The SBA and USDA just put a new reporting channel on the table for producers who think rules are costing them too much time and money.
On July 2, the agencies signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at combating what they call lawfare against farmers, ranchers, rural communities, and small businesses. The practical part is simpler than the rhetoric: they are creating a direct line for people to report regulations and rules that are driving up costs and hurting productivity.
That matters because compliance pain is often real even when it does not look dramatic on paper.
Why Owners Should Care
If you run a farm, a food business, or any rural operation that lives close to regulatory change, the biggest cost is not always the fine.
It is the time:
- time spent figuring out what changed
- time spent collecting documents
- time spent chasing permits, approvals, or exceptions
- time spent explaining the same issue to multiple agencies
The new MOU suggests SBA and USDA want those pain points surfaced in a more organized way.
What The Agencies Said
According to the SBA release, the agreement is meant to help producers report the regulations and rules driving up costs and to help the agencies identify broader patterns of regulatory abuse.
That is a policy move, but it is also a signal.
The federal government is telling rural owners that their complaints are not just noise. At least for this administration, those complaints are becoming input.
The Useful Owner Move
If you have ever thought, "I should keep track of what this rule is costing me," this is the moment to actually do it.
Start a simple log with:
- the rule or agency involved
- the date you spent time on it
- the direct cost in fees, labor, or consultants
- the business decision it delayed
That kind of record is useful whether you end up reporting through this channel, talking to a lender, or pushing back on a local agency.
What This Does Not Change
This MOU does not erase compliance obligations.
It does not mean a rule goes away because a business owner hates it. It does mean the agencies are inviting a more formal complaint path, and that can matter if you have a consistent paper trail of a rule creating costs that do not match the benefit.
Bottom Line
If you are a producer, rancher, or rural small-business owner, this is worth a look.
The real opportunity is not just to complain. It is to document the cost of compliance well enough that someone in Washington has to see it in plain numbers.
When rules are truly the problem, evidence beats venting.