There is growing evidence that household and commercial buyers are willing to pay a premium for local products. Families shop at farmers markets, school districts stock locally grown provisions, and restaurants curate seasonal menus in part to support the vitality of local growers.

The nation’s farmland and farmers continue to decrease, but Hispanic farm operators are growing, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) Census of Agriculture. Missing, however, are in-depth case studies that shed light on the diversity of livelihood strategies Hispanic farmers develop in the Midwest. As the nation’s agricultural industry continues to undergo demographic changes, it is critical that Hispanic farmers connect with the resources needed to be successful.

The World Trade Organization (WTO) has been a very successful system for the governance of international trade, progressively lowering tariffs and stimulating trade growth. Despite the fact that the United States played a significant role in establishing the WTO, as well as historically driving multiple rounds of trade negotiations, its current trade policy will notably change the global agricultural trading system. Unilateral implementation of tariffs by the United States has resulted in extensive international retaliation by competitors.

Over the last decade, the agricultural economy has changed dramatically, with consecutive year-on-year declines in farm income despite strong crop and livestock yields.

The United States Congress passed Public Law 114-216 three years ago requiring the U.S. Department of Agriculture to establish a national disclosure standard for genetically engineered (GE) foods.