NASHVILLE, TENN. (RFD-TV) — U.S. farmers along the Rio Grande are seeing some relief after years of scarce water deliveries from Mexico. Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins says Mexico plans to release 202,000 acre-feet of water this week. It should help ease the strain on South Texas farmers struggling to sustain crops such as cotton, milo, and hay.
Past water gaps have led to mounting debt. While this delivery offers hope, many farmers warn it is not a total solution to their ongoing water challenges.
Lawmakers recently offered some support on agricultural water supplies. The House passed the PERMIT Act, a bill aimed at reducing regulatory hurdles for land that can revert to wetlands during drought or other periods of inactivity.
“Under the current five-year window, pauses that ranchers and farmers might take can often revert to wetlands, triggering EPA oversight that locks out grazing,” explained Rep. Andy Biggs, R-AZ. “My amendment protects these parcels so they can return to production when conditions improve, without fear of federal reclamation.”
The Permit Act also provides exemptions for stormwater and pesticide discharges on farmland to ease compliance while maintaining protections for U.S. waterways.
Cattle imports from Mexico remain stalled amid the New World screwworm outbreak. At the same time, Tyson closures add pressure on Nebraska producers and markets ahead of the USDA’s upcoming Cattle on Feed Report.
December 08, 2025 01:55 PM
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Southern producers head into 2026 with thin margins, tighter credit, and rising agronomic risks despite scattered yield improvements.
December 08, 2025 12:04 PM
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Water access—not acreage alone—is driving where irrigation expands or contracts.
December 07, 2025 12:00 PM
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American soybean and corn leaders, along with Canada’s AgriFood sector, testified before the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office in support of the trade pact between the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.
December 05, 2025 12:29 PM
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Texas livestock producers face a heightened biosecurity threat as New World screwworm detections in northern Mexico coincide with FDA approval of the first topical treatment.
December 05, 2025 11:27 AM
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Henning Strauss, CEO of STRAUSS, joins us to share his company’s commitment to crafting tools that farmers wear.
December 04, 2025 12:53 PM
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WTO gauges point to agricultural raw materials trade growing more slowly than overall goods, reinforcing the need to manage export risk and monitor policy shifts closely.
December 03, 2025 03:46 PM
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December 02, 2025 01:26 PM
The Cotton-4 are pushing hard for new value chain investments. Still, many U.S. cotton producers face unsustainable losses, and weakened regional textile capacity threatens the survival of the Carolina “dirt-to-shirt” supply chain.
December 01, 2025 05:03 PM
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