The U.S. and Iranian governments agreed to a temporary ceasefire on Tuesday, but growers should not expect immediate fertilizer price relief, analysts warn. And if lasting peace doesn’t materialize, consumers will soon see higher food prices.
Politics
Trump Budget Would Cut USDA Funding by $4.9 Billion
The Department of Agriculture is a “bloated Washington, D.C., bureaucracy,” the Trump administration’s fiscal 2027 budget request says, proposing to cut USDA spending by $4.9 billion, or 19%, from current funding levels and eliminate international food aid programs.
Mosaic and Simplot Support Keeping Phosphate Fertilizer Tariffs
Fertilizer producers Mosaic and Simplot say they support keeping countervailing duties on Moroccan and Russian phosphate fertilizer in the five-year review now underway. If the domestic industry had said it no longer needs them to prevent injury, the tariffs would have been lifted.
USDA ‘to be flexbile’ with Employees During Reorg, Rollins Says
Employees should expect to receive more detail about USDA’s reorganization ‘by the beginning of this summer,’ (Agriculture Secretary Brooke) Rollins said. ‘We’re going to be flexible if they can’t move right away or they’ve got other issues,’ she added.
Ag Secretary Rollins Working Directly With Input Companies to Lower Prices
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins says she is working directly with ag input companies to address rising prices amid mounting warnings over fertilizer supply and ongoing disruptions. “We want real relief for our farmers,” Rollins told Fox News on Saturday.
EPA Sets Record High Biofuel Blending Volumes
The Trump administration issued long-awaited final biofuel-blending rules for this year and next, marking the biggest mandate ever for biomass-based diesel following years of policy setbacks for producers of renewable fuel and oilseed crops.
Lawmakers Seek Fertilizer Price Transparency Amid Rising Costs
A bipartisan group of US Senators introduced a bill that would require mandatory price reporting of fertilizer — a bid for more market information after the war in Iran prompted the biggest surge in crop nutrient costs in years.
US Seeking Fertilizer from Venezuela, Morocco Amid Iran War
The Trump administration is seeking other sources of fertilizer amid the ongoing Iran war’s shipping constraints, including from Venezuela and possibly Morocco, White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said on Tuesday.
China Signals Openness to Buying More US Ag Products
Top U.S. and Chinese economic officials held ‘remarkably stable’ talks in Paris on Sunday that touched on potential areas of agreement in agriculture. The Chinese side showed openness to potential additional purchases of U.S. agricultural goods including poultry, beef and non-soybean row crops, one of the sources said, adding that China was still committed to buy 25 million metric tons of American soybeans for each of the next three years.
Lawmakers Eye War Funding Package for More Farm Aid
Republicans are debating whether to attach wildfire aid and $15 billion in tariff relief for farmers to a military funding package President Donald Trump is expected to seek for the unfolding conflict in Iran, according to four people granted anonymity to share internal deliberations.
Farm Bureau Calls on Trump to Protect Fertilizer Supplies
The American Farm Bureau Federation is calling on President Donald Trump to dampen the Iran war’s shocks to the market for critical agricultural supplies — which are landing as farmers confront major economic headwinds.
Half of Farmer Bridge Assistance Already Allocated, USDA Says
The U.S. Department of Agriculture already has obligated more than $6 billion in payments under its new Farmer Bridge Assistance program just days after enrollment opened.
Prolonged Iran War Could Shrink US Corn Acres, Analysts Say
The world’s farmers face soaring fertilizer and fuel prices as the war in the Middle East escalates, leaving some scrambling for supplies as the spring planting season approaches and causing some to rethink their planting prospects.
Senate Dems Seek to Break Up Meatpacking Industry
The US meatpacking industry faces a fresh wave of scrutiny, this time from Senate Democrats seeking to allow companies to process only one type of meat and set stricter limits on the beef market.
House Ag Committee Advances Farm Bill with Democrat Support
The House Agriculture Committee advanced the Republican-led farm bill in a 34-17 vote early Thursday after a marathon markup that was clouded by partisan fighting about the package.
Fertilizer Prices Have ‘Significant’ Rise After Attack on Iran
As a result of the attack on Iran, nitrogen fertilizer at the port of New Orleans has seen an increase in price this week. Urea prices for barges in New Orleans traded $520/ton to $550/ton on Monday, up from an average of $475/ton last week, according to CRU Group.
Attack on Iran Could Disrupt Global Fertilizer Markets
A prolonged military conflict in the Middle East could potentially upend key commodity markets due to Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important trade routes. America’s crop growers could see fresh price spikes for inputs like fertilizer while battling a multi-year downturn in profitability, experts warned ahead of the attack.
USDA to Vacate, Sell South Building as Reorg Begins
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is selling its flagship South Building office hub on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and relocating employees to other locations across the country by the end of the year, the agency said on Wednesday.
Beef, Most Fertilizers Exempt from New Trump Tariffs
A new 10% tariff on goods from around the world took effect Tuesday — with a list of exemptions including beef. Other exemptions affecting the food and agriculture industries include trade-deal compliant goods from Canada and Mexico and some fertilizers.
Ag Industry Calls for Trade Certainty After SCOTUS Strikes Down Trump Tariffs
U.S. agriculture groups responded to the Supreme Court striking down President Donald Trump’s emergency tariffs by calling for increased certainty in trade policy and carveouts for ag inputs in any new tariffs. But, President Donald Trump already said on Saturday he will raise a temporary tariff from 10% to 15% on U.S. imports from all countries, the maximum level allowed under the law.