#usda-response

#usda-response

"Many times I find myself having to set aside other basic needs my children have in order to prioritize buying food," Garcia said in Spanish.

"There are people who have come here after escaping violence and persecution and torture. These are communities that we have historically said, 'You are welcome here. We have the support for you. We're going to help you get established in our country.' And now, the federal government is abandoning them."

"They're choking us. We are getting choked out here. This is not going to end well." - Dave O'Brien, expressing frustration over the impact of current policies on farmers.

RealAg radio and real EggCulture.com is your home for insight and analysis of the issues that are impacting your farm business. Let's get real and get connected with RealAg Radio.

STATEWIDE - NEW YORK FARMERS ARE UNDER INCREASING ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL PRESSURE because of federal policy changes, including higher tariffs, cuts to certain agricultural programs and stricter immigration enforcement policies, according to a report that state Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli released on Tuesday, Jan. 27. DiNapoli warns these challenges could diminish farm production, squeeze profits and lead to higher prices for consumers.

Food policy across much of the world is changing. But not in Britain. That may be a costly mistake as the prices of essentials rise because of the climate emergency, geopolitical tensions and the fragility of just-in-time supply chains. Many capitals are now reviving their strategic food reserves. European nations such as Sweden, Finland, Norway and Germany are rebuilding stocks dismantled after the cold war.

I think the question you're asking, and it's a really important one, is while we're asking Americans to reconsider what they're eating, are we actually asking Americans - especially those who are living on the margins - are we asking them to spend more on their diet? And the answer to that is 'no.

The Trump administration is directing employees at the U.S. Department of Agriculture to investigate foreign scientists who collaborate with the agency on research papers for evidence of "subversive or criminal activity." The new directive, part of a broader effort to increase scrutiny of research done with foreign partners, asks workers in the agency's research arm to use Google to check the backgrounds of all foreign nationals collaborating with its scientists.

"If Canada wants generational change in agricultural innovation, we need to transform our policy around how we fund plant breeding," he says. The current system, heavily reliant on public funding and check-off dollars, is increasingly under pressure. Reinheimer points to signs that Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) is shrinking its breeding footprint-especially in wheat, where AAFC varieties still account for about 80 per cent of acres. The problem? There's no updated funding model to match that shift.

A dairy operation that burns through $2 million in two years on $12 million in revenue has a structural problem, not a temporary one. A farm that accumulates $2 million in debt on $12 million in revenue is structurally losing money. Understanding why matters more than choosing a debt repayment strategy.

Profitability in the cattle business often hinges on understanding the real cost of production, something that can be difficult to pin down when labour, land, and opportunity costs aren't always clearly accounted for.

Conrad says the Alberta government is mindful of the implications for long-standing research programs and the people affected by the decision. "It's early, we're concerned, we're actively talking and we'll do our very best to optimize," he says, noting that Alberta is a co-investor in some of the work conducted at Lacombe and sees the site as a critical part of the province's agricultural research ecosystem.

This literally could not be happening at a worse time. The conflict in the Middle East is choking global supplies of fertilizer right before the crucial spring planting season, affecting American farmers already squeezed for months by tariff wars and threatening the global supply chain of essential agricultural inputs.

Canadian livestock producers deserve risk management programs that reflect the realities of their operations. Adding pasture-related feed costs as an allowable expense ensures fairer support for those who rely on rented pastureland. Our government is committed to supporting producers with effective, responsive programs to protect farming operations.

Outside, it's an overcast and blustery February day in Kent hardly the ideal conditions for growing tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers. Yet inside the enormous glasshouses run by grower Thanet Earth, the climate has been optimised to a humid 20C, perfect for the regimented rows of small pepper plants poking out of raised trays. Growing fresh produce indoors in the south of England year-round requires plenty of energy to provide light, warmth and carbon dioxide.

This releg radio podcast is brought to you by Nufocus NXT Herbicide from FMC Focus NXT Herbicide delivers a complete burn off and extended residual control solution tailored for spring wheat growers in the black soil zone. See your local retailer today. It's time for RealAg Radio on rural radio channel147 on SiriusXM. Reel Ag radio and real EggCulture.com is your home for insight and analysis of the issues that are impacting your farm business. Let's get real and get connected with RealAg Radio.

My career as an agronomist required me to take scientific research and apply that knowledge, to assist farmers by helping them solve problems and increase their farms profitability. The ag industry relies on research to continue to solve the ever-changing problems that farmers face. Today my farm business employs management practices that have come directly from the Lacombe Research and Development Centre, this has improved my farms resilience and profitability.

A group of Illinois small farmers are meeting with members of Congress on Thursday in Washington to discuss their hopes for "transformational investments" in the next farm bill, which governs policy in the agricultural sector. As they see it, the new law could provide significant financial investment and protections that reduce economic inequality and racial injustice; build crop and human resilience to climate change and unpredictable weather; and improve access to nutritious food and sustainable, local systems.

To coincide with this event, the Heinrich Boll Foundation, which has close ties to the Green Party, has published its "Corporate Atlas 2026." The study states: In Germany, more and more small and medium-sized farms are dying out. One reason is that the domestic supply chains for milk, meat and vegetables are dominated by just four large retail chains that dictate prices and squeeze farmers out of business.