The Trump administration is drawing up plans to use tariff revenue to fund a program to support US farmers as they head into harvest facing falling export sales and rising input costs, agriculture secretary Brooke Rollins said.
Ryan Hanrahan
Ryan Hanrahan is the Farm Policy News editor and social media director for the farmdoc project. He has previously worked in local news, primarily as an agriculture journalist in the American West. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri (B.S. Science & Agricultural Journalism). He can be reached at rrh@illinois.edu.
EPA Proposes Biofuel Reallocation Options
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday issued a proposal for reallocating to large refineries the biofuel blending obligations waived under the Small Refinery Exemption (SRE) program, offering two primary options of 50% and 100%. Additionally, the agency said it will ask for comment on other potential volumes, such as 25%, 75% or none at all.
USDA Considering Economic Aid, Secretary Rollins Says
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is working with Congress to evaluate whether economic aid might be needed for the nation’s farmers this autumn amid trade disputes and record-high yields, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on Monday.
USDA Again Increases Corn Planted Acreage, Production
The USDA this past Friday raised its 2025 U.S. corn production estimate to a record 16.814 billion bushels. It projected a record average yield of 186.7 bushels per acre, down from 188.8 bushels per acre in August. Both figures were above analysts’ expectations.
EPA Biofuel Reallocation Proposal Reportedly Could Trim Demand
The White House is considering a plan that would require large oil refineries to cover around half or less of the biofuel blending requirements recently waived for smaller facilities, according to three sources familiar with the matter.
MAHA Strategy Report Mostly Friendly to Ag, Pesticides
The Trump administration’s highly anticipated policy strategy to improve children’s health outcomes targets ultra-processed food and exposure to chemicals but doesn’t go as far as some industry groups feared in proposing new regulations.
Ag Trade Deficit Hit Another Record High in July
The US agricultural trade deficit widened further in July, with agricultural exports lagging imports by $4.97 billion in July, a gap 9% wider than a year earlier and the largest on record for the month. That pushed the sector’s deficit to an unprecedented $33.6 billion for the first seven months of the year.
House, Senate Ag Chairmen Considering Market Aid for Farmers
House Ag Committee Chair Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson told Agri-Pulse Newsmakers he still wants to take committee action on ‘farm bill 2.0’ in September and is eyeing including farm aid payments funded through tariff revenue, while Senate Ag Committee Chair John Boozman said “everything is on the table” to help farmers.
California Senate Passes Bill to Allow E15 Fuel Sales
California lawmakers on Wednesday voted to allow the sale of a higher-ethanol gasoline blend that could help bring down fuel prices in the largest U.S. auto market. California had been the only U.S. state that did not allow sales of E15, a blend containing 15% ethanol.
USDA Lowers Farm Income Forecast, Remains Well Above 2024
The USDA is lowering its forecast for farm earnings in 2025 as declines in the crop sector more than offset soaring incomes for cattle producers. Even with the lower numbers, both the estimates for net farm income and net cash income this year are above the 20-year average, largely due to an influx of government payments to row crop producers.
US Farmer Sentiment Hits 12 Month Low in August
United States farmer sentiment hit a 12 month low in August as producers expressed less optimism about the future and reported weak financial expectations for their farms in the coming year. It was the third month in a row that the barometer has declined.
USDA Extends Reorg Plan Comment Period to Sept. 30
The USDA has quietly extended the public comment period for its controversial reorganization plan to Sept. 30, doubling the length of time provided for input on an initiative that has drawn criticism from both Democrats and Republicans since it was unveiled last month.
U.S. Tariffs Reshaping Global Ag Trade Flows
The imposition of U.S. tariffs and new U.S. trade deals with countries across the globe are expected to reshape global agricultural trade flows — on products ranging from beef to grains to oilseeds — in the coming months.
USDA Projects Ag Trade Deficit Will Fall to $41.5 Billion in 2026
USDA’s quarterly trade outlook lowered the projected trade deficit for fiscal 2025 to $47 billion from the $49.5 billion estimated in June. The deficit is projected to drop to $41.5 billion for fiscal 2026, which starts Oct. 1, because U.S. ag imports are expected to fall even more than exports.
USDA Considering ‘Bridge’ Assistance Payments for Farmers
Deputy Agriculture Secretary Stephen Vaden suggested Tuesday that USDA officials are looking at a “bridge” policy that would help crop farmers facing low commodity prices until stronger price supports take effect next year.
China Remains Absent from US Soybean Market
Just days before the start of the US export season for soybeans, the world’s top importer China doesn’t appear to have bought a single American cargo for the coming year. That causing farmers in the Northern Plains to face cash soybean prices below $9, and with China absent from the soybean export market, $8 soybeans could continue to be a reality this harvest.
Cattle Industry Concerned Over Screwworm Reporting Delay
A nearly three-week delay between the confirmation of the first human infestation of travel-associated New World screwworm in the United States on August 4 and the U.S. government’s disclosure erodes trust that public agencies need to identify and fight potential screwworm outbreaks, said Neal Wilkins, CEO of conservation and cattle group East Foundation.
Human Case of New World Screwworm Confirmed in US
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Sunday reported the first human case in the United States of travel-associated New World screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite, from an outbreak-affected country.
Farmers May Need Emergency Market Aid, Ag Leaders Say
Ag industry leaders and important government figures are saying changes in the OBBBA should help farmers economic situation, but they’re beginning to acknowledge that they may not be enough — or may not come soon enough — to make enough of an impact for farmers. At events this past week, both Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Zippy Duvall, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation, addressed the potential need for additional federal assistance for farmers.
Farmers Feel Fertilizer Price Squeeze as Tariffs Hit Ag Sector
Farm groups are warning that President Donald Trump’s tariff war is worsening already high fertilizer prices, making it harder for farmers to afford planting their usual amounts of corn, wheat and soybeans.