Latest News From Infrastructure

The Last Acre Act would help expand high-speed internet access across eligible farmland, ranchland and farm sites. At least 15% of farms and ranches have no access to the internet today. 

The Panama Canal is now cutting its daily ship transits by half this winter due to severe drought.

“When Ukraine fails, in terms of their ability to produce agricultural products, the world becomes less safe,” says Howard Buffett, global philanthropist and Illinois farmer.

According to Biden’s economic advisors, as many as 765,000 Americans — many union workers themselves — would have been put out of work in the first two weeks of shutdowns.

A labor strike along U.S. railroads is still a possibility after the third-largest railroad union rejected a tentative labor agreement this week. The agreement had the support of the White House.

USDA has announced actions the agency said will further its commitment to farmworkers, meatpacking workers and grocery store workers by recognizing their essential role in America’s food system. 

Would repealing the Jones Act have an economic effect on agriculture? John Phipps explains why repealing the act would be minimally beneficial for some industries, but have a major impact on others in the U.S.

USDA unveiled additional plans to help boost domestic fertilizer production including $500 million in grants and reduce the risk of a series of black swans that have flown into the fertilizer market the past two years.

Have the Pacific Coast port bottleneck issues been resolved, or moved somewhere else? The East Coast may now be carrying the burden.

A rail strike is looming despite the majority of unions reaching tentative agreement with the rail companies, but the unions not on board are essential to the operation of the nation’s rail system. 

Grain shipments on some railroads could stop as early as Wednesday, two days ahead of a possible rail strike. A rail stoppage is growing more likely as the country’s main rail unions remain at odds with rail companies.

We often hear about government funding but little about how it is actually being used. These 289 projects funded by the USDA will cover everything from solar arrays to grain dryers.

As the Western U.S. faces a megadrought, why can't the U.S. move water around the country like it's done with energy? John Phipps explores the physical and political hurdles potential water infrastructure would face.

A potential stoppage on the nation's railways this fall is spurring concern, even after President Biden signed an executive order Sunday to keep U.S. rail traffic on track and the collective bargaining process going.

As labor negotiations continue between the railroads and unions, laborers voted to go on strike Monday unless President Biden intervenes. A potential strike would put additional strain on the fragile U.S. rail system.

The move is contingent on legislative action, which would temporarily lift the 18.3 cents tax per gallon on gasoline and 24 cents tax per gallon on diesel during the summer months.

Some farmers are concerned about the possibility of losing farmland to energy projects like wind and solar. John Phipps points out some major misconceptions about the placement of solar projects.

Expect Russia's invasion of Ukraine to dominate the State of the Union address tonight. As for issues affecting agriculture, there may be few details offered, says USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack.

If international trade were an Olympic sport, then the U.S. would have lost this latest round of competition by more than a mile.

Rep. Garamendi says the USDA partnership with the Port of Oakland “isn’t going to solve the problem” because shippers deliver product to the U.S. and leave ports with empty containers.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed President Joe Biden’s ‘Build Back Better’ plan, also known as the reconciliation package. This vote came after months of debate and countless rewrites to the plan.

The $1.2T infrastructure bill passed through the House following months of negotiation. Farm country can expect $550 billion in new spending. AgriTalk’s Chip Flory and Pro Farmer’s Jim Wiesemeyer take a closer look.

After months of negotiation, the House passed the $1.2T infrastructure Bill. With $550 billion in new spending, from roads and bridges to a boost to broadband, we look into what's in the bill for agriculture.

The newest tax proposal in Washington would impose a tax on billionaires. A farm tax expert warns the proposed changes could turn into a trojan horse for farmers and result in higher taxes within a decade.

U.S. Energy Secretary Granholm joins AgriTalk’s Chip Flory to discuss clean energy, as outlined in the bipartisan infrastructure bill.

The Packer's editor-in-chief Tom Karst, Northeast editor Amy Sowder and retail editor Ashley Nickle discuss some of the big topics of the week, from the new infrastructure bill to buy local campaigns to retail strategy.

The Senate passed a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill Tuesday, and transportation could receive more than half the new funding slated in the bill, but the plan is expected to hit a major roadblock in the House.

The Senate cleared a key procedural vote on a bipartisan infrastructure deal Wednesday, which could set Biden’s infrastructure focus into action. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg called it “a very big moment."

Washington leadership agrees to massive infrastructure deal, but details around funding and contents still need to be defined.