A U.S. program for international food aid is now directed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and some agriculture groups believe it has found its “rightful home.” The congressionally authorized Food for Peace program, established in 1954, was previously under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The Trump administration made significant changes to USAID last year. It shuttered Food for Peace alongside USAID then moved it to the State Department...

New loan opportunities are available for landowners and the food supply chain through a source that farmers don’t typically consider. And they include borrowing limits more than double USDA options. In Marc h, the Small Business Administration (SBA) announced the “Grocery Guarantee,” aimed at reducing grocery costs by expanding access for its SBA International Trade Loan (ITL) Program. On May 1st, the agency said at least 22 new categories of farm and agribusinesses in the North American...

Purdue study finds U.S. soybean farmers face higher costs, limited land, and competition from Brazil, highlighting need for yield gains and diversification.

American farmers are growing larger crops on fewer farms. While that long-term trend is clear nationwide, the factors driving farm losses vary widely by state. And there are still a couple years until the U.S. Department of Agriculture releases its next Census of Agriculture. Danny Munch, an American Farm Bureau economist, said this shows a couple trending factors. “The long-term decline in farm numbers alongside a decline in farmland shows consolidation, productivity gains, mechanization,...

Joel Salatin speaking at the 2026 Land Investment Expo Joel Salatin does not take a conventional approach. While discussing agriculture young people love, Salatin was an atypical figure on the stage at the lunch keynote session of the 2026 Land Investment Expo in Des Moines, Iowa. Salatin is a self-proclaimed “Christian, libertarian, environmentalist, capitalist, lunatic farmer.” He even sells “lunatic farmer’ t-shirts as part of his merchandising line. Lunatic Farmer t-shirt on display at...

Excitement rippled across the agriculture community this week after the IRS released long-awaited proposed rules for the 45Z tax credit . “Oh, it’s a good day,” said Mitchell Hora, founder and CEO of Continuum Ag, in a news conference to respond to the announcement. RELATED: Hora told American Farmland Owner last July that 45Z would lead to a surge in carbon awareness for landowners. The Biden administration created the 45Z credit under the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act to encourage domestic...

Following who buys farmland is an important indicator for how the market is performing across the country. New investors want the stability it provides. At the 2026 Iowa Land Investment Expo, the Hot Topics in Land and Agribusiness breakout session, panelists detailed the uncertain trend of mergers and acquisitions. New Entrants into Farmland Sector There is ongoing, structural change in agriculture according to Bruce Sherrick, a professor of farmland economics at the University of Illinois....

National security, farm policy, and modernization are key priorities for the Trump Administration’s U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Speaking at the morning keynote address of the 2026 Land Investment Expo, USDA Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden spoke on some of the most important topics happening at the federal level. Foreign Ownership of U.S. Farmland With security as a priority, Vaden emphasized the USDA’s commitment to enforce and monitor the Agriculture Foreign Investment Disclosure...

Without quick movement on tax legislation, there is an air of uncertainty for succession planning.

By: David Geiger Edited by: Dave Price A new presidential term started off this week with an emphasis on President Trump’s America First policy. A part of that is a push to bring innovation and manufacturing back to America. RELATED: Domestic production can be a bipartisan effort. Earlier this month, Reuters reported the Biden Administration blocked a U.S. Steel merger with Nippon Steel. The new Trump Administration also vowed to kill the effort. While a new administration is a time of...

By: David Geiger Edited by: Dave Price Whether it's wind, solar, or biofuel, farmers have been harvesting power on their land for decades. As technology improves efficiency, landowners see more potential in it. "I've moved to be much more bullish on solar here over the past year than I have been previously," says Dave Muth with People's Company Capital Markets. He points to wind energy. It has good gains and profitability for landowners in today's climate. Winds brings nearly a billion...