October 20, 2025

Thune Urges Trump to Open Up Farm Loans

The top Senate Republican is privately warning the White House that American farmers — a key GOP constituency — will continue to suffer if the Trump administration doesn’t reopen the flow of certain farm loans amid the government shutdown. Senate Majority Leader John Thune is quietly pressing the administration officials to let farmers continue to access Marketing Assistance Loans, which allow them to meet cash flow needs during harvest season and as they make planting decisions for next year, according to four people with direct knowledge of the conversations, including two Trump officials. Politico reports that would also require USDA to reopen thousands of shuttered county Farm Service Agency offices across the country in order to facilitate those loans. So far, administration officials say they have no plans to shift other money around for the agriculture loans like they’ve done with troop pay and other priorities. “We’re working that issue, and I hope to get an answer soon,” Thune said in a brief interview Thursday. 

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Proposed Visa Changes Could Cut Farm Labor Costs

Farmers across the Southeast could see major changes to labor costs under a new proposal from the Trump Administration that aims to revise the H-2A visa program for agricultural workers. The proposed rule would update how workers are classified and lower the “Adverse Effect Wage Rate,” or AEWR — the minimum hourly rate employers must pay H-2A workers. In Georgia alone, more than 37,000 farm jobs are filled through the H-2A program each year, and producers say labor expenses have climbed more than 30 percent since 2022. Under the proposed changes, Georgia’s top AEWR would be capped at $16.22 an hour, with an adjustment that effectively lowers the rate to about $14.47 starting in 2026. This information comes from the office of Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper, who called the proposal “a huge win for Georgia’s number-one industry.” Harper says the changes could be “the deciding factor that allows them to produce a crop this year when they otherwise may not have.”

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Agronomists Share Corn Harvest Insights Amid USDA Reporting Pause

The federal government shutdown has continued, resulting in another week without the USDA publishing a Crop Progress report. According to a Reuters poll of 10 analysts, the U.S. corn harvesting progress lagged behind last year’s pace. On average, the analysts estimated that 44% of the U.S. corn crop had been harvested as of Sunday, with estimates ranging from 35% to 55% for corn. Here’s a closer look at the corn crop progress in Iowa, Illinois, and Nebraska through the perspective of local agronomists. In Iowa, Eric Wilson, Wyffels agronomy manager, shared that corn harvest is moving quickly, with some farmers in his area nearing the end of corn harvest. Phil Krieg, agronomy service representative for Syngenta Crop Protection in Illinois, shared that corn harvest is 60% complete. Travis Gustafson, agronomic service representative for Syngenta Crop Protection in Nebraska, estimated that 10–15% of corn has been harvested.

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Kansas Health, Agriculture Officials Warn About Presence of Invasive Asian Longhorned Tick

Kansas officials issued a public notice after testing confirmed the invasive Asian longhorned tick was identified in Franklin County and posed an emerging threat to animal and human health. Successful Farming reports this was the first known detection in Kansas of the prolific tick, which afflicts wildlife, pets, and livestock. The tick is a hazard for cattle as it infects red and white blood cells and causes weakness, fever, loss of appetite, and even death. The reddish-brown tick is known to carry a variety of pathogens and has proven efficient at establishing populations in new areas due to its ability to reproduce without mating. In Asia, the tick has transmitted a virus causing human hemorrhagic fever. “Right now, our concern is mainly for cattle,” said Gregg Hanzlicek, a Kansas State University professor.  “But like any tick, people should take precautions: wear long sleeves, use insect repellent, and check for ticks after being in grassy or wooded areas.”

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JBS Breaks Ground on Sausage Plant in Perry, Iowa

JBS USA broke ground Tuesday on its “state of the art” sausage making facility and celebrated with city and state leaders a “turning point” for the community. The roughly 110-acre site on the southeast side of Perry is slated to be operational a year from now and officials said the plant would add a second shift about six months later, to hit the full 500-job metric. JBS announced plans for the plant in May and was awarded a $12 million tax benefit from the Iowa Economic Development Authority board because nearly 60 jobs at the facility will offer salaries of $30 or higher per hour. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig welcomed JBS to the site and said the plant would add “tremendous value” to Iowa’s pork industry. He said the value-added products made at the facility are part of Iowa’s story of “long-term strength” in the agriculture industry. 

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Lee Working to Move Forest Service from USDA to Interior

Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chair Mike Lee is resurrecting an old idea to shake up the Forest Service: Get the agency out of the Department of Agriculture. The Utah Republican is working on legislation to move the Forest Service to the Interior Department, where its mission historically sat until President Theodore Roosevelt oversaw a switch to the USDA in 1905. Lee’s office didn’t return messages seeking comment on the draft, which POLITICO’s E&E News obtained from an outside organization. The draft includes other Lee priorities, such as making the forest chief’s position a political appointment subject to Senate confirmation for the first time. The draft legislation, called the “Forest Service Reorganization Act of 2025,” would also create the separate wildland fire agency Lee’s promoted for the Interior Department, and it would waive overtime pay caps for wildland firefighters. In an executive order released in June, President Donald Trump stopped short of calling for a separate wildland fire agency, seemingly leaving the matter to Congress.

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