Agri-Pulse Deep Dive

Conservation and climate-smart agriculture might be hot topics in today's farm policy, but that wasn't always the case. In the fifth and final episode of our Deep Dive on Farm and Food Policy Drivers, we explore the history of conservation policy, including how one man found a way to use the Dust Bowl for some real-time education.

The 1980s left a mark on the rural landscape as many farms and ranches were unable to survive the financial chaos of the decade. But the modern ag lending picture is influenced by far more than just that 10-year period. In this episode, we walk through the history of how producers have secured the funds they need to operate and the policy fights and tense conversations that have unfolded along the way.

Farmers face risk regularly, but they also can utilize one of the most crucial - and controversial - aspects of federal farm policy. In this episode, we explore the history and development of federal crop insurance and take a look at many of the arguments made in support of the program, and in favor of some changes.

Do you know where you were on Dec. 23, 2003? Countless people in farm policy have memories from "the cow that stole Christmas" etched into their memory forever. This episode of Agri-Pulse Deep Dive explores what happened that fateful day and what it has meant for the 20 years that followed for the American animal agriculture sector.

To kick off the third season of Agri-Pulse Deep Dive, Spencer Chase explores the history of USDA's Commodity Credit Corporation, including the fund's extensive use during the Trump administration.

Agri-Pulse Deep Dive is back! Be on the lookout for new episodes coming soon exploring the complex history of some of farm policy's biggest unanswered questions!

The biofuel policy debates in Washington since the passage of the Renewable Fuel Standard have been active to say the least. In the final episode of their Deep Dive on Biofuels, Agri-Pulse farm broadcasters Spencer Chase and Ben Nuelle talk to the folks doing the work on the ground about what it's been like working in the growing industry and what's up ahead.

In this episode, Agri-Pulse farm broadcasters Ben Nuelle and Spencer Chase explore the history of electric vehicles, legislative efforts on the subject, and where biofuels groups hope to plug in their influence as the debate about the future of propelling American drivers moves into the future.

Cellulosic technology was once the future of the biofuels industry. But now, companies are struggling to get it to the market at a competitive price. In this episode, Agri-Pulse farm broadcasters Spencer Chase and Ben Nuelle explore what happened and what is up ahead for cellulosic biofuels.

There's a major turning point in biofuels policy up ahead and a number of policy solutions at the industry's disposal. In this episode, Ben Nuelle takes a look at one of those possibilities - a low carbon fuel standard - and Spencer Chase explores the issues with one already on the books and what Capitol Hill thinks about the subject.