struggle with high input costs despite efforts to improve the farm economy.

Testifying before the Senate Appropriations Committee, Rollins says the Trump administration is pursuing both short-term financial relief and long-term strategies to reduce production costs, including expanding domestic fertilizer manufacturing.

What a difference a month makes, seems like just yesterday that 90% of our State was in severe or extreme drought…what a change!  As you are aware, recent storms associated with Tropical Storm Arthur brought record breaking amounts of rainfall to the South-central portion of the state.

U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development announced the certification of the Farmers Innovation Fund as a Rural Business Investment Company, expanding private-sector investment opportunities for innovative agricultural businesses serving rural America.

House Republicans on Wednesday unveiled a budget framework for a roughly $95 billion reconciliation package that would provide funding for defense, farm aid and state efforts to implement voter ID requirements in elections.

The resolution marks the opening salvo in Republicans’ effort to use the budget reconciliation process one final time to advance key GOP priorities while they still control both chambers of Congress and the White House.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) is now accepting nominations for county committee members and encourages all farmers, ranchers, and FSA program participants to take part in the Name County Committee nomination process. County committee members make important decisions about how Federal farm programs are administered locally. All nomination forms for the 2026 election must be postmarked or received in the local FSA office by Aug. 3, 2026.    

The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) has updated multiple crop insurance policies beginning with the 2027 crop year for crops with a June 30, 2026, contract change date, and for the 2028 crop year for crops with an earlier contract change date.

Physical loss loans through the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) can help producers repair or replace damaged or destroyed physical property essential to the success of the agricultural operation, including livestock losses. Examples of property commonly affected include essential farm buildings, fixtures to real estate, equipment, livestock, perennial crops, fruit and nut bearing trees, and harvested or stored crops and hay.

Impacted Area: Mississippi and Louisiana

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is making significant improvements to its disaster assistance and commodity loan programs as outlined in the Working Families Tax Cuts Act to celebrate the one-year anniversary of President Donald J. Trump signing the Act into law on July 4, 2025. As part of the commitment to put Farmers First, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is strengthening disaster assistance support for livestock producers, orchardists and nursery tree growers, increasing Marketing Assistance Loan rates, and expanding Marketing Assistance Loans to better help cotton and sugar producers.    

The Town of Gilbert is moving forward with a $1.4 million sewer improvement project; funded in large part by a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

To keep the grant, the town must provide a local match of more than $500,000. Mayor Mike Stephens says the town plans to borrow the match money at 1% interest, then pay it back monthly through sewer service fees.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is accepting 2.2 million acres into the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) for 2026. Through CRP, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) offers agricultural producers and landowners incentive payments for their conservation efforts while benefiting their agricultural operations and protecting the nation’s natural resources.