The People’s Choice Pup is a popular social media element of the Farm Dog of the Year competition. Check out the profiles of our three nominees and vote here. The People’s Choice Pup wins barking, er, bragging rights along with a $2,500 cash prize and a year’s supply of dog food from contest supporter Nestlé Purina PetCare. Cast your vote for your top pup by Nov. 27.

Baler

14-year-old Border Collie

Indiana

Named Baler because he was found abandoned near a hayfield, this Border Collie takes very seriously his job of protecting the Parker family, who rescued him 14 years ago. Baler is especially attentive to children, making sure they’re out of harm’s way when machinery is being backed out and keeping them on the property and away from the road. He’s always on high alert for potential predators and unfamiliar (human) visitors on his farm, where the family raises beef cattle, hogs, poultry and other livestock, as well as row crops and hay. Once Baler knows you, you’ll get an energetic greeting complete with a wagging tag, rear wiggles and a snuggle. Baler’s day isn’t done until everyone in the family is home safely.

Though Baler’s slowing down a bit with age, he can jump in the air and catch any toy or food you throw to him. And he’s quick as ever to hop in the truck or the gator to go camping or look at all the equipment at a tractor show.

Proving once again that not all heroes wear capes, Baler alerted the family to a fire in their barn housing 4-H piglets and goats — one of which knocked over a heat lamp that fell onto a straw bale, starting the fire. Baler’s quick thinking and barking saved all the animals and the barn.

You can vote here for Baler.

Blue

7-year-old Blue Heeler

Florida

When Karen and Stuart Hamilton’s Anatolian Pyrenees livestock guardian dog passed away, Blue, a rescue dog, quickly stepped into the role, rounding up every last chicken each evening. Ensuring no one comes and goes without his approval, Blue is a fierce protector of the home and the farm, where the family raises other livestock and grows vegetables and melons. Even when he’s inside, he perches on a window ledge, constantly surveilling.

When the Hamiltons’ grandchildren are in their pool, livestock guardian Blue becomes lifeguard Blue, jumping in when he thinks someone needs him.

Like many farmers, Blue also has an off-farm job, working as a first mate of sorts for Stuart as he captains his Sea Tow boat. Blue is well-known among the regular boaters in the area — and well-treated with hot dogs and other snacks. He swims with the kids and is a comfort to families who have to be rescued. Blue is quick to recognize someone in the water and a great judge of character, letting Stuart know if he thinks they should be extra cautious around someone.

Though Blue will always stay true to his farm responsibilities, it’s clear he’s most excited about being on the water.

You can vote here for Blue.

Honey

12-year-old Blue Heeler mix

New Mexico

On her farm in northern New Mexico, Honey’s mere presence was often enough to keep the many predators in the region — coyotes, stray dogs and other wildlife — at bay. Still, Honey worked faithfully to protect the Martinez family’s chickens, horses, sheep and pigs. Her dedication to keeping the animals and people on the farm safe was on full display one night in March 2026, when she worked for hours to keep a bear outside the fence around their chicken coops. When the bear breached the fence, Honey confronted it. While none of the approximately 60 chickens or other livestock were harmed, Honey suffered life-threating injuries, including a massive neck wound and a serious tendon injury.

Honey is moving more slowly now, but she’s not ready to fully retire and still enjoys short walks around the property and visiting the chicken coops daily. She loves riding in the pickup truck or side-by-side and going fishing. Honey’s recovery and her loyalty to her farm and family are inspirational to her humans, who consider it a privilege to take care of her and protect her the way she has protected them for the past 12 years. 

You can vote here for Honey.

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The American Farm Bureau Federation supports an attempt to modernize the federal permitting process. Chad Smith tells us legislation in the Senate could bring major improvements.

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AFBF President Zippy Duvall today called on President Trump and congressional leaders to find a bipartisan pathway forward that stabilizes America's food supply by stabilizing the workforce behind it.

"President Trump has - yet again - called for a reasonable solution to the labor crisis in America and new members of Congress, as well as long-time leaders, are joining the chorus. Farmers and ranchers applaud the renewed interest in reform. We stand ready to work with the president and Congress to ensure we have enough workers to deliver America's food supply," Duvall said.

President Trump this week reiterated his call for reform that recognizes the contributions of workers, both domestic and foreign. Speaking on CBS’ “60 Minutes,” the president said, “I'd love to do something on immigration." He indicated previous policies may have been too tough, saying, “There is a large part of the country that think they should be allowed to stay ... if they're good people working in a landscape company or working in a hotel or doing something right ... and in some cases paying taxes ... and there's a large group of people think they should be allowed to stay. The deal would be we'd work something out and ... I think that's something that's actually doable.”

This follows the president telling reporters in June 2025 that, "We can’t take farmers and take all their people and send them back because they maybe don’t have what they’re supposed to have …” The next day on Truth Social, the president posted, "we must protect our farmers."

But American agriculture cannot afford to wait until next Congress, especially when we have a solution ready today. The Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act (SAWA), introduced by House Agriculture Committee Chair GT Thompson, would modernize the H-2A program by expanding access to a year-round workforce and eliminating unpredictable swings in wage rates. SAWA builds on recommendations offered by Farm Bureau members who participated in the House Agriculture Committee’s Agricultural Labor Working Group.

Duvall said, "This is the moment and opportunity for a significant bipartisan alliance to solve one of the greatest challenges facing farmers and ranchers. Farm Bureau is eager to work with Democrats and Republicans to address a shortage that has held back American agriculture, threatening our ability to deliver a reliable food supply to families everywhere. We can solve it together.”

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Key Takeaways

• AFBF supports modernizing federal permitting. An efficient, predictable and transparent system helps farmers and ranchers maintain their operations, invest in infrastructure and support the nation’s food and fiber supply.

• The Senate package makes real progress on environmental review, clarifying the National Environmental Policy Act, shortening Endangered Species Act consultation timelines and narrowing National Historic Preservation Act review, including for USDA farm loans and cost-share projects.

• The legislation comes up short for agriculture in two important areas: energy policy and Clean Water Act provisions.

• Meaningful reform should reduce delays, eliminate duplicative reviews, respect state and local decision-making and give landowners certainty.

On Sept. 30, leaders of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources and Environment and Public Works committees introduced the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026 (BAAJA; S. 5653). The 417-page bill is the most comprehensive permitting package Congress has considered in years. It rewrites procedures under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Clean Water Act (CWA) and the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and dedicates an entire title to electric transmission.

Farmers and ranchers need affordable, reliable power, and they own and manage much of the land new lines will cross. This Policy Intel examines where BAAJA advances agriculture’s interests and three areas in which it falls short: energy policy, Clean Water Act provisions and environmental review laws.

Energy Policy

How Transmission Lines are Sited Today

Unlike interstate natural gas pipelines, which the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approves, transmission lines have traditionally been sited by states. State utility commissions review routes, hold hearings and determine public need, and state law generally governs whether and how developers may use eminent domain.

Federal Power Act Section 216 gives FERC limited “backstop” authority to permit an interstate line when a state does not act, but only within National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors designated by the Department of Energy (DOE). FERC has never issued a backstop permit, so nearly every siting dispute involving farmland has been decided in a state forum under state rules.

What BAAJA Would Change

The legislation turns this dormant backstop into working federal siting authority.

Eminent Domain Moves Off the Shelf

Section 216(e) of current law lets a backstop permit holder condemn rights-of-way in federal court, but without any permits, that authority has gone unused. By removing the corridor requirement and setting a 230 kV threshold, BAAJA would make federal condemnation available to far more projects nationwide.

That matters even if condemnation is never filed. Easements are negotiated in the shadow of eminent domain, and a developer with federal condemnation authority has less incentive to offer fair terms. A federal permit could also let developers bypass state landowner protections such as limits on merchant lines, attorney fee provisions and enhanced compensation. The bill does not require developers to document good-faith negotiations before condemning.

State Authority on a One-Year Clock

If a state has not approved a qualifying line within one year, FERC must take up the permit. For a contested, multi-county route, that is little time to notify landowners, hold hearings, weigh alternatives and decide. Allowing developers of lines of 345 kV or more to file with FERC and the state simultaneously adds pressure on regulators to work on the developer’s schedule.

Because projects selected in regional plans automatically qualify for a federal permit, decisions by utilities and grid operators could substitute for a state’s finding that a route across specific farms is needed. Even if FERC never acts, the possibility of federal override will shape state proceedings.

Limited Recourse for Landowners

The bill requires a 45-day comment period and directs FERC to “take into account” landowner input. It does not require direct written notice to each landowner, help with legal or appraisal costs, or a clear standard for weighing landowner concerns.

The bill’s judicial review changes narrow the window further. Challenges to environmental reviews would face a 150-day filing deadline, down from six years, and only issues raised during the comment period could be litigated. FERC transmission permits would go directly to federal courts of appeals. A landowner who learns of a route late or lacks counsel may have no practical recourse.

The Footprint on Working Land

Agriculture is the nation’s largest private land use. Expanded high-voltage transmission will cross substantial farm and ranch land, with impacts well beyond the tower footprint:

• Lost production and efficiency: Towers take ground out of production and force planters, sprayers, combines and center pivots to work around them, adding time and fuel and leaving point rows.

• Soil and drainage damage: Heavy equipment compacts soil and can break drainage tile and irrigation lines, with yield losses that can persist for years.

• Disruption to livestock and access: Construction interrupts fencing, field access and livestock movement, and maintenance crews return for the life of the line.

• Lasting limits on land use and value: Easement restrictions on building, planting and improvements travel with the land through sale or inheritance.

Yet the transmission title does not direct FERC to avoid productive farmland, prefer existing rights-of-way or public land, or set construction and restoration standards for agricultural land. BAAJA’s NEPA changes, which build the transmission line sponsor’s goals into a review’s purpose and need and drop alternatives that don’t meet them, could further narrow the routes considered.

The legislation also exempts upgrades within existing rights-of-way, such as reconductoring, from environmental and historic preservation review. While using existing corridors can reduce the need for new routes, many older easements were negotiated for a specific line and voltage, and upgrades can add to the burden on the property without new notice or compensation.

Clean Water Act Provisions

BAAJA includes a few constructive CWA changes. Extending Section 404 permits from five to 10 years would improve predictability and reduce paperwork for landowners. New language on Section 404(c) could also limit duplicative or prolonged federal review of permitted projects.

However, the package falls well short of the House-passed Promoting Efficient Review for Modern Infrastructure Today (PERMIT) Act (H.R. 3898) on agriculture’s most pressing CWA issues. It omits Waters of the United States (WOTUS) reforms that would clarify the scope of federal jurisdiction, including exemptions for ephemeral features, groundwater, prior converted cropland and waste treatment systems. Farmers and ranchers need to know where federal jurisdiction begins and ends to manage and improve their land.

The package also fails to clarify the agricultural stormwater exemption. Uncertainty over its scope has fueled litigation that could set troubling precedents for agriculture. Clear statutory language is needed to ensure routine farming activities do not trigger federal permitting requirements.

The Good: Modernizing Environmental Review Laws

This is where BAAJA delivers the most for agriculture. NEPA, ESA and the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) directly affect farmers and ranchers, and their regulatory reach has grown over time. AFBF supports modernizing these laws to protect land-use and water rights and to cut delays in permits and approvals on federal land, including forest and land management projects often tied up in litigation for years.

• NEPA: The bill clarifies that NEPA is a procedural statute, narrows the scope of projects requiring review and sets review deadlines. Lawsuits must be filed within 150 days by parties who substantially participated in the comment process, and courts would generally send flawed reviews back to agencies for correction rather than vacating them.

• ESA: Consultation timelines would be shortened to align with NEPA, so producers are not waiting years to learn whether a project affects listed species. Qualified state agencies could take on some consultation duties from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, though applicants could opt out.

• NHPA: The bill narrows “undertakings” from any federal permit or approval to projects under substantial federal control. It excludes projects whose only federal involvement is a loan, loan guarantee or cost-share, such as a USDA farm loan, as well as minor repair, maintenance, rehabilitation and stabilization. Reviews would follow set timelines, tied to the NEPA schedule where both apply, reducing years-long waits on State Historic Preservation Offices. As with NEPA, flawed reviews would generally be remanded rather than vacated, and challenges would face a 150-day deadline.

Together, these changes would give farmers, ranchers and foresters more certainty when they need federal approval for an action or permit and reduce litigation over federal land management.

Bottom Line

Farm Bureau shares BAAJA’s goal of timely, predictable permitting, and the bill’s environmental review reforms and Section 404 improvements are real progress. But the package leaves key agricultural priorities unaddressed.

Its transmission title would shift siting authority from states to federal regulators and broaden federal eminent domain, while giving landowners limited notice, short windows to participate and narrow avenues for challenge. Those changes come as demand for new high-voltage lines, most of which are routed across farm and ranch land, is rising quickly. The bill also omits the WOTUS and stormwater clarity farmers and ranchers need.

Congress should build on the bill’s progress while ensuring permitting reform works for the farmers and ranchers whose land it affects.

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• Harvest prices rose across all four major crops in 2026, increasing revenue guarantees for farmers with Revenue Protection policies that include the harvest price option. This is only the second time since 2011 that all four crops finished above their spring prices.

• Higher insurance guarantees do not eliminate financial pressures farmers face.

• Prices remain below estimated break-even levels, underscoring the importance of crop insurance as farmers manage elevated production costs and tight margins heading into 2027.

Crop insurance is one of the primary tools farmers use to manage risk. In 2026, harvest prices for corn, soybeans, cotton and wheat all finished above their spring crop insurance prices, increasing revenue guarantees for farmers with Revenue Protection (RP) policies that include the harvest price option. This marks a departure from recent years, when declining prices contributed to insured revenue losses.

According to USDA's Risk Management Agency (RMA), approximately 88.8 million acres of corn, 80.4 million acres of soybeans, 10.1 million acres of cotton, and 33.6 million acres of wheat were insured in 2026. RP policies covered approximately 95% of insured acreage across these four crops. Nationwide, farmers paid approximately $5.8 billion in crop insurance premiums across all insured commodities, as of Nov. 2.

Harvest Prices Rise Across Major Crops

RP protects against both yield and price risk. Under standard RP, revenue guarantees are calculated using the higher of the projected spring price or the harvest price, allowing coverage to adjust when market prices increase. Producers who choose RP with the Harvest Price Exclusion (RP-HPE) pay lower premiums but have guarantees fixed at the projected price, so they would not see this upward adjustment.

For 2026, corn's harvest price rose 2.8% above its spring price, the first increase since 2022 and the end of three consecutive years of lower harvest prices. Soybean harvest prices increased 13.9%, marking their first increase since 2021. Compared to 2025, harvest prices are 12.6% higher for corn and 22% higher for soybeans.

Wheat and cotton also recorded higher harvest prices in 2026, increasing 11.8% and 15.9% above their respective spring prices. The wheat insurance price series examined recorded its first increase since 2021, while cotton reversed declines in 2024 and 2025. Compared to last year, 2026 harvest prices are 21.6% higher for wheat and 23.1% higher for cotton.

A Year Outside the Norm

Higher harvest prices have been relatively uncommon. From 2011 through 2026, corn's harvest price exceeded its spring price in six of 16 years, soybeans in five, cotton in six and the wheat price series examined in four. Only in 2021 and 2026 were higher harvest prices recorded across all four series.

2026 marks a reversal from recent years. Corn recorded its first increase since 2022, following three consecutive years of declines. Soybeans and wheat reversed four consecutive years of lower harvest prices, while cotton rebounded after declines in 2024 and 2025. Although all four crops recorded increases, the gains varied considerably, ranging from just 3% for corn to 16% for cotton.

Higher Guarantees Do Not Eliminate Financial Pressures

Although higher harvest prices increase insurance protection, they do not necessarily improve farm profitability. Total production costs are projected to be $935.79 per planted acre for corn and $683.89 for soybeans in 2026, increasing to $952.09 and $701.48, respectively, in 2027.

Using these costs and USDA's October Crop Production yield projections, 2026 total-cost break-even prices are approximately $5.65 per bushel for corn, $13.03 for soybeans, $11.62 for wheat and $1.58 per pound for cotton. As shown in the chart, all four exceed USDA’s October World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) price forecasts of $4.70, $12.00, $6.30 and 77 cents, respectively. Operating-cost breakevens are lower, at $2.86 for corn, $4.90 for soybeans and $4.68 for wheat, so expected prices for those crops would cover out-of-pocket expenses but not land, equipment and other fixed costs. Cotton is the exception: its operating-cost breakeven of 95 cents per pound exceeds the projected price, leaving growers short of covering even their variable costs. These comparisons highlight the continued gap between production costs and expected market returns.

Crop insurance harvest prices differ from the marketing year prices farmers receive. Higher insurance guarantees protect against losses but do not ensure that market revenue covers production expenses. Crop insurance remains a key tool in a farmer’s toolbox.

With production costs expected to rise further in 2027 and farm margins remaining tight, the 2026 price discovery results reinforce the importance of maintaining affordable, flexible crop insurance that helps farmers manage both market uncertainty and unexpected production losses.

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Key Takeaways

• The U.S. turkey industry is recovering, with turkeys raised and production increasing for the first time since recent disease-related losses reduced supplies.
• Stronger domestic consumption, growing exports and lower cold storage inventories have improved returns for growers.
• Disease continues to challenge turkey growers, impacting flock performance and posing ongoing biosecurity risks.
• Higher feed costs and expanding turkey production could create headwinds for turkey growers in 2027 even as demand remains firm.

After two years of shrinking supplies, the U.S. turkey industry is showing signs of recovery. More birds are being raised, production is increasing and demand remains strong in both domestic and export markets. Those factors have helped support turkey markets and improve returns for growers. However, disease challenges and higher feed costs continue to create uncertainty as the industry works to rebuild.

Supplies & Production

USDA’s Turkeys Raised report estimates U.S. turkey farmers raised about 198.5 million turkeys in 2026, up 5 million birds, or about 3%, from 2025. This marks the first increase in the number of turkeys raised since 2023. Minnesota, North Carolina, Arkansas, Indiana and Missouri accounted for about 68% of all turkeys raised in 2026.

USDA’s October World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) projects 2026 federally inspected turkey meat production will be 5.13 billion pounds, up about 290 million pounds, or 6%, from 2025. Production for 2027 was estimated higher at 5.18 billion pounds, up 46 million pounds, or less than 1%, from USDA’s 2026 estimates. While production is recovering, it’s still lower than the 5.46 billion pounds produced in 2023, before multiple diseases issue began adding substantial challenges to the U.S. turkey industry.

Demand & Trade

Turkey demand remains firm in both domestic and international markets. USDA’s latest WASDE estimates 2026 turkey use is about 4.7 billion pounds, up about 4% from 4.59 billion pounds in 2025.

USDA’s October WASDE report also projects 2026 turkey exports will be about 461 million pounds, up 20 million pounds, or 4.5%, from last month’s estimate and up nearly 10% from last year.

As the world’s largest grower and exporter of turkey, the United States relies on export markets to balance supplies and add value to products with limited domestic demand. According to USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service, Mexico remains by far the largest market for U.S. turkey exports, importing nearly 40 times more turkey than Canada, the second-largest customer. Through August 2026, exports to Mexico were up 6.4% from a year earlier.

Growing domestic consumption and strong exports have reduced turkey inventories, despite rising production. USDA’s October Cold Storage report estimates there were nearly 360 million pounds of turkey in cold storage on Sept. 30, down about 4.5% from 2025 and down nearly 16% from 2024.

Prices

Strong demand and relatively tight inventories have helped support turkey prices despite rising production. USDA Economic Research Service’s (ERS) October Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook projects wholesale prices for turkey to remain strong through 2026. The annual average wholesale price for frozen whole hen turkeys is forecast at $1.76 per pound, up 30% from 2025 and nearly 88% above the 94 cents per pound average in 2024. This dramatic price increase over the last two years was largely driven by lower production due to the combined disease pressures of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) and avian metapneumovirus (aMPV). While wholesale turkey prices are expected to remain elevated in 2026 compared to recent years, USDA projects prices to moderate in 2027, with average wholesale prices at $1.45 per pound, roughly 18% below 2026 levels.

Wholesale turkey prices provide an important market signal, but they do not necessarily reflect what turkey growers are paid. Because the turkey industry is highly integrated, farm-level price data is limited. One of the few publicly available measures comes from USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, which reported growers received an average of $090 cents per pound in 2025, up 60% from 2024. Economists can use the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Producer Price Index for slaughter turkeys to gauge more recent trends. That index suggests growers received the equivalent of roughly $1.39 per pound in 2026, about 21% higher than 2025.

Available indicators suggest growers experienced some of the strongest returns since disease challenges began affecting the industry in 2022. However, those improvements in grower returns do not necessarily translate into higher prices at the grocery store. Grocery store turkey prices are influenced by retailer promotions and local market conditions, particularly during the Thanksgiving season. As a result, changes in wholesale and farm-level prices may not be fully reflected at the checkout counter.

What is Squeezing Margins?

Feed is the largest single cost of production. On average it takes about 75-80 pounds of feed to raise a 38-pound tom turkey, with feed accounting for roughly two-thirds of the total cost of raising a market bird.

Although ERS projects overall feed expenses to decline in 2026, feed markets remain volatile. USDA’s October WASDE estimates the average farm price of corn at $4.70 per bushel, up 13% from 2025, while soymeal is projected to average $340 per ton, up 4.5% from last year. While both commodities have come down from their September highs, prices remain above last year’s levels.

Higher feed costs are especially challenging when paired with disease pressures. Diseases like aMPV can reduce feed efficiency and slow weight gain, increasing the amount of feed and time required to raise birds to market weight. As a result, and even with improved turkey prices, growers continue to face pressure from both costs and these operational risks.

Disease Pressure

Disease pressure has been a major factor behind lower production in recent years and continues to create challenges for turkey growers.

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza

Migratory birds are the primary carrier of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), making fall migration a period of heightened risk for poultry growers. Historically, turkeys have accounted for about 10% of commercial birds affected by the current HPAI outbreaks in the United States. Although the exact share varies from year to year, turkeys continue to be affected as the virus circulates among wild birds.

As of Oct. 27, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service reported 25 HPAI detections in poultry during October, including seven in commercial turkey flocks, 15 backyard poultry flocks, one table egg flock, and two other poultry flocks. More than 250,000 turkeys have been affected this month, highlighting the importance of biosecurity as fall migration progresses.

The current HPAI outbreak is not the first major avian influenza event to affect turkey growers. During the 2014-2015 HPAI outbreak, about 7.4 million turkeys were affected by the disease, contributing to production disruptions and economic losses across the entire industry.

Avian Metapneumovirus

While HPAI attracts much of the public’s attention, avian Metapneumovirus (aMPV) has emerged as one of the turkey industry’s most significant production challenges. The highly contagious respiratory disease can reduce weight gain, lower feed efficiency and increase production costs, making it particularly costly to growers at a time when feed already accounts for roughly two-thirds of the cost of raising a market turkey.

According to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, aMPV became the most-reported turkey disease issue in 2024, affecting 60-80% of all U.S. turkey flocks. Researchers estimate the disease led to production declines in both 2024 and 2025 and reduced industry value by $2.88 billion in 2024.

Bottom Line: Looking ahead to 2027

Looking ahead to 2027, USDA expects turkey meat production to increase for a second straight year. The key question is whether demand continues to keep pace with larger supplies. While demand remains firm, USDA expects wholesale prices to moderate as production expands.

Disease is the industry’s biggest wild card. The turkey industry has faced economic losses relating to disease dating back over a decade. Additional HPAI outbreaks, continued challenges from aMPV or both could affect flock performance, production levels and profitability. Feed costs also remain elevated compared to last year, adding pressure to margins.

For turkey growers, profitability in 2027 will depend on maintaining flock health, controlling costs and sustaining demand both at home and abroad.

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Active stewardship of the nation’s forests has a direct impact on many farms, ranches, and rural communities. Chad Smith has more on a bipartisan effort to properly maintain America’s forests.

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Key Takeaways

• America’s forests need active management to maintain healthy, resilient ecosystems, reduce wildfire risk to communities, protect wildlife habitat and watersheds, and sustain multiple-use activities.

• Farmers, ranchers and foresters, the people who work on or among forestlands — both federally managed and privately owned — have the most at stake.

• Congress has the opportunity before the end of the year to provide more tools for land managers and improve the resiliency of America’s forests by passing the Fix Our Forests Act.

State of Play

For decades, federal policies and litigation have restricted timber harvest and other vegetation management activities on national forests. The scale of the problem is vast. The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) manages over 193 million acres of forests and grasslands across the country and estimates indicate that almost half of that land is in some combination of a high wildfire hazard area, suffering from above-normal levels of insect and disease impacts, and needing other restoration treatment.

In addition to forestland maintained by the USFS, the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages nearly 60 million acres of forested land, primarily situated in the western United States.

The result is a landscape of densely overgrown forested federal lands with heavy fuel loads that in many parts of the West are also very dry due to ongoing drought and are at high risk for wildfires. When a fire starts on federal land, it spreads regardless of who owns neighboring property. Destruction of homes and grazing lands, loss of livestock and wildlife, destroyed recreation areas, damage to water infrastructure, and smoke drift all negatively impact rural communities. The damage results in income lost not just from the fire itself, but also from resulting barren landscapes that can take years or decades to recover when restoration activities are not prioritized.

Forest Fire Impacts

In the 2000s, annual acreage burned across the United States was nearly double than in the 1990s. Through late October, over 9 million acres have burned as a result of more than 65,000 fires. The Big Grass Fire along the Oregon-Idaho border burned nearly 580,000 acres, much of it grazing land. Fires in Utah impacted grazing lands for more than 22,000 head of livestock. And fires in Kansas, Nebraska, Texas and Oklahoma burned more than a million acres of private and public land, displacing tens of thousands of cattle. After a fire, ranchers face additional costs as they must find alternative feed or pasture for livestock, replace fences, and lose access to federal grazing allotments while they recover. Those impacts last well after a fire is suppressed and crews move on.

Research has brought more understanding of the impact wildfire has on watersheds, as forested watersheds protect water supplies for both irrigated agriculture and communities — sometimes hundreds or thousands of miles away from the forest. Fire behavior that includes extreme heat can scorch the soil and change how water moves through forests and into streams and rivers. Instead of soaking into the ground as it moves, water rushes over burned earth and creates dangerous and fast-moving floods. Debris from fires like downed logs, brush and ash are pushed into nearby waters. This can damage water management infrastructure by collecting in reservoirs and degrading water quality, increasing costs and reducing water availability for both agriculture and rural communities.

Flash floods through fire debris scars are incredibly dangerous. Extreme and deadly fires burned the USFS-owned mountains around Ruidoso, New Mexico, in 2024, with floods following. The worst flood activity, however, did not occur until a year later, when a June 2025 storm brought heavy rainfall that washed right over burn scars and ran into the rapidly rising Rio Ruidoso. Three people were killed and significant damage resulted from this flooding over a year after the fire.

Active Forest Management

Timber harvest is a critical part of forest management but has declined on federal lands in recent decades. A 2025 executive order and harvest goals included in federal legislation have resulted in the National Active Forest Management Strategy, “aiming to grow timber volume by 25% and reach 4 billion board feet annually by the 2028 fiscal year.” From 2014-2023, USFS timber sales were about 3 billion board feet annually, so this represents a 33% increase and a welcome goal for both forest management and the U.S. timber industry. However, this could be undermined by continued regulatory and legal hurdles that require congressional action.

Fix Our Forests Act

It is time to provide federal agencies with the authority to meaningfully increase the pace and scale of forest treatments, enhance local partnerships and cross-boundary tools, and improve post-fire rehabilitation. This includes reducing unnecessary delays for projects that address wildfire risks, hazardous fuels, insects and disease. Provisions in the House and Senate versions of the Fix Our Forests Act (FOFA) would address these issues.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Fix Our Forests Act (H.R. 471) on a bipartisan vote in January 2025, and the Senate Agriculture Committee approved its version of the bill (S. 1462) also on a bipartisan vote in October 2025. It now awaits action in the full Senate. While the bills have some differences, the fundamental approach is the same: reviewing wildfire prevention at a landscape scale, expediting environmental assessments and deterring frivolous litigation, and expanding and strengthening local cooperative tools like Good Neighbor Authority and Stewardship Contracting. These programs allow the federal government to partner with states, counties and tribes to conduct projects on federal lands and also enter into long-term contracts with public or private entities to achieve local land management goals. Other provisions in these bills recognize the importance of protecting watersheds on both government and private lands and provide additional resources for management in these areas.

FOFA’s Cost Estimates

In late October, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its cost estimate for the Senate’s Fix Our Forests Act. CBO estimates that FOFA would cost $27 million over the next decade. Nearly all that direct spending comes from the new White Oak Initiative. Under the bill, USDA would use funds already available through the Natural Resources Conservation Service to help producers of white oak trees address wildfire risks through active forest management, hazardous fuels reduction and ecosystem restoration. 

The larger budgetary effects, however, would be in spending subject to the appropriators: 

• FOFA would authorize $80 million per year for the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program through 2034, accounting for $551 million, or 53%, of estimated outlays. 

• The second-largest spending item subject to appropriations is the Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership at $90 million per year through 2031, or $450 million.  

• The Source Water Protection Program, at $10 million per year, accounts for the remaining $45 million.

For farmers, ranchers and rural communities facing wildfire risk, passing FOFA and its new forest management authorities and spending authorizations is the first and most critical step, to be followed with additional appropriations.

Forest Management Is Critical

Almost three hundred years ago, Benjamin Franklin warned the citizens of Philadelphia that when it comes to fire, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” As America celebrates its 250th anniversary, that statement remains true. Forest management is critical to protecting farms, ranches and communities from the devastating impacts of wildfire. Farmers, ranchers and foresters encourage the House and Senate to reconcile their versions of the Fix Our Forests Act and send a bill to the president’s desk.

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Fourteen farm and ranch women leaders graduated from the fall session of the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Women’s Communications Boot Camp. The participants completed an intensive four-day course featuring hands-on training in public speaking, media engagement and message development. Graduates will use their skills to advocate for farmers and ranchers, support issues important to rural communities and help tell agriculture’s story.

“Women are influential leaders in agriculture, driving progress through their commitment and engagement,” said Isabella Chism, an Indiana row crop farmer and chair of the AFB Women’s Leadership Committee. “As Boot Camp graduates strengthen their communications skills, they will be even better equipped to serve their communities and advance Farm Bureau’s mission at the local, state and national levels.”

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Row 1 (L to R) – Toni Gaines, Georgia; Elizabeth Spruell, Alabama; Kelsey Grapperhaus, North Carolina

Row 2 (L to R) – Mindy Orschell, AFB Women’s Leadership Committee Midwestern representative, Indiana; Ashley Parker, North Carolina; Joy Tracey, Indiana; Cyndi Mackey, Oklahoma; Pamela Walker, North Carolina; Janille Baker, Nevada; Katie Saterbak, Minnesota; Sheila Newman, Virginia; Kelly Wilfert, Wisconsin; Jacey Fye, Oklahoma; Taylor Outlaw, Georgia; Bristol Peterson, Georgia; Isabella Chism, chair, AFB Women’s Leadership Committee, Indiana

Graduates are Elizabeth Spruell, Alabama; Toni Gaines, Taylor Outlaw and Bristol Peterson, Georgia; Joy Tracey, Indiana; Katie Saterbak, Minnesota; Janille Baker, Nevada; Kelsey Grapperhaus, Ashley Parker and Pamela Walker, North Carolina; Jacey Fye and Cyndi Mackey, Oklahoma; Sheila Newman, Virginia; and Kelly Wilfert, Wisconsin.

“Boot Camp graduates demonstrate a deep commitment to agriculture and their communities,” said AFBF President Zippy Duvall. “These Farm Bureau women have challenged themselves to grow as leaders and communicators, and the skills they have developed will help them strengthen Farm Bureau and agriculture for generations to come.”

This marks the 25th Women’s Communications Boot Camp hosted by AFBF. Since its inception, 367 women have graduated from the program, which is open to all women involved in Farm Bureau.

“Boot Camp has helped me polish my media skills and ability to communicate with consumers,” said Kelsey Grapperhaus of North Carolina, a wholesale seed supplier serving the Southeast. “It’s been a great opportunity to learn how to effectively share my perspective with people who may not have a direct connection to farming.”

The American Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Committee, in partnership with AFBF staff, hosts and provides training for Women’s Communications Boot Camp twice each year. Applications open Dec. 10 for the spring 2027 Boot Camp session.

Photos from this event are available for download here.

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Two inaccurate USDA reports negatively impacted December corn futures. Chad Smith has more on the errors and corrections to the National Agricultural Statistics Service estimates.

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