Capital Update – For the Week Ending March 13, 2026

Court Rules NPPC and Other Farm Groups May Join Clean Water Act Case

What happened: NPPC, the Ohio Pork Council, and several other agricultural associations won a significant victory in a case related to a Clean Water Act regulation that could affect the operations of Ohio farmers, including their continued ability to use manure and other nutrients.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit reversed a lower court ruling and agreed the farm groups are allowed to intervene as full parties in a case challenging Ohio’s regulation of nutrients in the Maumee River Watershed and western Lake Erie basin. The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency developed and the U.S. EPA approved a total maximum daily load – the amount of pollutants, including otherwise unregulated farm and agricultural storm water runoff, that can be in a water body and still meet federal water quality standards – for the river in northwest Ohio.

The Environmental Law & Policy Center, among others, in 2023 sued EPA in U.S. District Court, arguing that its approval of the Ohio EPA’s Maumee River TMDL was arbitrary and capricious and the TMDL is not stringent enough. Despite the District Court allowing environmental activists, including Food & Water Watch and the Waterkeeper Alliance, to intervene in the case, the U.S. Department of Justice was opposed to the agricultural organizations’ request to enter the case, arguing that it would represent EPA and farm group interests.

In granting NPPC and the other agriculture organizations the right to intervene, a unanimous Sixth Circuit found that while the EPA’s argument that “approval of the Maumee TMDL is consistent with its regulations interpreting and implementing the CWA” – a position supported by the farm groups – the agricultural associations have a different view of the regulations from EPA. The groups further argue that some of the regulatory requirements are inconsistent with or otherwise not required by the CWA and not applicable to farmers.

Why it matters: With the case back at the U.S. District Court, the farm organizations will be able to argue that while EPA’s reasons for approving the Maumee River TMDL were adequate to support its decision, the legal threshold for such approval is lower than the environmental groups and even EPA contend.

While NPPC and the agricultural associations could have filed friend-of-the-court briefs in the case, being intervenors allows them to raise and prosecute their own arguments, argue at trial, weigh in on possible settlements, and appeal an adverse outcome. Overall, NPPC will have a much stronger platform for defending agriculture from baseless attacks by activist groups, both in this case and in future challenges.

Organizations Urge USTR to Renew USMCA Trade Deal

What happened: Calling Canada and Mexico “foundational to our economic strength and resilience,” nearly 70 U.S. agriculture and business associations and organizations, including NPPC, conveyed their strong support for extending the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. The three countries will begin a review of the trade deal in July to determine whether it should be renewed for a 16-year term.

In a letter sent March 3 to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, the groups asked USTR to have “sustained and meaningful engagement” with stakeholders throughout the review, which could prompt modifications to the agreement. Changes to USMCA’s rules or adoption of new proposals could impact American competitiveness, the organizations wrote.

In November, NPPC and a host of other associations submitted comments advising USTR to be cautious when considering modifications to the trade deal, including changes that could disrupt supply chains.

In addition to urging renewal of USMCA, the agriculture and business groups asked USTR to work toward fully implementing the agreement, resolving any pending disputes, restoring predictability and certainty in North American trade, and maintaining duty-free treatment for USMCA-compliant goods. They asked the Trump administration to avoid imposing new tariffs on products from Canada and Mexico.

Why it matters: For U.S. farmers and businessowners, maintaining a rules-based agreement with binding commitments protects their industries. Without the economic might USMCA provides, incomes would be affected by additional, burdensome costs related to transportation and compliance measures. Without the certainty guaranteed by USMCA, U.S. entities would face unreliable markets, and their global competitiveness would be weakened.

NPPC, in comments submitted to USTR last fall, said USMCA has been “instrumental in ensuring long-term success” for the U.S. pork industry, which in 2025 exported nearly $2.85 billion of pork to Mexico and almost $759 million to Canada, making those countries the No. 1 and No. 4 export markets, respectively, for U.S. pork.

Ag Groups Ask Trump to Back Bechdol for Top FAO Post

What happened: NPPC joined more than 90 other farm organizations on a letter to President Trump, urging his administration to back Beth Bechdol to be the next director-general of the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization and expressing their strong support for her candidacy.

Bechdol is “uniquely positioned to win the election and lead meaningful FAO reform, delivering another victory for your America First agenda while strengthening rural America,” wrote the groups, pointing out that an American has not led FAO in more than 70 years.

Currently FAO deputy director-general, Bechdol is a strong proponent of the Codex Alimentarius Commission – the international food safety standards-setting body – and science-based standards. She was raised on a farm in Indiana and began her career in agriculture at the U.S. Department of Agriculture during the George W. Bush administration. She consistently has championed farmers, science, innovation, and modern agricultural systems.

Why it matters: A strong American director-general can help realign FAO “in ways that better reflect U.S. interests, such as promoting rural prosperity, reducing our agricultural trade deficit, and ensuring American producers can compete on a fair and level global playing field,” said the organizations in their letter. “If the United States does not act, others with very different priorities will shape FAO’s direction for years to come.”

New Farm Bill is House Republicans’ Top Priority

What happened: The House Republican Conference met to discuss priorities leading up to Congress’ August recess and put passage of a new farm bill at the top of its list.

The House Agriculture Committee approved Farm Bill 2.0 – the “Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026” – that includes a fix for the problems caused by California’s Proposition 12, which bans the sale of pork in California from hogs born to sows raised in housing that fails to meet the state’s standards. A House floor vote is expected this Congress.

Another GOP priority of interest to pork producers includes reauthorization of the Water Resources Development Act and the Surface Transportation Act. WRDA has no expiration date but has been reauthorized every two years since 2014, with the latest being signed into law January 4, 2025. The surface transportation measure expires Sept. 30, 2026.

NPPC’s take: NPPC strongly supports approval of a new farm bill, which, in addition to addressing problems caused by California Proposition 12, funds vital agricultural programs, including ones promoting farm exports and preventing and combatting foreign animal diseases.

It also backs reauthorization of WRDA and the Surface Transportation Act, both of which help maintain and improve the nation’s transportation infrastructure.

Why it matters: WRDA maintains and modernizes the nation’s dams, ports, levees, and inland waterways, all of which are important to farmers (Many utilize the river barge system, for example, to transport grains to mills, elevators, and ports). It also authorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to oversee projects and maintain and improve waterway infrastructure, including ports and harbors.

The Surface Transportation Act supports U.S. agriculture and rural economies by ensuring roads and bridges are maintained, allowing inputs to reach farms and commodities to be transported to markets.