The extended closure of the Strait of Hormuz and extreme weather have jolted the price index for farm commodities to a two-year high as fertilizer headaches and the prospect of smaller harvests drive food inflation risks.
Politics
Nearly $10 Billion in Farmer Bridge Assistance Allocated
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has already sent $9.6 billion in Farmer Bridge Assistance payments as crop producers continue to face weak prices and high costs. According to the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), many farms are still operating at a loss or near break-even, even with federal help in place.
USDA Relocating More Employees to Kansas City & Iowa
The Agriculture Department on Thursday announced additional relocation plans for employees as part of its larger reorganization, including a new center for food inspectors in Iowa and a second attempt at sending research staff to Kansas City.
House Farm Bill Appears to Have Broad Support, GOP Leaders Say
House Republican leadership and Ag Committee Chair Rep. Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson, R-Pa., have been testing support for the farm bill ahead of a floor vote, with early conversations suggesting the bill has broad appeal across the conference, even with fiscal conservatives.
Justice Department Opens Criminal Investigation of Beef Companies
The Justice Department’s antitrust division is investigating whether large meatpackers that supply American consumers engaged in criminal anticompetitive conduct, after President Trump called for a probe of the companies last year, according to people familiar with the matter.
US Set to Use Tariff Funds to Address High Fertilizer Prices
The Trump administration is poised to dip into tens of billions of dollars from tariffs and trade deal renegotiations to strengthen domestic fertilizer supplies, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told lawmakers.
House Eyeing Late April Farm Bill Floor Vote
House Republicans are looking to bring their farm bill for a floor vote the last week of April, according to four people close to the talks who were granted anonymity to discuss them.
70% of Farmers Can’t Afford All Needed Fertilizer, Survey Shows
A new survey from the American Farm Bureau Federation shows that the vast majority of U.S. farmers — roughly 70% — are unable to afford all of the fertilizer they need this season amid rising input costs due to the war in Iran and an already difficult farm economy.
USDA Seeks Farmer Input in Fertilizer Price Collusion Probe
The Trump administration is seeking information from farmers to help with an ongoing Justice Department probe into high costs for fertilizer, machinery and other farm inputs. The Department of Justice is investigating whether fertilizer producers colluded to raise prices.
Strait of Hormuz Blockade Could Further Hit Fertilizer Prices
US President Donald Trump’s plan for a full naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz threatens to deepen an already unprecedented crisis in one of the world’s most important energy-producing regions.
Iran Ceasefire Won’t Provide Immediate Fertilizer Relief
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.
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.