Farmers and repair shops are allowed to temporarily override emission control systems for repair purposes, according to guidance issued by the Environmental Protection Agency Monday.
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.
USDA to Release Sterile Screwworm Flies in Texas
USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has shifted sterile New World screwworm (NWS) fly release to include into Texas to help efforts to stop the northern spread of the pest.
House Ag Chair Aiming for Late February Farm Bill 2.0
House Agriculture Chair G.T. Thompson has tentatively scheduled a farm bill markup for the week of Feb. 23, according to three people familiar with the plans.
ADM Settles Accounting Probe, Tyson Settles Price Fixing Claims
Archer-Daniels-Midland Co. agreed to pay $40 million to settle a two-year federal investigation into the crop giant’s accounting practices that eroded faith in the company’s transparency. Separately, Tyson Foods has reached a $48 million settlement with restaurants, delis and other food service operators who alleged in a 2018 class-action lawsuit that the company conspired with other pork processors to raise prices.
Trump Says Congress ‘Close’ to Deal for Year-Round E15
President Donald Trump called on Congress Tuesday to resolve differences over year-round sales of E15 fuel and to finalize an agreement that would be a boon for struggling corn farmers.
China Turning to Brazil Soybeans After Meeting US Purchase Pledge
China, the world’s largest soybean importer, has ramped up orders for Brazilian cargoes of the oilseed after meeting an initial shipment volume from the US as part of a trade truce with Washington.
USDA’s Vaden Accuses Nutrien, Mosaic of Fertilizer Price Collusion
Deputy Agriculture Secretary Stephen Vaden (last week) accused Nutrien and Mosaic of working to ‘collude’ to limit U.S. fertilizer supply and control prices, suggesting that the administration could take future action to inject more competition into markets, if necessary.
Congress Creating Ethanol Task Force After Year-Round E15 Deal Fails
Republican U.S. lawmakers plan to create a task force to study potential year-round sales of higher-ethanol E15 gasoline blends in the U.S., after an attempt to pass such legislation in a funding bill this week fell through.
Proposed Gov’t Funding Bills Don’t Include Farm Aid, E15
A package of funding bills assembled by House and Senate appropriators that needs to pass before the end of January does not contain any more aid for farmers. It’s also without a provision authorizing year-round E15 biofuel sales despite a last-minute push from farm-district Republicans.
Tariff Revenue from Ag Input Imports was Nearly $1 Billion in 2025
Tariffs imposed by the Trump administration collected an estimated $958 million in revenue from selected agricultural inputs from February to October of 2025, according to North Dakota State University’s monthly Agricultural Trade Monitor. Of that, about $530 million came from farm machinery, $273 million came from agricultural chemicals, $110 million came from fertilizers and $44 million came from seeds.
China Reaches 12 Million Ton US Soybean Purchase Pledge
China has bought about 12 million metric tons of U.S. soybeans, fulfilling a U.S.-stated pledge to purchase that volume by the end of February, three traders told Reuters on Tuesday, after a late-October trade truce spurred buying.
Supreme Court Will Hear Bayer’s Roundup Liability Case
The U.S. Supreme Court decided Friday it will hear a Bayer Roundup case that could bring product-liability lawsuits to a close on the glyphosate-based weed killer.
Lawmakers Eye at Least $15 Billion More in Farmer Aid
Congress has quickly engaged in putting together potential aid packages for farmers that would more than double the Trump administration’s $12 billion under the Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) Program.
US Ethanol Production Reaches Record Levels to Start 2026
U.S. fuel ethanol production expanded by 9%, reaching a record high 1.196 million barrels per day the week ending Jan. 9. The week ending Jan. 9 marks the fourth time since the beginning of November that U.S. fuel ethanol production has set a new record.
Brazil Surpasses US as Top Global Beef Producer
Brazil surpassed the U.S. as the world’s top beef producer last year, according to market estimates, after the South American country beat output forecasts by hundreds of thousands of tons, easing a global supply squeeze and helping limit a surge in meat prices.
USDA Says 2025 Corn Production Hit 17 Billion Bushels, Likely to Keep Prices Low
Corn futures plunged to the lowest levels since August after USDA stunned the market by boosting its 2025 U.S. crop estimate above 17 billion bushels for the first time, signaling a heavy supply outlook that likely will burden prices and further squeeze farmer bottom lines even amid record demand.
ARC, PLC Signup to be Significantly Delayed
The Agriculture Department has finalized some revisions to two major farm commodity programs, including rules for adding new base acres, but signup for the programs won’t be scheduled until after planting season at the earliest, according to a top USDA official.
Some Ag Groups Concerned Over Focus on Processed Food, Seed Oils in New Dietary Guidelines
The ag and food industry, particularly the meat, dairy and produce sectors, welcomed the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans, but soybean growers were alarmed by statements calling into question the potential for seed oils to harm Americans’ health. Some sectors raised concerns about the focus on highly processed foods.
Farm Economy to Stabilize in 2026, Ag Economists Predict
As 2026 ushers in a fresh start, agricultural economists say the U.S. farm economy has stopped sliding, but it’s far from fully healed.The December Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor shows month-to-month sentiment is improving, but deep structural strain remains — especially in row crops.
China’s US Soy Purchases Approach 10 Million Tons
China’s state stockpiler Sinograin bought 10 U.S. soybean cargoes this week, three traders told Reuters on Tuesday. China’s total purchases from the latest U.S. crop were now estimated at 8.5 million to nearly 10 million tons, according to traders and analysts, representing up to 80% of the 12 million metric tons that U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said China pledged to buy by the end of February.