Global prices of key fertilizer ingredient urea have surged alongside escalating violence in the Middle East, which threatens to choke supplies of the crop nutrient from a significant producing and exporting region.
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.
Brazil’s Second Corn Harvest Expected at Record 123 MMT
Brazilian farmers will produce a record 123.3 million metric tons of second corn, agribusiness consultancy Agroconsult said on Tuesday after surveying fields in key producing regions nationwide.
Ag Trade Deficit Reaches Record High $20 Billion Through April
From January through April, the United States imported $78.2 billion in agricultural products while exporting just $58.5 billion. This $19.7 billion deficit is the largest ever recorded for the first four months of a year and signals that the 2025 deficit could surpass previous records.
Trump Again Considering Immigration Relief for Farmworkers
President Donald Trump again is saying he wants to shield farmers from the effects of his crackdown on illegal immigration, just days after his administration reinstated workplace raids on agricultural operations.
Wheat Farmers Cut Losses as Harvest Lags
Farmers cut their losses early this year across the U.S. wheat belt, stretching from Texas to Montana. They were choosing to bale the wheat into hay, plow their fields under or turn them over to animals to graze. In Nebraska, wheat acreage is less than half of what it was in 2005.
New USDA Sterile Fly Facility Will Combat Screwworm
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced plans on Wednesday to open a sterile fly dispersal facility in Hidalgo County, Texas, as part of the country’s effort to fight the encroachment of New World screwworm.
ICE Reverses Exemption of Ag from Immigration Raids
The Department of Homeland Security on Monday told staff that it was reversing guidance issued last week that agents were not to conduct immigration raids at farms, hotels and restaurants.
Iran-Israel Conflict Adds Uncertainty to Fertilizer Market
Renewed conflict in the Middle East has shuttered urea production in Iran, sending ripples through global fertilizer markets and adding to existing uncertainty around Russian and Chinese supplies.
ICE Ordered to Pause Immigration Raids on Ag Businesses
President Donald Trump’s administration has directed immigration officials to largely pause raids on farms, hotels, restaurants and meatpacking plants, according to an internal email reviewed by Reuters, a senior Trump official, and a person familiar with the matter.
EPA Likely to Propose RFS Volumes Below Industry Expectations
The EPA will propose new biofuel blending requirements for oil refiners for the coming two years that will likely include a lower biomass-based diesel mandate than industry groups had requested, according to four sources familiar with the matter.
Immigration Raids Targeting Ag Businesses Increase
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are starting to more aggressively target agriculture and food processing facilities around the country as reports over the past week from (Nebraska), New Mexico and California also highlight.
Deere Must Face FTC Right-to-Repair Lawsuit, Judge Rules
Agriculture equipment giant Deere must face a lawsuit by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission accusing the company of forcing farmers to use its authorized dealer network and driving up their costs for parts and repairs, a U.S. judge has ruled.
Integrity of USDA Data Questioned After Trade Report Redaction
Analysts voiced concerns this week about the integrity of U.S. Department of Agriculture reports after the agency delayed a report and excluded findings that point to tariffs as a reason for a forecasted increase in the agricultural trade deficit.
DOGE Cuts USDA Office Closure List in Half
USDA agencies will close fewer than half the number of offices originally listed by the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) as cost-saving measures, with at least 61 USDA offices removed from the DOGE website nearly three months after their original listing.
US Trade Deficit Narrows by 55% in April
The U.S. deficit with its global trading partners tumbled by the largest amount on record in April as companies and consumers no longer rushed to get imports ahead of President Donald Trump’s tariffs. On the agriculture side, however, the latest forecast projects that the agricultural trade deficit will grow to $49.5 billion for fiscal year 2025, which ends Sept. 30, up from the $49 billion deficit projected in February.
Chinese Nationals Arrested for Smuggling Crop Pathogen Into US
Two Chinese nationals were arrested for allegedly smuggling a pathogen into the U.S. that is known to be destructive to corn, wheat, rice and barley crops.
Farmer Sentiment Reaches Highest Level Since 2021
Bloomberg’s Michael Hirtzer, Erin Ailworth, and Skylar Woodhouse reported Tuesday that “American farmer sentiment jumped to a four-year high, with growers betting on rising crop exports as the Trump administration pushes for more trade deals from Vietnam to Italy.” “US President Donald Trump has pushed an America-first agenda that has hit crop exports. Top commodities […]
White House Budget Looks to Cut Nearly $7 Billion from USDA
*Editor’s Note: We are aware of some publishing issues currently occurring with the daily email updates from the FarmPolicy News website. We are working to resolve those issues and to restore emails as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience. —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— Politico’s Grace Yarrow reported that “the Trump administration is requesting $23 billion for […]
Farmers Pushing for Biofuels Boost to Increase Crop Demand
Bloomberg’s Kim Chipman, Alicia Diaz, Erin Ailworth and Ilena Peng reported late last week that “after losing their biggest export market due to Donald Trump’s trade wars, US farmers are now counting on the president’s support for biofuels to prevent their next crop from piling up in storage.” “The administration is set to soon unveil […]
EPA Delivers Proposed RVOs to White House
Agri-Pulse’s Rebekah Alvey reported that “the Environmental Protection Agency has sent its next set of proposed biofuel volume mandates to the White House for review, signaling the long-delayed rule could be coming soon.” “Under the Renewable Fuel Standard, the agency sets renewable volume obligations for different fuel types like biomass-based diesel, advanced and cellulosic biofuels. […]