USDA’s Farm Service Agency estimates Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) will generate approximately $13.8 billion in gross payments to eligible agricultural producers for the 2025 crop year — the largest annual payout by far since the key safety net programs were established in the 2014 Farm Bill.
Agricultural Economy
China Buys First US Soybeans Since Trump-Xi Meeting
China has purchased more cargoes of US soybeans, extending a buying spree this week that marks its first acquisitions since the leaders of the two countries held a summit in late September. State-owned companies have booked at least 20 soybean shipments, equivalent to around 1.3 million tons.
Trump Import Plan Bringing in Less ‘Affordable’ Beef Than Allowed
Beef imports under the Trump administration’s temporary tariff-rate quota fell well short of the first monthly allocation, limiting the amount of additional supply reaching the U.S. market, according to University of Arkansas economist James Mitchell.
USDA Says Soy Crop Biggest Ever, Corn Second Biggest
The harvest for corn would be the second largest ever if a forecast calling for 16 billion bushels is realized, the Agriculture Department said in its October crop production report. Additionally, both soybean output and yield would be the biggest on record if realized.
Farm Sector Debt to Reach Record High $605 Billion in 2026
United States farm sector debt is expected to reach a record high $605.1 billion in 2026, according to the latest USDA forecast. But the rise in non-traditional and vendor credit has created some gaps in the federal government’s current ability to measure and track farm debt, US Department of Agriculture officials told Reuters.
USDA, FTC to Investigate Potential Anticompetitive Practices in Ag Equipment Industry
The Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Department of Agriculture have launched a probe into potential anticompetitive practices in the agricultural equipment markets. The federal agencies said they want to address the ‘growing number of complaints’ received by USDA that ‘farmers across the country face other barriers’ to acquiring equipment.
Trump Order Allows Tax-Exempt Diesel Use on Highways
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday to expand access to tax-exempt diesel. Trump said the directive will waive the off-road requirement for tax-free diesel and allow anyone to buy the red dye diesel fuel that is used by the agriculture industry and by some off-road vehicles.
Farm Bill Expires Again as Lawmakers Continue Negotiations
As the latest extension of the 2018 Farm Bill expired Sept. 30, Congress remained without a new long-term agriculture policy despite years of negotiations and temporary extensions. While the U.S. House passed a new Farm Bill earlier this year and the Senate Agriculture Committee advanced its own version in September, lawmakers have yet to reach a final agreement.
More Farmer Aid Unlikely Until After Midterm Elections
Republicans want to lump in about $11 billion in direct farm aid with a forthcoming defense spending package. But even if that measure clears Congress, there would be a delay before checks hit farmers’ bank accounts, likely around spring of 2027. That might come too late to save some farmers’ businesses after a brutal harvest season amid record-breaking diesel prices.
China to Slash Tariffs on US Ag Products, Excluding Soybeans
The U.S. and China extended the Busan Agreement, the trade truce between the two countries, to Jan. 10 while identifying more than 1,600 products, including agricultural commodities, for potential tariff reductions. But soybeans for food and crushing were excluded from the list, and negotiators did not announce new agricultural trade commitments or a timeline for implementing the potential tariff reductions.
Immigration Raids Disrupting Kansas Meatpacking Operations
Meatpacking industry groups raised concerns Friday that recent heightened immigration operations in Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma have caused employees to miss work, leading to problems at meat-related businesses that could ultimately raise prices for consumers. Meatpackers slaughtered an estimated 90,000 cattle on Thursday, down 16% from a week earlier, and 87,000 cattle on Friday, down 14% from last week, the US Department of Agriculture said.
U.S. Weighing Diesel Export Ban Pushed by Ag Lawmakers
The Trump administration is examining whether a diesel export ban is a feasible way to address record-high prices for the critical fuel, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Tuesday. Many of the calls for a diesel export ban are coming from lawmakers in states with agriculture-rich economies, like Iowa Republicans Sen. Chuck Grassley and Rep. Ashley Hinson.
Trump Says US Working to Buy Cheaper Potash from Belarus
President Donald Trump on Monday announced that he is working on a “massive deal” to purchase potash, a key fertilizer, from Belarus. “The pricing would be for substantially less than we are currently paying to Canada, very good news for our Farmers and Ranchers,” Trump said on his social media site, Truth Social.
China Hasn’t Met Pledge to Increase US Ag Purchases, Except for Soybeans
China is over halfway to meeting its pledge to buy 25 million tons of US soybeans this year, but progress on a separate commitment to spend at least $17 billion more on American crops has largely stalled. In the first seven months of 2026, China bought only $3.9 billion of U.S. agricultural products, excluding soybeans, according to the most recent Agriculture Department data, only slightly more than during the same period last year.
USDA to Reopen New Mexico Border Port to Cattle
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on Wednesday that the Department of Agriculture is preparing to reopen the Santa Teresa, New Mexico, port of entry at the U.S.-Mexico border. The agency said that operations will start slowly with an initial limit of 750 head of cattle per day.
Farm Bill Likely to Advance as McConnell Returns to Senate Ag Committee
The Farm Bill will once again be in front of the Senate Agriculture Committee for a vote on Wednesday, with the return of Senator Mitch McConnell from a several month absence giving Republicans enough votes to advance the legislation out of committee if they remain unified.
USDA Seeks Info from Farmers About Fertilizer ‘Cartel’ Practices
U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden was in Iowa Friday, asking farmers from across the country to share their experiences dealing with consolidation and pricing issues in the fertilizer industry. Separately, the Senate Agriculture Committee will return to action on Wednesday for another vote on its currently stalled Farm Bill 2.0.
Farmers Adopting AI Faster than any other Tech
Artificial intelligence use is surging on farms as growers look for some high-tech help in planning and managing operations after years of scaling back on spending, according to McKinsey & Co. Some 17% of the world’s farmers now use generative AI in farm-related tasks, making it one of the fastest-growing technologies in agriculture.
Record Diesel Prices Threaten Farm Margins as Harvest Begins
Skyrocketing diesel costs are threatening to squeeze farm profits, just as U.S. crop growers were starting to catch a break. The average price of U.S. diesel reached a new all-time high of $5.94 a gallon on Wednesday, up four cents from the prior record set Monday over the travel-heavy Labor Day weekend, according to automobile club AAA. Prices are up 61% from a year ago.
Farmers, Ag State Lawmakers Brace for Escalating Canada Trade War
American farmers are bracing for the impact of new tariffs exchanged between the U.S. and Canada on both their supply costs and their sales. Additionally, farm state Republicans say they want deescalation in Trump’s trade war with Canada, wary of another blow to growers who have suffered financially this year.