The New York Times’ Emmett Lindner reported that, “for decades, American farmers dealing with malfunctioning John Deere equipment were left with few options for repairs. The company allowed only authorized dealers to make fixes, withholding necessary tools from independent repair shops and individuals, driving up costs and wait times.” “A settlement this week with the […]
Farm Policy News
NCGA Study Finds Input Costs Higher for US Farmers Than Brazilian Counterparts
AgWeb’s Margy Eckelkamp and Tyne Morgan reported that, “for years, U.S. farmers have argued they face higher production costs than competitors such as Brazil while selling into the same global commodity market. A new analysis released Tuesday by the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) suggests those concerns are well founded.” “The study, conducted by Kynetec […]
China Resumes Soybean Purchases as Trade Thaw Continues
Mississippi Today’s Cassandra Stephenson reported that, “crops are in the ground, the weather is cooperating, soybean prices are up slightly from 2025, and China — the biggest buyer of U.S. soybean exports — is once again placing orders after a trade agreement ended the country’s purchasing freeze last fall.” “But while morale is higher among […]
Unions Claim USDA Overhaul Will Gut Agency
Reuter’s Daniel Wiessner reported that, “a group of unions, nonprofits and U.S. municipalities has asked a federal judge to block the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s planned reorganization, including the relocation of more than 2,500 employees based in the District of Columbia.” “The coalition of plaintiffs said in a filing in San Francisco federal court late […]
USDA releases June 2026 Acreage Report and Grain Stocks
Progressive Farmer reported, “U.S. farmers planted 95.3 million acres of corn and 85.4 million acres of soybeans in spring 2026, USDA said on Tuesday, unchanged from March’s estimate and within the range of pre-report estimates.” “Tuesday’s USDA Acreage estimates were neutral for corn, neutral for soybeans and slightly bullish for wheat, said DTN Lead Analyst […]
USDA to Fund $500 Million Expansion of Domestic Fertilizer Production
Reuters’ Karl Plume reported that “U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced $500 million in new funding on Wednesday to expand domestic fertilizer production after the Iran war drove up prices.” “Fertilizer prices have soared since the U.S. and Israel launched the war, as more than 30% of global exports were caught in Iran’s near-total closure […]
US Won’t Renew USMCA, Seeks Improvements in Yearly Reviews
The Trump administration will not renew the U.S.-Mexico-Canada agreement in its current form, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer announced Wednesday. The agreement has been a boon to farm country, but lawmakers and the dairy industry say there’s room for improvement.
Bayer Seeks Glyphosate Import Duties, Angering Farmers
Farm groups that only days ago celebrated Bayer’s U.S. Supreme Court victory over glyphosate labeling now are accusing the company of abandoning farmers after Monsanto asked federal trade officials to impose steep duties on glyphosate imports from China.
Trump Suspends Duties on Moroccan Phosphate Fertilizer
U.S. President Donald Trump has authorized the temporary suspension of certain duties on phosphate fertilizer imported from Morocco, the White House said on Monday, as farmers grapple with shortages due to the Iran war.
NY, CT Become First States to Offer Tariff Relief to Farmers
New York farmers can start submitting applications for up to $25,000 in relief from the state as part of a $30 million aid effort aimed at easing the hit to farmers from Republican U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs, Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul said on Monday.
Bayer Wins Supreme Court Roundup Case to Limit Lawsuits
The Supreme Court in a 7-2 decision on Thursday said Bayer cannot be sued over state-level claims that the company failed to warn of cancer risks from its weedkiller Roundup and its chemical glyphosate.
White House Requests $11 Billion in Farmer Aid
The White House on Wednesday asked Congress to pass a supplemental funding package that includes a request for $11.1 billion for farmers and calls for Congress to pass year-round E15.
Senate Farm Bill Omits E15, Prop 12 and Pesticide Labeling
Senate Agriculture Chair John Boozman (R-Ark.) released a farm bill proposal Tuesday that would make sweeping agriculture policy changes while excluding Democrats’ top demand, teeing up a partisan fight that could scuttle the package.
Iran Could Buy US Ag Products with Frozen Funds, Trump Admin Says
American farmers could see commodity sales to Iran under the negotiations going on between the U.S., Iran and mediators that just wrapped up in Switzerland.
Farm Production Costs to Hit Record Highs in 2027, USDA Says
USDA’s new 2027 cost of production forecast reveals farmers may not see meaningful relief from elevated production costs anytime soon. The projections show total production costs continuing to rise for most major crops, pushing all commodities to record highs — including corn at $952 per acre, soybeans at $701, sorghum at $477 and wheat at $428.
US Could Lose 30 Million Corn Acres without More Biofuels Markets, Study Says
A new report from U.S. Farmers and Ranchers in Action and its partners predicts the U.S. could lose roughly 30 million corn acres by 2050 if new sources of feed demand are not found and the ethanol blending rate remains at 10%.
USDA to Move Much of FAS, Rural Development out of DC
The USDA plans to relocate “much of” the Foreign Agricultural Service’s Washington D.C.-based workforce to Kansas City, Missouri, and Beltsville, Maryland, as part of its reorganization plan, the agency announced Wednesday.
Fertilizer Prices Drop on US-Iran Peace Deal News
Price indicators for key farm inputs tumbled on Monday following news of the U.S.-Iran preliminary peace deal. The value of urea at New Orleans, a benchmark for North American nitrogen fertilizer, fell about 5% from Friday, or roughly $20, according to Josh Linville, vice president of fertilizer for StoneX. That marks a 53% drop from a high earlier this spring, he says.
H-2A Guest Farmworker Certifications up 17% So Far in 2026
In the first half of the 2026 fiscal year, the Labor Department certified 17% more (H-2A Temporary Agricultural Worker) jobs than in the same period the year before.
Grain & Oilseed Prices Fall on Strait of Hormuz Reopening
Grain and vegetable oil futures declined on expectations a potential reopening of the Strait of Hormuz would improve access to vital crop inputs, helping to ease the threat of food inflation brought on by the months-long war in the Middle East.