Recent stories by Jerry Hagstrom
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In trying to please both MAHA and farmers, White House makes neither happy
Tariffs and pesticides are among the issues dividing the disparate groups the administration hopes to keep under the GOP tent.
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Chicago is the epicenter of food and hunger policy
Long the home of the agricultural-futures market, the Windy City is now also a hub of food-focused activism and nonprofits.
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Rollins's honeymoon comes to an end
The USDA secretary can no longer blame farmers' troubles on the Biden administration.
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The next clash between the administration and MAHA could come over PFAS
Secretaries Kennedy and Zeldin announced a plan to address the 'forever chemicals,' but activists are already criticizing them for repealing Biden-era rules.
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The farm bill's sticking points in the Senate
Senate Agriculture Chair John Boozman's office says he won't let the perfect be the enemy of the good, but the 'skinny' bill may still be a heavy lift.
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Will Congress find the 'skinny farm bill' to be filling enough?
Poison pills on weed killer and Prop 12 , as well as a fight over SNAP funding, threaten to derail the bill.
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Is an RFK-approved menu realistic for school lunch programs?
School officials worry that the new food pyramid, plus stricter eligibility requirements for entitlement programs, will raise the cost of providing school meals.
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Who will lead Congress's agricultural committees next year?
Rep. Shontel Brown could chair the House committee as part of a massive shake-up.
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Why agriculture policy no longer meets the industry's challenges
Economists see a future of tariffs, increased competition from Brazil, and only Band-Aid solutions from Congress.
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Sugar, corn producers beg for relief. Is Washington in a position to deliver?
Votes on a new farm bill are no sure thing. Meanwhile, farmers say help from the administration hasn't been enough.
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Ag lobbyists say they're scared to buck the White House. Not so their retired colleagues.
A letter to Congress from former industry leaders has roiled the world of farm lobbying.
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Emanuel says education, national service can heal urban-rural divide
Speaking to a trade group, presidential hopeful Rahm Emanuel warned that it may take a generation to bridge the country’s partisan fault lines.
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As growers’ pain increases, prospects for a farm bill remain murky
At an industry conference this week, neither congressional ag leaders nor USDA brass were able to offer much clarity.
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Bailout will be no panacea for farm country
Agriculture interests say the $12 billion in subsidies don't cover the losses that farmers have endured.
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Is Brooke Rollins’s honeymoon over at USDA?
Democrats call the Agriculture secretary's food-assistance policy cruel, while farm groups and even some Republicans are skeptical of her plans to aid farmers and reorganize the department.
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Ag policy illustrates the administration’s top-down approach to governing
'We may have only one department—the Department of the White House.'
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Will automated farm equipment replace foreign workers?
Absent immigration reform in Congress, growers may turn to driverless sprayers, seeders, and harvesters.
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Anti-hunger advocates steel themselves for looming cuts
Low-income families face tougher work requirements for SNAP, plus uncertain funding for the WIC program.
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No farm bill without a bailout?
Falling prices could make cash crops an unsustainable business without federal help.
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Ireland provides a road map for coping with U.S. tariffs
An initiative that helps Irish businesses find foreign markets is now helping entrepreneurs navigate tariffs.