With droughts, floods, and wildfires wreaking havoc, ranchers are getting some much-needed support from the USDA’s new relief initiative. Times are tough, but hope is on the horizon.
Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins provided updates to federal farm safety net programs while speaking at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Annual Convention in southern California.
Enrollment for the USDA’s ARC and PLC Programs will not open until after the 2026 planting season; this comes as USDA readies a 61-page final rule implementing updates required by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025.
Agriculture policy analysts say 2026 could mark the end of the traditional five-year U.S. Farm Bill era, as lawmakers struggle to produce comprehensive legislation.
Public comments are being accepted through January 27th on a final rule designed to expand producer access to crop insurance and other risk protections.
Signups start Monday for the second round of disaster payments covering 2023 and 2024, as USDA readies its much-awaited tariff relief package expected out in December.
The top Senate Republican is privately warning the White House that American farmers, a key GOP constituency, will continue to suffer if the Trump administration doesn’t reopen the flow of certain farm loans amid the government shutdown.