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.
Farm Policy News
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.
Soybean Farmers Warn they ‘Cannot Survive’ China Trade War
US soybean farmers are near a ‘trade and financial precipice’ and cannot survive a prolonged trade war with China. That’s the warning from Caleb Ragland, president of the American Soybean Association. In a letter to President Donald Trump dated Tuesday, he urged the administration to reach a deal with China to remove duties and, if possible, include significant soybean purchases.
USDA Ending Loan Support for Solar Projects on Farmland
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said Monday that the department would be cutting off subsidies for solar power projects on U.S. farmland, asserting that they are making it harder for producers to afford acreage.
USDA to Spend $750 Million on Texas Fly Facility to Combat Screwworm
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will spend up to $750 million to build a facility in Texas that produces sterile flies to fight the flesh-eating livestock pest New World screwworm, Secretary Brooke Rollins said on Friday.
Draft MAHA Strategy Report Shows No Pesticide Restrictions
A highly anticipated White House report on the health of American children would stop short of proposing direct restrictions on ultraprocessed foods and pesticides that the health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has called major threats, according to a draft of the document that was reviewed by The New York Times.
USDA Terminating Food Safety Employee Union Contracts
The U.S. Department of Agriculture moved to terminate union contracts with thousands of employees of its animal health and food safety inspection agencies. Union officials warn that their excision from federal workplaces will ultimately degrade service to the public.
USDA Forecasts Record Corn Yield and Production
The USDA on Tuesday forecast a record corn crop at a whopping 16.7 billion bushels with record yields projected for corn at 188.8 bushels per acre — shattering another record. USDA also bumped up the soybean yield to 53.6 bpa, just below the record.
John Deere Gets Access to Competitor Data in FTC Case
John Deere will have access to confidential business information from several of its competitors after those companies fought in court to prevent the release as part of ongoing anti-trust, right-to-repair lawsuits. The court said an existing confidentiality agreement in the case would protect the companies’ interests against misuse of the information.
Lawmakers ‘in the very early stage’ of Skinny Farm Bill Discussions
A farm bill battle is brewing for the fall when a set of key agriculture programs that GOP leaders neglected in their massive reconciliation package will expire. Rep. Angie Craig, ranking member on the House Agriculture Committee, says lawmakers are “in the very early stage” of talks on the bill’s contents.
Ag Trade Deficit Hits Record High In First Half of 2025
The US agricultural trade deficit hit a record high in the first half of 2025, with the value of agricultural exports trailing that of imports by $4.1 billion in June — a gap 14% wider than a year earlier — pushing the sector’s deficit to a staggering $28.6 billion for the first six months of the year.
MAHA Report Will ‘Respect’ Glyphosate Safety, EPA Official Says
The upcoming MAHA report on recommendations for action will ‘continue to respect regulatory frameworks’ that have found glyphosate is safe, a high-ranking Environmental Protection Agency official said Tuesday at the American Sugar Alliance’s International Sweetener Symposium.
Corn Futures Dipped Below $4 on Wednesday
Corn futures fell below $4 a bushel (on Wednesday) to the lowest level in about 11 months as favorable US weather continued to weigh on prices ahead of a key report due next week that could show eye-popping yields. As of Thursday morning, corn is back above $4.
Trade Tensions, Biofuel Uncertainty Hit Agribusiness Profits
Ongoing trade tensions and uncertainty about U.S. biofuel policy contributed to second quarter profits hitting multi-year lows for a number of crop trading companies — including Archer-Daniels-Midland and Bunge Global SA — while ag equipment manufacturers warned those trade tensions will begin increasing equipment prices in the second half of the year.