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Farm Bill What-If Tool
This program calculates Agricultural Risk Coverage for County Coverage (ARC-CO), Price Loss Coverage (PLC) payments, and ARC at the Individual Level (ARC-IC). County yields and market year average (MYA) prices…
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Latest farmdoc Daily Articles
The Farm Bill in Reconciliation: Loophole as Rosetta Stone; Review and Comment
As of July 4, 2025, budget reconciliation, bearing the title “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” is Public Law. Among its many provisions are revisions to the major mandatory programs of the Farm Bill, reauthorizing them through 2031. Rushed through Congress under special budget procedures and a dearth of deliberation, much about this new federal law remains confusing and dismaying. This article reviews an expanded loophole for farm program payment limitations as a potential Rosetta Stone.
The role of H-2A Workers in Illinois
The growth in use of the H-2A temporary agricultural work program over the past 15 years, both at the national level and within Illinois, is an indication of the labor market challenges facing nearly all business types in the U.S. Labor market trends suggest these labor market challenges will continue to persist. Farms and other agricultural businesses seem poised to continue to rely on a variety of labor sources, including H-2A workers, for the foreseeable future.
Impacts of the Commodity Title Changes Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) for Midwestern Farms in 2025
This farmdoc daily article discusses the changes made to the Price Loss Coverage (PLC) and Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) programs in the commodity provisions of the budget reconciliation legislation known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). For the 2025 crop year, the new commodity title provisions are expected to increase payments by significant amounts. Those payments, however, will not be received until October 2026.
Tar Spot on the Move: Tracking and Managing an Established Corn Threat in Illinois
Tar spot of corn, caused by the fungus Phyllachora maydis, has become one of the most challenging foliar diseases for corn growers in the Midwest. First identified in the U.S. in…
The New Base Acre Provisions in the 2025 Farm Bill
This article continues the discussion begun in the July 1, 2025 farmdoc daily of the new base acre provision in the 2025 Farm Bill. The provision is systematically laid out. The 30 million acre cap on new base acres will likely be exceeded, necessitating pro-rating of new base acres. States in the Plains and Midwest are likely to add the largest number of new base acres. States with few base acres are likely to have the highest percent increase.
The Growing Role of H-2A Workers in U.S. Agriculture
The H-2A program allows eligible employers in the U.S. an avenue to request and hire foreign workers to fill temporary agricultural jobs. The program plays a critical role in addressing seasonal and temporary labor needs. In 2024, more than 380,000 workers were authorized under this program—a 300% increase from 2010, when only 94,000 workers participated. This growth reflects both rising demand for labor and an increase in employer applications.
Latest Farm Policy News Articles
Trump Admin Touts Farm Conservation, Says No Pesticide Crackdown
The loss of topsoil on American farms is threatening the country’s food supply and demands a new commitment to conservation, Trump administration officials said Tuesday. They also say the White…
US Corn Export Sales Forecast at Record Levels
U.S. corn export sales have continued at a blistering pace and support a 100-million-bushel month-to-month increase for the 2024/25 marketing year, raising the forecast to a record-high 2,750 million bushels.…
Farm Bankruptcies Rising in 2025
Family farm bankruptcies increased by 55% last year compared to 2023 and are trending even higher this year as farmers continue to grapple with depressed agricultural commodity prices and high…
Trump Threatens 30% Tariffs on Mexico and the EU
President Donald Trump on Saturday threatened to impose a 30% tariff on imports from Mexico and the European Union starting on August 1, after weeks of negotiations with the major…
Trump’s Brazil Tariffs Could Impact Beef and Coffee Trade
President Donald Trump’s unexpected move to threaten a 50% tariff on Brazil risks roiling global commodity markets, disrupting trade on everything from beef to coffee.
US Pauses Restart of Mexican Cattle Imports due to Screwworm
The Agriculture Department said Wednesday evening that the U.S. would be closing the southern border to livestock trade, effective immediately, after reports that New World screwworm has resumed its northward…