“A remarkable streak of wins in farm country battlegrounds delivered Democrats majority control of Congress on Tuesday.” They will now “face pressure to address rising fuel and agricultural input costs, trade concerns and the effects of global conflicts on agricultural markets while needing to find compromises with the White House.”
Agricultural Economy
John Deere to Close Two Iowa Manufacturing Plants
Less than a week after announcing plans to recall and hire hundreds of employees across the Midwest, “John Deere announced plans to close two Iowa manufacturing plants in the next few years and move production to other cities, in a news release from the company on Wednesday.”
John Deere Hiring, Recalling 675 Workers in the Midwest
“John Deere says it ‘anticipates’ it will hire more than 400 people across its factories and will call back more than 275 to its Waterloo, Iowa, operations in the coming months, which would bring total callbacks since 2024 to about 1,000 employees.”
US Farm Bankruptcies Up 19% Through Three Quarters of 2026
According to federal court data, 292 Chapter 12 (farm bankruptcy) cases have been filed so far in 2026, nearly 19 percent more than the 246 filed during the first three quarters of 2025. In the third quarter alone, 91 Chapter 12 bankruptcy filings were recorded nationwide.
Higher Diesel Prices Cost Farmers $2.4 Billion More During 2026 Planting and Harvest
American farmers are facing an estimated $2.4 billion increase in diesel expenses during the 2025-2026 planting and harvesting season, according to an analysis released in October 2026 by Democrats on the U.S. Joint Economic Committee.
USDA to Provide $573M to Boost Domestic Fertilizer Production
The Trump administration on Thursday announced $573 million in grants to help boost construction of eight new domestic fertilizer facilities under USDA’s Fertilizer Investment & Expansion for Long-Term Domestic Supply (FIELDS) Program. The eight projects selected for funding combine for more than $1.34 billion in domestic investments in fertilizer production across as many as 18 states.
Third US-Mexico Border Crossing Set to Reopen to Livestock Imports
The port of entry at Columbus, N.M., will be the third crossing reopened for imports of Mexican cattle as of Oct. 26, the USDA said Monday, in spite of last week’s confirmation of two new cases of New World screwworm infestation in southwestern New Mexico.
Diesel Aid Could Push 2026 Government Payments to Farmers to Record $55 Billion
USDA’s recently announced Harvest Fuel Relief Program could “push US government payments to farmers in 2026 to $55.4 billion, based on USDA’s earlier net farm income forecast with $8 billion added to it. The highest previous aid year was $45.6 billion in 2020, driven by trade aid and pandemic payments.”
USDA to Provide $8 Billion in Diesel Fuel Aid to Farmers
President Donald Trump said on Monday the US Department of Agriculture will launch what he called a new ‘harvest fuel relief program’ that will provide farmers with $8 billion in support to offset diesel costs during the harvest season.
ARC & PLC Payments to Hit Record $13.8 Billion for 2025
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.
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.