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.
Politics
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.
Trump Signs Order Protecting Glyphosate, Phosphorus Production
Invoking the Defense Production Act, President Donald Trump on Wednesday designated glyphosate-based herbicides and elemental phosphorus as critical to national defense and ordered Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to prioritize and secure domestic supplies.
House Ag Committee Releases New Farm Bill, Markup Set for Feb. 23
The House Agriculture Committee unveiled a draft farm bill Friday that would revamp a key international food aid program, boost risk management options for specialty crop growers and nullify California’s controversial Proposition 12 standards for animal welfare.
Ag Leaders Warn of Risk of ‘Widespread Collapse of American Agriculture’
A bipartisan group of former leaders of America’s major agricultural commodity associations and biofuels organizations, farmer leaders, and former senior USDA officials sent congressional ag leaders a letter on Tuesday warning about the deteriorating state of the farm economy, stating there is a risk of ‘widespread collapse of American agriculture.’
Congress Creating Ethanol Task Force After Year-Round E15 Deal Fails
Republican U.S. lawmakers plan to create a task force to study potential year-round sales of higher-ethanol E15 gasoline blends in the U.S., after an attempt to pass such legislation in a funding bill this week fell through.
Proposed Gov’t Funding Bills Don’t Include Farm Aid, E15
A package of funding bills assembled by House and Senate appropriators that needs to pass before the end of January does not contain any more aid for farmers. It’s also without a provision authorizing year-round E15 biofuel sales despite a last-minute push from farm-district Republicans.
Tariff Revenue from Ag Input Imports was Nearly $1 Billion in 2025
Tariffs imposed by the Trump administration collected an estimated $958 million in revenue from selected agricultural inputs from February to October of 2025, according to North Dakota State University’s monthly Agricultural Trade Monitor. Of that, about $530 million came from farm machinery, $273 million came from agricultural chemicals, $110 million came from fertilizers and $44 million came from seeds.
China Reaches 12 Million Ton US Soybean Purchase Pledge
China has bought about 12 million metric tons of U.S. soybeans, fulfilling a U.S.-stated pledge to purchase that volume by the end of February, three traders told Reuters on Tuesday, after a late-October trade truce spurred buying.
Lawmakers Eye at Least $15 Billion More in Farmer Aid
Congress has quickly engaged in putting together potential aid packages for farmers that would more than double the Trump administration’s $12 billion under the Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) Program.
China’s US Soy Purchases Approach 10 Million Tons
China’s state stockpiler Sinograin bought 10 U.S. soybean cargoes this week, three traders told Reuters on Tuesday. China’s total purchases from the latest U.S. crop were now estimated at 8.5 million to nearly 10 million tons, according to traders and analysts, representing up to 80% of the 12 million metric tons that U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said China pledged to buy by the end of February.
Venezuela Turmoil Could Open Opportunities for US Ag
The ouster of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro could lead to export opportunities for U.S. ag products, although much depends on the U.S.’ next move and how consumers respond, analysts say.
USDA Farmer Bridge Assistance Rates Favor Rice, Cotton
The U.S. Department of Agriculture released details on Wednesday about how much row crop farmers will receive next year from a $12 billion aid program, but soybean growers say such payments fall short of helping those hurt by low crop prices and trade disputes.
China Reaches 8 MMT of US Soybeans Purchased in 2025
China has bought at least 8 million tons of US soybeans this year, according to people familiar with the matter, putting the world’s top importer on track to meet a pledge it made two months ago as part of an apparent trade truce with Washington.
FCC Foreign Drone Ban Could Impact US Farmers
The Federal Communications Commission last week blacklisted all new foreign-made drones and components over concerns the equipment poses ‘an unacceptable risk’ to national security. The timing of the ban hits as many farmers are financially struggling in part due to high production costs, making precise application of crop protection products and fertilizers especially important.
20,000 Employees Left USDA in First Half of 2025
More than 20,300 employees left the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the first five months of the administration of President Donald Trump, about a fifth of staff, according to a report from the agency’s inspector general.
Experts, Lawmakers Split on 2026 Farm Bill Likelihood
House Republicans are planning to revive farm bill negotiations in January after failing to garner enough political will to pass a new deal by the end of the year, as they’d initially hoped. But experts say it’s becoming less likely a new five-year farm bill will happen, and rather a piecemeal approach for passing the farm bill will become the new norm.
Lawmakers Eye More Farm Aid on Top of USDA Bridge Assistance
Agriculture leaders in the United States House of Representatives are looking to provide at least an additional $10 billion in farmer aid to supplement the recently announced Farmer Bridge Assistance Program. That additional aid would likely have to be driven by Congress, as a USDA undersecretary says it’s unlikely the agency will provide a second farmer aid package.