Progressive Farmer’s Chris Clayton reported that, “the Trump administration announced 25% tariffs on a range of Brazilian products, including ethanol, but the U.S. currently imports virtually no Brazilian ethanol, while agricultural products such as beef and coffee were exempted from the new tariff action handed down late Wednesday.” “Among the actions U.S. Trade Representative’s Office […]
Politics
Oklahoma Reaches New Settlement with Poultry Companies in Decades-Long Pollution Case
Meatingplace’s Chris Moore reported that, “Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond announced a nearly $44 million settlement resolving the state’s 21-year lawsuit against six poultry companies accused of contributing to nutrient pollution in the Illinois River Watershed.” “The agreement settles claims against Tyson Foods, Cargill, George’s, Peterson Farms, Cal-Maine Foods and Simmons Foods,” Moore reported. “Oklahoma […]
House Reconciliation Bill Could Include $11 Billion in Farm Aid
Politico’s Meredith Lee Hill and Kelsey Brugger reported that “House Republican leaders and White House officials are coalescing around a roughly $80 billion policy package as they prepare for a final summer push to enact party-line budget reconciliation legislation.” “House Armed Services Chair Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) said the bill would pump $67 billion into Pentagon […]
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 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 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.
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.
Trump Says US ‘Not Looking to Renew’ USMCA Trade Agreement
President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the U.S. might not renew its free trade agreement with Canada and Mexico and criticized trade deficits with those countries, although he said he was talking with their leaders about the matter.
Urea Prices Return to Pre-Iran War Levels in the U.S.
The Iran war risk premium that swept through crop and fertilizer markets is rapidly evaporating as fears of prolonged supply disruptions fade. Prices for granular urea in New Orleans dropped to $453.50 per short ton, the lowest level since Feb. 6, according to Friday data from Bloomberg Green Markets. That’s down 36% from mid-April.
Screwworm Confirmed in New Mexico for First Time
The USDA confirmed an additional three cases of New World screwworm — including the first outside of Texas, in New Mexico — bringing the total number of detections in the US to five and raising concerns over a broader spread of the parasite.
Canada Bans Texas Livestock Imports After Second Screwworm Case
A second case of the flesh-eating New World screwworm has been confirmed in South Texas, intensifying concerns among agricultural officials and prompting Canada to suspend livestock imports from Texas as authorities mount an aggressive response to prevent the parasite from spreading deeper into the United States.
80% of USDA Food Assistance Workers Say They Won’t Relocate
The National Treasury Employees Union Chapter 226, which represents Food and Nutrition Service employees, says more than 80% of staff who took an internal survey claim they will not relocate to keep their jobs. Another union survey of other USDA employees tapped to relocate found similar results.