October 14, 2025

Agricultural Law Weekly Review—October 14, 2025

Today 10/14 at Noon 3rd Quarter 2025 Quarterly Dairy Legal Webinar: H.R.1 (OBBA) Dairy Provisions

Dairy Policy: PA Milk Board to Over-Order Premium, Cost Replacement Hearings on December 3, 2025🌾
On October 8, 2025, the Pennsylvania Milk Board (PMB) published Bulletin No. 1661, announcing a public hearing on December 3, 2025 for all six Milk Marketing Areas “to receive testimony and exhibits concerning the level and duration of the Class I over-order premium.” Additionally, on October 3, 2025, PMB published on its website three bulletins announcing public hearings on December 3, 2025, for Milk Marketing Area No. 1 (Bulletin 1658), Area No. 2 (Bulletin 1659), and Area No. 4 (Bulletin 1660) “to receive testimony and exhibits concerning cost replacement” in the three areas. See also ALWR—Sept. 16, 2025, “PA Milk Board to Hold Cost Replacement Hearings for Areas 3, 5, 6.”

National Agricultural Policy: USDA Publishes Lapse of Funding Plan
As of September 30, 2025, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has published its Lapse in Funding Plan on a single webpage dedicated to resources addressing USDA’s “contingency plan for use in the event of a lapse in appropriations.” According to the plan, USDA operations that will cease include “operations related to payment processing, disaster assistance processing, technical assistance, contracts and agreements not related to exempted programs, financial management beyond funds management, regulatory work, travel, trainings, trade negotiations, timber sales, hazardous fuels treatments, special use permits, surveys for high-risk plant pests and diseases for certain swine, cattle, and aquatic animal diseases, long-term studies and research on animal diseases, research and report publications, website updates, data products, and the majority of Risk Management Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Foreign Agricultural Service, Food and Nutrition Service, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Economic Research Service, National Agricultural Statistical Service, Rural Development, and Staff Office activities.”

Agricultural Labor: Federal Court Dismisses 2023 H-2A Adverse Effect Wage Calculation Challenge
On September 29, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina entered an order dismissing without prejudice a complaint challenging the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) 2023 final rule, which amended the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) calculation for H-2A workers to draw upon data from DOL’s Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program instead of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Labor Survey. USA Farm Labor, Inc. v. Julie Su, No. 1:23-cv-00096. In light of a separate August 2025 order permanently enjoining the rule nationwide, the government filed a motion to dismiss the challenge as moot, stating, “Plaintiffs have thus received all the relief they seek and there is no further relief this Court can award.” On October 2, 2025, the U.S. Department of Labor published in the Federal Register an interim final rule (90 FR 47914), effective upon publication, revising the H-2A AEWR calculation method (see below). See also ALWR—Sept. 16, 2025, “Federal Court Permanently Enjoins 2023 H-2A Adverse Effect Wage Calculation Rule, DOL to Publish New Rule.”

Agricultural Labor: Department of Labor Publishes New Adverse Effect Wage Rate Calculations
On October 2, 2025, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Employment and Training Administration (ETA) published in the Federal Register an interim final rule (90 FR 47914), effective upon publication, revising the H-2A Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) calculation method to “use [Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)] survey data to establish AEWRs applicable to five Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) codes combining the most common field and livestock worker occupations previously measured by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Labor Survey (FLS), which covered six SOC codes.” Under the rule, “these AEWRs will be divided into two skill-based categories” and will include “statewide downward compensation adjustments” for “H-2A workers who are provided with housing at no cost.” In Pennsylvania, the Skill Level I (entry-level) AEWR will be $13.88, the Skill Level II (experience-level) AEWR will be $17.99, and a -$1.52 adjustment will be allowed for each rate for H-2A workers provided with no-cost housing. The interim final rule is available for public comment until December 1, 2025.

Agricultural Labor: DHS Publishes Rule Allowing H-2A Petitions Before DOL Approval
On October 2, 2025, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published in the Federal Register a final rule (90 FR 47507), effective upon publication, amending H-2A filing regulations to allow an “exception to the existing requirement that a valid temporary agricultural labor certification [TLC] must be provided at the time of filing for [electronically-filed] H-2A petitions requesting unnamed beneficiaries.” Also announced by DHS, the new rule allows such petitioners to electronically file a new Form I-129H2A, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker: H-2A Classification after receiving notification that the Department of Labor (DOL) has accepted their TLC application, even if DOL has not approved the TLC. According to the announcement, “[i]n the coming weeks, [USCIS] will expand availability of Form I-129H2A to H-2A petitioners seeking named beneficiaries or filing with Form G-28.”

Agricultural Transportation: Final Rule Restricts Regulations for Non-Domiciled Commercial Drivers Licenses
On September 29, 2025, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration published in the Federal Register an interim final rule (90 FR 46509) amending regulations for State Driver’s Licensing Agencies (SDLAs) issuing commercial driving credentials to foreign-domiciled individuals. Among several changes, the final rule limits eligibility for commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) and commercial learner’s permits (CLPs) “to those maintaining lawful immigration status in certain employment-based nonimmigrant categories,” and requires those on nonimmigrant work visas to “provide an unexpired foreign passport and an unexpired Form I-94/I-94A (Arrival/Departure Record) indicating a specified type of employment-based nonimmigrant status at every issuance, transfer, renewal, and upgrade action defined in the regulation.” Additionally, the final rule requires the CDL/CLP expiration date for nonimmigrant workers to “match the expiration date of the Form I-94/I-94A or 1 year, whichever is sooner.”

International Trade: President Issues Proclamation Imposing 10% Tariff on Lumber Imports
On September 29, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump published Proclamation 10976 and accompanying fact sheet, which, beginning October 14, 2025, applies a 10% tariff rate on imports of softwood timber and lumber and 25% rate on “certain upholstered wooden products” and kitchen cabinets and vanities. According to the proclamation, the Secretary of Commerce has transmitted a report under section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act (19 U.S.C. 1862) that “found that present quantities and circumstances of wood product imports are weakening our economy, resulting in the persistent threats of closures of wood mills and disruptions of wood product supply chains . . . and diminishing the utilization of production capacity of our domestic wood industry,” and as such, the proclamation states that “the United States may be unable to meet demands for wood products that are crucial to the national defense and critical infrastructure.” Effective January 1, 2026, the proclamation increases rates to 30% for upholstered wooden products and 50% for cabinets and vanities, although the proclamation limits the rates on United Kingdom wood products to 10% and European Union and Japan wood products to 15%. In issuing the tariffs, the proclamation invokes section 232 of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.). On November 4, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral argument on “whether IEEPA authorizes the President to impose tariffs” and which lower court has jurisdiction to hear challenges on the matter (No. 24-1287). See also ALWR—Sep. 4, 2025, “Federal Circuit Finds Tariffs Not Authorized Under International Emergency Economic Powers Act.”

International Trade: United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement Available for Public Comment, Joint Review July 2026
On September 17, 2025, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) published in the Federal Register a notice (90 FR 44869) requesting comments regarding the operation of the Agreement between the United States of America, the United Mexican States, and Canada (USMCA). The USMCA, which entered into force on July 1, 2020, contains an article that requires the “Free Trade Commission (Commission), which is composed of government representatives of the United States, Mexico, and Canada . . . to meet on the sixth anniversary of entry into force ( July 1, 2026) to conduct a Joint Review of the operation of the Agreement, evaluate any recommendations for action submitted by a Party, and decide on any appropriate actions.” USTR will hold a public hearing on November 17, 2025, and public comments must be received by November 3, 2025 (USTR-2025-0004).

International Trade: Indonesia Finalizes Trade Agreements with EU, Canada
On September 23 and 24, 2025, the Republic of Indonesia finalized trade agreements with the European Union and Canada, respectively. The EU-Indonesia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement “removes Indonesian duties on the vast majority of agricultural imports from the EU,” including “dairy products (such as milk powders, cheeses and infant formula), meats (such as poultry and beef), fruit and vegetables, and a wide range of processed foods (such as chocolates, confectionery, bakery goods, canned fruits and vegetables).” The agricultural provisions of the Canada-Indonesia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) allow duty-free access under the “Most-Favoured-Nation” status for Canadian imports of wheat, barley, and soybeans.

Regulatory Policy: USDA, DOJ Sign Memorandum of Understanding to ‘Protect Competition for Agricultural Inputs’
On September 26, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) “formalizing a partnership to protect competition in key agricultural markets such as feed, fertilizer, fuel, seed, equipment, and other essential goods.” Also announced by DOJ and USDA, the MOU states that the “agencies will confer regularly, as appropriate and consistent with applicable confidentiality restrictions, to discuss and review law enforcement and regulatory matters related to competitive conditions in the agricultural marketplace,” and provides that “each agency may share information, consistent with applicable confidentiality restrictions and subject to [certain] conditions.”

Regulatory Policy: DOJ Announces FDCA Cases Under Jurisdiction of New ‘Enforcement & Affirmative Litigation Branch’
On September 25, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a new Enforcement & Affirmative Litigation Branch, which DOJ states is “dedicated to safeguarding public health and safety through proactive enforcement and high-impact affirmative litigation.” According to the announcement, the branch will consist of two sections: the Enforcement Section—which will bring cases under several statutes including the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) and Consumer Product Safety Act—and the Affirmative Litigation Section, which will “file lawsuits against states, municipalities, and private entities that interfere with or obstruct federal policies.” DOJ’s press release announcing its suit against California’s Proposition 12 is currently listed under Enforcement & Litigation’s press releases. See also ALWR—July 22, 2025, “DOJ Files Complaint Alleging California’s Proposition 12 Preempted by Federal Law.” 

Animal Health: USDA Publishes National Poultry Improvement Plan Final Rule
On September 30, 2025, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) published in the Federal Register a final rule (90 FR 46741) “amending the regulations governing the National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP).” The NPIP is “a cooperative Federal-State-industry mechanism for controlling certain poultry diseases” that “consists of a variety of programs intended to prevent and control poultry diseases.” The amendments to the NPIP, proposed in June 2024 (89 FR 49107), include clarifications to provisions on “NPIP participation, voting requirements, testing procedures, and standards.” See also ALWR—June 17, 2024, “USDA Publishes National Poultry Improvement Plan Proposed Rule, Conditions Indemnity Payments on Biosecurity Plan Compliance.”

Nutrition Programs: USDA Publishes Proposed Rule to Change SNAP Retail Stocking Requirements
On September 25, 2025, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) published in the Federal Register a proposed rule (90 FR 46081) that would “codify a new framework for determining distinct staple food varieties and accessory foods (such as snacks, desserts, and foods meant to complement or supplement meals, which do not themselves count as staple foods) for purposes of meeting the staple food requirements for retailer participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).” Also announced by USDA, FNS is seeking comments on the proposed rule to “to determine distinct staple food varieties that would be codified in regulatory text” and proposes to “add and codify food categories that count as accessory foods.” Comments are open until November 24, 2025 (FNS-2025-0018-0001).

Nutrition Programs: USDA Discontinues Household Food Security Reports
On September 20, 2025, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced (PDF) that the agency will discontinue its Household Food Security Reports. According to the announcement, “[t]rends in the prevalence of food insecurity have remained virtually unchanged, regardless of an over 87% increase in SNAP spending between 2019–2023.” USDA states that it “will continue to prioritize statutory requirements and where necessary, use the bevy of more timely and accurate data sets available to it.”

Biofuels: EPA Publishes 2026-2027 Renewable Fuel Standard Program Proposed Rule
On September 18, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published in the Federal Register a proposed rule (90 FR 45007) to amend Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) Program regulations “to add a new ‘Small Refinery Exemption (SRE) reallocation volume’ term in the percentage standard equations for 2026 and 2027 that, taken together, would account for the 2023-2025 exempted [Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs)]” and revise the “proposed percentage standards for 2026 and 2027 to include both the proposed SRE reallocation volumes and a better-informed projection of exempted gasoline and diesel for 2026 and 2027.” In August 2025, EPA issued decisions on 175 small refinery exemption petitions seeking RFS exemptions for 2016–2024. See also ALWR—July 1, 2025, “EPA Publishes Proposed 2026–27 Renewable Fuel Standard Volume Requirements,” and ALWR—Aug. 5, 2025, “Federal Court Upholds 2023, 2024, 2025 RFS Rule, Remands Without Vacatur.”

 

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Mid-Atlantic Ag & Resource Law Conference with WVU Extension—October 28–29, 2025. In-person at National Conservation Training Center, Shepherdstown, WV. Registration Available.

AgWorks: Connecting Agricultural Businesses to Workforce Services and Training. From 2025 to 2027, the Penn State Center for Agricultural and Shale Law and Penn State Extension will collaborate with farms and agriculture-related businesses to strengthen the workforce system. AgWorks will provide 100 registered small- to medium-sized Pennsylvania farms and agribusinesses with no-cost training and consultation to ensure business sustainability. As part of the AgWorks program, the Center for Agricultural and Shale Law will present 20+ employment law programs. Upcoming:

Subscribe to the Pennsylvania Farm Employers’ Listserv (PFEL): an email networking and resource-sharing group exclusively about human resources information for agricultural operations.

Pennsylvania Farm Bureau Legal Services Plan: “A new member-benefit program involving law firms that specialize in legal areas commonly utilized by farmers.”

Resources of Interest:

New: Brook Duer, Legal Considerations for Microgreens Production, Penn State Extension (Sept. 26, 2025)

Nat’l Agric. Law Ctr., 2025 Legislative Recap: Continued Expansion of State-Level Foreign Ownership Restrictions, Ramie Parsons (October 7, 2025)

Nat’l Agric. Law Ctr., Alternative Proteins: 2025 Litigation Update, Jakob Christopherson (September 30, 2025)

Iowa St. Univ. Ctr. Agric. Law & Tax’n, Absent Legislation, No New CRP Contracts Can Be Issued, Kristine A. Tidgren (October 2, 2025)

Univ. of Ill. Farm Policy News, Farmer Aid Reportedly Delayed by Gov’t Shutdown, Ryan Hanrahan (October 8, 2025)

Southern Ag Today, China’s Agricultural Imports from U.S. and Brazil Decline in 2025 – But the U.S. Faces Sharper Losses, Andrew Muhammad (Univ. Tenn.) (October 2, 2025)

Southern Ag Today, The H-2B Visa Program and the Food Sector, Alejandro Gutierrez-Li (NC State) (September 29, 2025)

Univ. Md. Risk Mgmt. Educ. Blog, Estate Planning Tools: Gifting, Olivia Scuderi (October 7, 2025)

Tex. A&M Agric. Law Blog, Is Witness to a Will Required to Know What the Signor is Signing?, Tiffany Dowell Lashmet (October 6, 2025)

Univ. Md. Risk Mgmt. Educ. Blog, Estate Planning Tools: Power of Attorney, Olivia Scuderi (September 30, 2025)

Tex. A&M Agric. Law Blog, Permanent Increase to Estate Tax Lifetime Exemption, Tiffany Dowell Lashmet (September 29, 2025)

Ohio St. Univ. Ext. Farm Off. Blog, Annual Cost of Storing Ohio Corn and Soybeans Since 1973, Carl Zulauf & Eric Richer (October 6, 2025)

Ohio St. Univ. Ext. Farm Off. Blog, October 1 brings open burning restrictions, Peggy Kirk Hall (September 30, 2025)

STATE ACTIONS—EXECUTIVE & LEGISLATIVE

PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE PRESS RELEASES

Pennsylvania Invests More Than $5.7 Million to Ensure That 24 Farms, 2,079 Acres of Prime Farmland in 14 Counties Stay Farms Forever (October 9, 2025)

Shapiro Administration Announces 2026 Pennsylvania Farm Show Theme: ‘Growing a Nation’ (October 2, 2025)

PENNSYLVANIA EXECUTIVE AGENCIES (Pa. Bulletin Vol. 55, No. 40 & 41—October 4-11, 2025):         

Department of Agriculture

55 Pa.B. 7123 Notice: “Controlled Plant and Noxious Weed Committee Public Meeting” (October 11, 2025)

Department of Environmental Protection

55 Pa.B. 7207 Notice: “Proposed Conditional State Water Quality Certification under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act for the United States Army Corps of Engineers Nationwide Permits”

55 Pa.B. 7207 Notice: “Mine Families First Response and Communication Advisory Council Meeting”

55 Pa.B. 7209 Notice: “Sewage Advisory Committee Meetings”

55 Pa.B. 7209 Notice: “State Water Plan Lower Susquehanna Water Resources Planning Committee Meeting Location Change”

55 Pa.B. 7039 Notice: “Mosquito-borne Disease Control County Grants; Notice of Availability”

55 Pa.B. 7040 Notice: “Pennsylvania’s 2025 Annual Ambient Air Monitoring Network Plan”

55 Pa.B. 7040 Notice: “State Implementation Plan Revision; Concerning Reasonably Available Control Technology Determinations for the 2015 Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards” Referred to Education [House] (September 29, 2025)

PENNSYLVANIA LEGISLATURE

HB 1938 “An Act amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in riot, disorderly conduct and related offenses, further providing for the offense of aggravated cruelty to animal.” Referred to Judiciary [House] (October 10, 2025)

HB 1930 “An Act amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in riot, disorderly conduct and related offenses, further providing for the offense of aggravated cruelty to animal.” Referred to Agriculture & Rural Affairs [House] (October 8, 2025)

HB 1768 “An Act establishing the Keystone Fresh Program; providing for the Fresh Schools Grant Program, for the Keystone Producer Grant Program, for the Keystone Assistance Grant Program and for the administration of the Keystone Fresh Program by the Department of Education and the Department of Agriculture; and establishing the Keystone Fresh Fund.” Referred to Agriculture & Rural Affairs [House] (October 8, 2025)

HR 309 “A Resolution designating the months of October 2025 and October 2026 as “Wine, Wineries and Grapes Month” in Pennsylvania.” Reported as amended [House] (September 30, 2025)

HR 317 “A Resolution recognizing the months of September 2025 and September 2026 as “Hunger Action Month” in Pennsylvania.” Reported as amended [House] (September 30, 2025)

HR 323 “A Resolution recognizing the months of October 2025 and October 2026 as “National Animal Safety and Protection Month” in Pennsylvania.” Reported as amended [House] (September 30, 2025)

HB 1895 “An Act amending Title 3 (Agriculture) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, establishing the Agriculture Innovation Grant Program and the Agriculture Innovation Board; and making a repeal.” Referred to Agriculture & Rural Affairs [House] (September 30, 2025)

HB 664 “An Act amending the act of June 1, 1945 (P.L.1242, No.428), known as the State Highway Law, in special provisions affecting local authorities, providing for Road Salt Management Best Practices Guide.” Laid on the table [House] (September 29, 2025)

HB 1886 “An Act amending Title 12 (Commerce and Trade) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in miscellaneous provisions, providing for bag usage.” Referred to Environmental & Natural Resource Protection [House] (September 29, 2025)

HB 1890 “An Act amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, establishing the Scratch Cooked Meals for Students Pilot Grant Program.” Referred to Education [House] (September 29, 2025)

HR 327 “A Resolution directing the Joint State Government Commission to conduct a study evaluating the feasibility of a multifaceted approach to decreasing food waste given this Commonwealth’s current infrastructure.” Referred to Agriculture & Rural Affairs [House] (September 29, 2025)

HB 1884 “An Act amending the act of June 22, 1937 (P.L.1987, No.394), known as The Clean Streams Law, in general provisions and public policy, providing for general permit modernization.” Referred to Environmental & Natural Resource Protection [House] (September 29, 2025)

FEDERAL ACTIONS—EXECUTIVE & LEGISLATIVE

U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY PRESS RELEASES

EPA and Virginia Agriculture Forge First-Ever Memorandum of Understanding (October 6, 2025)

EPA, EGLE and Partners Celebrate Removal of Muskegon Lake from List of Most Environmentally Degraded Areas in the Great Lakes (October 1, 2025)

EPA announces $48 million for southeastern states to repair water systems impacted by Hurricane Helene (September 30, 2025)

EPA Settles with Four Companies to Improve Community Safety, Chemical Reporting (September 30, 2025)

EPA Proposes Reforming Biden Technology Transitions Rule to Lower Costs for American Families at the Grocery Store, Make Refrigerants Affordable, Safe and Accessible Again (September 30, 2025)

EPA Partners with Rural Communities to Strengthen Outdoor Recreation Economy, Make America Beautiful Again (September 30, 2025)

EPA Rings the Alarm on California’s Latest Questionable Attempt to Impose EV Mandates  (September 30, 2025)

EPA and HUD Protect Newark Housing Authority Residents from Lead Paint (September 29, 2025)

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (USDA) PRESS RELEASES

USDA Announces $38.3 Million in Grant Agreement to Cover Agricultural Loss es due to Hurricane Helene in South Carolina (September 30, 2025)

USDA Announces $531 Million in Grant Agreement to Cover Agricultural Losses in Georgia (September 30, 2025)

USDA AGENCY PRESS RELEASES

Agricultural Marketing Service

USDA Settles a Packers and Stockyards Case with Livingston Stockyard LLC (September 30, 2025)

USDA Settles a Packers and Stockyards Case against Jerry Stokes (September 30, 2025)

USDA Launches Food Hub Operator’s Toolkit (September 29, 2025)

USDA Proposes Rule to Establish Salable Quantities and Allotment Percentages of Scotch and Native Spearmint Oil for the 2025-2026 Marketing Year (September 29, 2025)

USDA Announces Meeting Dates for the Grain Inspection Advisory Committee (September 29, 2025)

Farm Service Agency

USDA Announces 2026 Upland Cotton Marketing Assistance Loan Rate Increase (September 30, 2025)

USDA Announces $531 Million in Grant Agreement to Cover Agricultural Losses in Georgia (September 30, 2025)

Foreign Agricultural Service

USDA Launches Agribusiness Trade Mission to Taiwan (September 29, 2025)

Export Sales to Mexico and Unknown Destinations (September 29, 2025)

National Agricultural Statistics Service

US corn ending stocks down 13% from last year, soybean ending stocks down 8% (September 30, 2025)

USDA to Host Data Users’ Meeting to Gather Public Input on Statistical Programs (September 29, 2025)

Small Grains Summary Grain Stocks (September 29, 2025)

National Institute of Food and Agriculture

Celebrating National 4-H Week: Empowering Tomorrow’s Leadership (September 26, 2025)

USDA To Hold Listening Sessions on Rural and Federal Veterinary Workforces (September 23, 2025)

Natural Resources Conservation Service

NRCS Announces Conservation Funding Opportunities for FY 2026 (September 30, 2025)

USDA is Now Accepting Applications for The Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) (September 29, 2025)

USDA Offers Conservation Assistance to Landowners to Protect Forestlands with the Upper Pearl RCPP Easement Project (September 29, 2025)

FEDERAL EXECUTIVE AGENCIES (Federal Register: September 29–October 10, 2025):

Agricultural Marketing Service

90 FR 47503 Final rule: “Tart Cherries Grown in the States of Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin; Amendments to the Marketing Order” (October 2, 2025)

90 FR 47245 Proposed rule: “Sweet Onions Grown in the Walla Walla Valley of Southeast Washington and Northeast Oregon; Decreased Assessment Rate” (October 1, 2025)

90 FR 47248 Proposed rule: “Walnuts Grown in California; Changes to Administrative Requirements” (October 1, 2025)

90 FR 47240 Proposed rule: “Oranges, Grapefruit, Tangerines, and Pummelos Grown in Florida; Increased Assessment Rate” (October 1, 2025)

90 FR 47243 Proposed rule: “Grapes Grown in a Designated Area of Southeastern California; Decreased Assessment Rate” (October 1, 2025)

90 FR 46546 Notice of Federal advisory committee meeting: “Grain Inspection Advisory Committee Meeting” (September 29, 2025)

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

90 FR 46741 Final rule: “National Poultry Improvement Plan and Auxiliary Provisions” (September 30, 2025)

90 FR 46546 Notice: “Bayer U.S.-Crop Science: Determination of Nonregulated Status of MON 95379 Lepidopteran-Protected Maize (Corn) Genetically Engineered to Produce Two Insecticidal Proteins to Protect Against Feeding Damage Caused by Target Lepidopteran Pests” (September 29, 2025)

Commodity Credit Corporation

90 FR 46547 Notice: “Domestic Sugar Program-FY 2025 Reassignment and FY26 Overall Sugar Marketing Allotment, Cane Sugar and Beet Sugar Marketing Allotments and Company Allocations” (September 29, 2025)

Council on Environmental Quality

90 FR 47734 Notice of availability: “Implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act Guidance” (October 2, 2025)

Environmental Protection Agency

90 FR 48203 Notice: “Carbon Tetrachloride (CTC); Regulation Under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA); Request for Comment” (October 9, 2025)

90 FR 47999 Proposed rule: “Phasedown of Hydrofluorocarbons: Reconsideration of Certain Regulatory Requirements Promulgated Under the Technology Transitions Provisions of the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act of 2020” (October 3, 2025)

90 FR 47748 Notice of proposed settlement agreement; request for public comment: “Proposed Settlement Agreement, Clean Air Act Petition for Review (October 2, 2025)

90 FR 47235 Final rule: “Amicarbazone; Pesticide Tolerances” (October 1, 2025)

90 FR 46544 Notice of filing of petitions and request for comment: “Receipt of Pesticide Petitions Filed for Residues of Pesticide Chemicals in or on Various Commodities-July 2025” (September 29, 2025)

90 FR 46594 Notice of receipt and request for comment: “Pesticide Product Registration; Receipt of Applications for New Uses (July 2025)” (September 29, 2025)

90 FR 46594 Notice: “Pesticide Product Registration; Receipt of Applications for New Active Ingredients (July 2025)” (September 29, 2025)

Employment and Training Administration

90 FR 47914 Interim final rule, request for comments: “Adverse Effect Wage Rate Methodology for the Temporary Employment of H-2A Nonimmigrants in Non-Range Occupations in the United States” (October 2, 2025)

Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation

90 FR 46595 Notice: “Board of Directors Meeting” (September 29, 2025)

Food and Drug Administration

90 FR 47774 Notice: “Revocation of Emergency Use of a Biological Product; Availability” (October 2, 2025)

90 FR 47229 Final amendment; order; confirmation of effective date: “Listing of Color Additives Exempt from Certification; Gardenia (Genipin) Blue; Confirmation of Effective Date” (October 1, 2025)

90 FR 46610 Notice: “Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for Office of Management and Budget Review; Comment Request; Mitigation Strategies to Protect Food Against Intentional Adulteration” (September 29, 2025)

90 FR 46602 Notice: “Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for Office of Management and Budget Review; Comment Request; Accreditation of Third-Party Certification Bodies to Conduct Food Safety Audits and Issue Certifications” (September 29, 2025)

Food Safety and Inspection Service

90 FR 47720 Notice and request for comments: “Notice of Request to Renew an Approved Information Collection: Marking, Labeling and Packaging” (October 2, 2025)

90 FR 47721 Notice and request for comments: “Notice of Request to Renew an Approved Information Collection: Interstate Shipment of Meat and Poultry Products” (October 2, 2025)

Homeland Security Department

90 FR 47507 Final rule: “Facilitating Earlier Filing of Certain Electronically Submitted H-2A Petitions” (October 2, 2025)

U.S. HOUSE AGRICULTURE COMMITTEE

H.R.5731 “School Food Modernization Act” Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, and Appropriations, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned (October 10, 2025)

H.R.5718 “To reinstate exemptions to SNAP work-requirements for homeless individuals, veterans, and former foster youth.” Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture (October 8, 2025)

H.R.5716 “To provide for the continuation of agricultural disaster assistance programs in the event of a Government shutdown” Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture (October 8, 2025)

H.R.5710 “To suspend certain payment limitations relating to agricultural risk coverage and price loss coverage for crop year 2025 and to make advance partial payments under such coverages for such crop year.” Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture (October 8, 2025)

H.R.5703 “To amend the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 and the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 to direct the Agricultural Research Service to expand organic research, and for other purposes.” Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture (October 6, 2025)

H.Res.791 “Expressing support for the designation of October 5 through October 11, 2025, as ‘National 4-H Week’” Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned (October 6, 2025)

H.R.5633 “Agriculture Infrastructure Stability Act of 2025” Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture (September 30, 2025)

H.Res.778 “Expressing support for the recognition of September 29, 2025, as ‘International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste’” Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture (September 30, 2025)

U.S. SENATE COMMITTEE AGRICULTURE, NUTRITION, AND FORESTRY 

S.2944 “A bill to amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to require mandatory certification for certain students and reduce stigma associated with unpaid school meal fees, and for other purposes.” Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry (September 30, 2025)

U.S. HOUSE AGRICULTURE COMMITTEE—UPCOMING HEARINGS

None.

U.S. SENATE COMMITTEE AGRICULTURE, NUTRITION, AND FORESTRY—UPCOMING HEARINGS  

None.

 

Contributors:
Audry Thompson—Staff Attorney
Christina Fraser—Research Assistant
Riley Amdor—Research Assistant