Other Ag News:
(Washington, D.C., July 28, 2026) – Today, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced the agency is investing $486.7 million through the Electric Infrastructure Loan Program to strengthen electric reliability and help maintain affordable power for communities throughout Georgia with wide-ranging system improvements.
(Washington, D.C., July 27, 2026) – Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke L. Rollins and the State of Georgia have finalized a Cooperative Interstate Shipment (CIS) agreement, which provides an opportunity for participating state-inspected meat processors to ship their products across state lines. Under the agreement, Georgia may inspect meat products produced in participating establishments for shipment throughout the United States.
(Washington, D.C., July 24, 2026) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is announcing a coordinated, phased reopening of southern cattle ports, contingent on Mexico’s adherence to the Joint Action Plan. Beginning August 24, 2026, USDA will open the Douglas, AZ port of entry to cattle trade, while simultaneously initiating the operational steps necessary for subsequent openings at the Santa Teresa, NM, and Columbus, NM, ports.
(Washington, D.C., July 23, 2026) – U.S.
(Washington, D.C., July 22, 2026) – 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.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) claimed the power to routinely send game wardens onto private property without limitations, including at the Punxsutawney and Pitch Pine hunting clubs.
However, via a unanimous 7-0 ruling, that intrusion is over in Pennsylvania. “For years, the Pennsylvania Game Commission has acted as if it’s above the law, invading our land and spying on our members whenever it pleases,” said Jeff Fink, president of Pitch Pine Hunting Club. “We now know the Pennsylvania Constitution forbids that—and thank goodness.”
At the bull’s-eye of the case is the doctrine of Open Fields, allowing government officials to enter, surveil, and remain on private land without restraint. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s hammer blow against Open Fields could echo at both the federal and state levels.
Currently, Open Fields litigation is moving in Alabama, Louisiana, and Virginia. The scope of power claimed by government officials at both the state and federal levels, by way of Open Fields, is remarkably absolute.
Short Shrift
Pitch Pine (1,100 acres) and Punxsutawney (4,000 acres) are neighboring hunting clubs tucked in the steep hills of Clearfield County, Pennsylvania.
All roads in and out of both hunting clubs are gated and the entire perimeter is posted. The membership of the clubs (Pitch Pine—50; Punxsutawney—81) is a blue- and white-collar cross-section. Roughly a quarter of Pitch Pine members are military veterans.
PGC placed a no-warrant camera on Punxsutawney property within proximity of a feeding station and took a series of secret photos.(Photo courtesy of Institute for Justice)
“We’re a bunch of regular people and we have had enough of the state abuse of power,” stated member Jon Mikesell, in 2022, to Agweb. “This is not about politics. This is about fundamental freedoms in this country that every citizen, right or left, should care about.”
“We have reached a time in this country when our government openly believes it can spy on us with no warrant or cause,” Mikesell insisted. “Don’t look away from what is happening in our homeland.”
Represented by Institute for Justice (IJ), Pitch Pine and Punxsutawney sued PGC in 2021, after decades of repeated entries by game wardens onto club ground, without warrant or probable cause.
Lead IJ attorney in the case, Joshua Windham, says the Court’s ruling sends notice to other states that allow warrantless entries onto private land: “The Pennsylvania Supreme Court recognized that state courts all over the country are taking different positions on this issue—and it made very clear that it found the decisions giving short shrift to landowners’ property and privacy rights were simply not persuasive.”
“It’s rare to get a unanimous victory overruling a previous state supreme court decision. But the reason we won 7-0 is that the prior decision (Russo), which allowed state officials to treat all private land in Pennsylvania like public property, was egregiously wrong. Today’s decision recognizes that.”
Eventual Challenge
The Open Fields doctrine stems from two U.S. Supreme Court decisions in 1924 (Hester) and 1984 (Oliver), giving federal officials permission to enter private land with no limits on frequency, duration, or scope. Essentially, the government can access any acreage without warrant or probable cause, excluding a personal residence and immediate yard/lawn/curtilage. Open Fields asserts that on private land, the Bill of Rights’ Fourth Amendment protections from search and seizure do not exist.
Open Fields allows government officials to enter, surveil, and remain on private land without restraint.(Photo by Institute for Justice)
The Pennsylvania decision points to a future federal case, Windham concludes:
“This decision puts another brick in the wall for an eventual challenge to the federal Open Fields doctrine. One of the reasons the U.S. Supreme Court has refused to protect private land under the Fourth Amendment is the mistaken notion that people have no reasonable expectation of privacy on their land.”
“The Pennsylvania Supreme Court thoroughly explains why that is false: When people take lawful steps to exclude intruders (for example, by posting “no trespassing” signs or erecting fences), that makes it reasonable for them to expect privacy from intruders,” Windham adds. “We’re optimistic the U.S. Supreme Court will one day see it that way, too.”
For more from Chris Bennett (@ChrisBennettMS or cbennett@farmjournal.com or 662-592-1106), see:
Stealing the Farm: China Continues Raid of US Agriculture by Theft and Agroterror
Corn and Cocaine: Roger Reaves and the Most Incredible Farm Story Never Told
How the Deep State Tried, and Failed, to Crush an American Farmer
Game of Horns: Iowa Poacher’s Antler Addiction Leads to Historic Bust
Ghost Cattle: $650M Ponzi Rocks Livestock Industry, Money Still Missing
Georgia Watermelon Heist Explodes into Epic Night of Pandemonium
Sisters of Farm Fraud: How 4 Siblings Fleeced USDA for $10M
When Conservation Backfires: Landowner Defeats Feds in Mindboggling Private Property Case
Cold-Busted: Frozen Deer Decoy Nabs Poachers and Cocaine in Spectacular Sting
Sticky Fingers: USDA Fraudster Steals $200M in Stunning Scam
For Immediate Release
Contact: Laura Zaks
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
press@sustainableagriculture.net
Release: Farmers Advance Sustainable Agriculture Priorities During NSAC Lobby DayWashington, DC, July 21, 2026 – Today, nearly 40 farmers, ranchers, and agriculture stakeholders participated in a National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) Lobby Day. Farmers from 12 states – California, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, and Wisconsin – and a wide array of production types and farm sizes met virtually with policymakers to share firsthand accounts of how they are leveraging federal programs to build thriving farm businesses and feed their communities. The farmer visits come as Congress weighs a new farm bill, emergency farm assistance, and fiscal year (FY) 2027 agriculture appropriations.
“With all of the turmoil around the Farm Bill, last year’s contract freezes, and FSA/NRCS staff cuts here in Maine, I was glad to be able to have a conversation with the Senator’s staff and know we were being heard,” said Bill Pluecker of Begin Again Farm in Warren, Maine. “We know that DC is sending more money to shore up commodities while smaller farmers deal with increasing costs on our own. I felt reassured to know that the Senator’s staff was willing to hear our stories, take them back to Capitol Hill, and do their best to send support our way,” Pluecker added.
“I want to believe that elected officials still consider their constituents’ experiences when making policy decisions, so I appreciate any opportunity to share my experiences as a small, beginning pig farmer. Senator Fetterman needs to know that there are pig farmers in Pennsylvania that support animal welfare standards and oppose the Save Our Bacon Act,” said Noah Erwin, the owner and operator of Dahps Farm in Perry County, PA.
Participants emphasized the need for a farm bill that meets the moment by making long overdue, robust investments in farmers and their communities. Farmers are calling for renewed domestic market access through new investments in local and regional food procurement, an improved farm safety net that expands access to risk management tools for farms of all shapes and sizes, and investments that build resilience into farm businesses – from improving access to on-farm conservation programs and expanding public investment in agriculture research. If Congress is unable to approve a new, bipartisan farm bill this year, it is essential to build these critical long-term farm investments into the emergency farm assistance package.
“The farmers in the meetings I attended said it loud and clear: they deserve better. Each of them is navigating a unique set of issues that constantly threaten their livelihoods. I am inspired by their resilience and by their commitment to advocacy not only for themselves but for every small, diversified, beginning, and BIPOC farmer around the country who has been systematically excluded from federal programs. Today, I hope that the Senate heard them,” said Tyler Edwards, NSAC Grassroots Coordinator.
“We believe our country is unified in its belief that farmers are vital to our collective well-being. Helping to amplify their lived experiences to larger audiences, including elected officials, is so important to remind everyone of the need to support their work. We need policy that is firmly grounded in farmers’ lived experiences. Thank you to NSAC for bridging our farm community and political leadership,” said Jennifer New, Communications and Policy Manager at Marbleseed, an NSAC member organization.
NSAC has been a leader in agricultural policy for more than 35 years and has been instrumental in helping to develop some of our nation’s most successful agricultural programs for conserving natural resources, advancing the next generation of farmers, supporting agricultural research, and creating sustainable market connections.
NSAC is grateful to all of the farmers and advocates for taking time out of their busy lives to join this Lobby Day, as well as the Senators and Hill staff who took the time to listen, engage, and discuss the policy priorities that matter most to farmers and rural communities.
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About the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC)
The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition is a grassroots alliance that advocates for federal policy reform supporting the long-term social, economic, and environmental sustainability of agriculture, natural resources, and rural communities.
Learn more and get involved at: https://sustainableagriculture.net
The post Release: Farmers Advance Sustainable Agriculture Priorities During NSAC Lobby Day appeared first on National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Laura Zaks
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
press@sustainableagriculture.net
Tel. 347.563.6408
Release: NSAC Applauds the Introduction of the Fair Seeds for Farmers ActWashington, DC, July 15, 2026 – Yesterday, Representatives Jim McGovern (D-MA) and Greg Casar (D-TX) introduced the Fair Seeds for Farmers Act. Over the past few decades, the continued consolidation of the seed industry has driven up costs for those who grow food and those who buy it at the grocery store. The future of sustainable and organic agriculture and local, affordable, healthy food systems across the country – along with farmers’ ability to meet the challenges of climate change and food security – depends on reigning in corporate control of seeds.
“The hyperconsolidation and commodification of seeds have eroded farmers’ resilience and diminished the agrobiodiversity of crops cultivated in the US at an alarming rate. Farmers play an important role in seed development by nurturing adaptable seed varieties that can help create a more resilient and affordable food system – yet commodification has recently hindered farmers’ ability to participate in this essential first component of farming,” commented Nick Rossi, NSAC Policy Specialist.
“The Fair Seeds for Farmers Act takes an important step in curtailing corporate abuse of US Patent Law and reaffirms farmers’ and researchers’ ability to breed, experiment, propagate, and save seeds without fear of retaliation from large seed companies,” added Rossi.
Specifically, the Fair Seeds for Farmers Act would:
- Limit the patentability of seeds to the Plant Variety Protection Act and the Plant Patent Act. This applies to all pending and future patents, but existing patents are unaffected.
- Prevent corporate seed companies from limiting researchers or farmers from breeding, experimenting, propagating or saving seeds – including through burdensome contracts.
- Defines certain breeding specific terms under federal law to ensure the integrity of IP claims for seeds and plants.
Read more about the Fair Seeds for Farmers Act here.
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About the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC)
The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition is a grassroots alliance that advocates for federal policy reform supporting the long-term social, economic, and environmental sustainability of agriculture, natural resources, and rural communities.
Learn more and get involved at: https://sustainableagriculture.net
The post Release: NSAC Applauds the Introduction of the Fair Seeds for Farmers Act appeared first on National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.
For Immediate Release
Contact: Laura Zaks
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
press@sustainableagriculture.net
Release: NSAC Urges Reconsideration of Problematic OMB Proposed RuleWashington, DC, July 14, 2026 – Yesterday, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) submitted detailed comments to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) citing major concerns with OMB’s proposed Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance and urging the agency to rescind the rule in its entirety. NSAC warned that the proposal would inject new uncertainty and risk into an already fragile agricultural sector and undermine the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) ability to fulfill its mission.
In its 20‑plus page comment letter, NSAC outlines concerns with the proposal, including, as the comment states:“new and expanded discretionary suspension and termination authority; legal and compliance concerns regarding vague and undefined terms; added burdens on funding recipients and particularly on farmers and partnership projects; politicization of grant review and funding decisions; conflicts with USDA’s own statutory authorities; and an overall lack of clarity regarding scope and applicability to USDA grantees.”
“Each of these concerns alone is significant enough to warrant substantial revision,” said Sophia Kruszewski, NSAC Deputy Policy Director. “Taken cumulatively, they illustrate the dire need to rescind the proposed rule in its entirety and restart the rulemaking process from the beginning, taking care to ensure there are multiple meaningful opportunities to effectively solicit and integrate USDA-specific facts, legal authorities, and stakeholder input.”
NSAC’s comment emphasizes that many of USDA’s most important farm bill and rural development programs, including farmer conservation program contracts, beginning farmer training programs, local and regional food system initiatives, and critical agricultural loan programs, could be destabilized if funding agreements can be suspended or canceled at any time at the political discretion of agency leadership.
“Since January 2025, sudden funding freezes, unanticipated grant terminations, and abrupt full program cancellations—not to mention a woefully understaffed USDA—have upended farmers’ business plans and planting decisions, delayed and prevented farmland purchases, prompted layoffs, and left farmers in the lurch awaiting reimbursements for purchases made under duly executed agreements. Agriculture will always have disruptive events, from market disruptions and natural disasters to pandemics and pests. Yet, the structure of federal policy determines the impact of those disruptions on farm families, their communities, the land, and the country. The federal government should offer more, not less, certainty and stability for farmers already confronting the compounding impacts of increasing production costs, decreasing income, rising land prices, lost markets, and evolving pest pressures,” the comment states.
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About the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC)
The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition is a grassroots alliance that advocates for federal policy reform supporting the long-term social, economic, and environmental sustainability of agriculture, natural resources, and rural communities.
Learn more and get involved at: https://sustainableagriculture.net
The post Release: NSAC Urges Reconsideration of Problematic OMB Proposed Rule appeared first on National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.
(Washington, D.C., July 10, 2026) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins today announced that ten additional meat and poultry companies have adopted USDA’s voluntary Product of USA label, marking continued momentum behind the Administration’s efforts to help consumers easily identify products that are truly born, raised, harvested, and processed in the United States.
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