Lydia Johnson

2 weeks ago | agriculture.com | Andrew Huneke |Lydia Johnson

This week, the Senate Ag Committee released budget reconciliation text that includes a boost to some key farm bill programs and a less aggressive state SNAP cost share proposal than the House. On this episode of Agri-Pulse Newsmakers, Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., discussed the proposal and her recent meeting with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. about the Make America Healthy Again Commission report.

3 weeks ago | agriculture.com | Andrew Huneke |Lydia Johnson

The pork industry suffered one of the worst economic years on record in 2023. As producers now grapple with the uncertainty of tariffs, Agri-Pulse Newsmakers spoke with Kevin Stuckey, sow unit manager at Cooper Farms in Ohio; Chris Ford, VP corporate swine lender at Farm Credit Services of America; and Oklahoma Pork Council Executive Director Kylee Deniz to get a pulse on the animal health, labor, and economic challenges facing the industry.

4 weeks ago | agriculture.com | Andrew Huneke |Lydia Johnson

Senate Republicans will spend the coming weeks trying to agree on changes to President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill. In this week's episode of Agri-Pulse Newsmakers, Clinton and George W. Bush administration ag secretaries, Dan Glickman and Mike Johanns, were asked about how reconciliation elements may change in the Senate and the fate of the traditional rural-urban farm bill coalition. "It looks to me like the coalition broke up," Johanns said.

1 month ago | agriculture.com | Andrew Huneke |Lydia Johnson

House Republicans passed their reconciliation bill by a one vote margin on May 22. The bill boosts farm programs and extends key tax breaks but cuts SNAP program spending. On this episode of Agri-Pulse Newsmakers, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson joined the show to talk about why the bill is so important for agriculture. He also discussed the impact of federal downsizing at USDA and whether farmers should be worried about the president’s trade policy.

1 month ago | agriculture.com | Andrew Huneke |Lydia Johnson

House Republicans advanced major pieces of their massive budget bill this week, including expanded tax benefits for farmers and small businesses. On this week’s episode of Newsmakers, Agri-Pulse asked Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., how those provisions could fare in the Senate. He said he’s pushing back on Make America Healthy Again advocates who criticize pesticide use, and he talks about what he expects from the new dietary guidelines.