Agriculture is one of the defining elements of a nation. This series consists of analyses on a variety of agricultural issues including (but not limited to) the developments, policies, programs, trade, trends and economics of agriculture. Topics will be seen from a U.S. perspective, but not to the exclusion of other countries particularly when the discussion has an international scope. Topics discussed in this issue include the background, status, and issues related to selected environmental regulations or initiatives possibly affecting agriculture; agricultural export programs; bee health; the legal and administrative responses to deregulating genetically engineered alfalfa and sugar beets; and the economic benefits to agriculture and rural communities by fixing our immigration system.