“Farm and biofuel groups are pushing back on an effort by some big petroleum states to partly roll back federal biofuel-blending requirements, warning the Trump administration that such a move would harm ag markets and rural communities.”
Politics
USDA Provided ‘Little Transparency’ for Reorganization, Watchdog Agency Says
“Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins lashed out at the Government Accountability Office (GAO) for scrutinizing USDA’s reorganization plan, calling the GAO’s report partisan, politicized and incomplete, while the GAO said USDA repeatedly failed to provide information needed to evaluate the reorganization plan’s costs and effects on services.”
How ‘Blue Wave’ Election Could Shape Ag Policy, Lame Duck Farm Bill
“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.”
Democrats Surge to Power in Congress With Wins in Farm Country
“Farmers and ranchers spent the past year paying record prices for diesel and waiting on a farm bill that never came. Tuesday night, many of the states they farm in helped change who will write farm policy in Washington. Democrats won control of both the House and Senate.”
Midterm Elections Preview: Ag Committees Face Major Turnover
“Agriculture policy advocates face a major shake-up in the next Congress, with significant turnover possible on the House and Senate agriculture committees. At least nine House Agriculture Committee members and five Senate Agriculture Committee members are leaving Congress at the end of the 119th Congress, including leadership.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
Judge Says USDA Reorganization Likely Violates Congressional Directive
The Agriculture Department has been ordered to halt its reorganization and relocation efforts by a federal judge who said the department had likely violated a congressional directive prohibiting it from spending money on the plan.
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.
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.
Judge Extends Pause on USDA Employee Relocations
A federal judge in California extended last week a temporary pause in USDA employee relocations until Oct. 13 as he considers a preliminary injunction that would stop USDA indefinitely from enforcing employee relocations. He also said it was “significant” that Congress included a provision in a fiscal 2026 spending package that blocked the Agriculture Department from reorganizing without approval from the House and Senate appropriations committees.
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.
Farm Bill Action Unlikely in Senate Until After Midterm Elections
The Senate’s version of the farm bill isn’t expected to be put to a vote in the chamber before the election and instead senators and House lawmakers will informally conference to work out differences, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman (R-Ark.) said Thursday. “We’ll get together with the House and the Senate and discuss and figure out a path,” Boozman said.
US & China Extend Trade Truce Until January as Xi Arrives in US
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Washington on Wednesday, where he was met with a rare planeside greeting from President Donald Trump after their top officials agreed to extend a trade truce until January.
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.