The U.S. Department of Agriculture is rolling out a major new program aimed at tackling soaring seed prices and expanding access to crop genetics. At a stop in Jasper County, Iowa, Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins announced a $180 million…
Continue reading USDA Launches $180 Million Seed Sovereignty Initiative to Lower Seed Costs and Open Genetic DataKey developments: The temporary extension of the federal farm bill lapsed on September 30, marking the fourth consecutive year without a permanent package. Senate Agriculture Chair Senator John Boozman signaled that the Senate’s roughly 800‑page “Farm Bill 2.0,”…
Continue reading Senate Ag Chair Announces Push for Farm Bill 2.0 as Extension ExpiresThe U.S. Department of Agriculture unveiled a major new program aimed at tackling soaring seed prices and expanding access to advanced breeding tools. The $180 million Seed Sovereignty Initiative will sequence the vast majority of the 600,000+ samples in…
Continue reading USDA Announces $180 Million ‘Seed Sovereignty Initiative’ to Decode and Share Genetic DataKey developments: – USDA has launched a $180 million Seed Sovereignty Initiative to sequence and openly license genetic information from its national plant germplasm collection, aiming to address soaring seed prices and improve breeding tools. – Farm debt hit…
Continue reading US Agriculture Faces Record Debt, Policy Shifts, and a Struggling 2026 Harvest
