USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has shifted sterile New World screwworm (NWS) fly release to include into Texas to help efforts to stop the northern spread of the pest.
Regulations
ADM Settles Accounting Probe, Tyson Settles Price Fixing Claims
Archer-Daniels-Midland Co. agreed to pay $40 million to settle a two-year federal investigation into the crop giant’s accounting practices that eroded faith in the company’s transparency. Separately, Tyson Foods has reached a $48 million settlement with restaurants, delis and other food service operators who alleged in a 2018 class-action lawsuit that the company conspired with other pork processors to raise prices.
USDA’s Vaden Accuses Nutrien, Mosaic of Fertilizer Price Collusion
Deputy Agriculture Secretary Stephen Vaden (last week) accused Nutrien and Mosaic of working to ‘collude’ to limit U.S. fertilizer supply and control prices, suggesting that the administration could take future action to inject more competition into markets, if necessary.
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.
Supreme Court Will Hear Bayer’s Roundup Liability Case
The U.S. Supreme Court decided Friday it will hear a Bayer Roundup case that could bring product-liability lawsuits to a close on the glyphosate-based weed killer.
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.
Trump to Loosen Environmental Rules on Ag Equipment to Cut Costs
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that farming equipment has gotten too expensive and his administration would help tractor companies by removing some environmental rules that affect them.
USDA Reorganization to be Completed in 2026, Vaden Says
The Agriculture Department will complete a reorganization of more than half the current D.C.-based staff to five regional hubs across the U.S. by the end of 2026, Deputy Agriculture Secretary Stephen Vaden says on Agri-Pulse Newsmakers.
Trump Admin Backs Bayer’s Bid to Limit Roundup Lawsuits
President Donald Trump’s administration urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday to take up Bayer’s bid to curtail thousands of lawsuits claiming its Roundup weedkiller causes cancer.
Deere’s 2026 Outlook Suggests No Farm Economy Uptick
Deere & Co.’s weak forecast for the year ahead reinforces the difficulty in predicting a recovery in the US farm economy as uncertainty continues to swirl over the impact of tariffs and trade deals. Deere said net income in the 2026 fiscal year will be between $4 billion and $4.75 billion. That would be a drop from the $5.027 billion reported for the year just ended.
DOJ, USDA Investigating Meatpackers over Beef Prices
President Donald Trump said (last) Friday that he asked the Department of Justice to launch an investigation into meatpacking companies, which he accused of illegally manipulating beef prices at the expense of beef farmers and consumers.
Supreme Court Appears Skeptical of Trump Tariffs
President Trump’s global tariffs appeared to be on shaky ground after Supreme Court justices expressed skepticism during a hearing on Wednesday about his authority to impose sweeping measures on countries around the world.
MAHA Strategy Report Mostly Friendly to Ag, Pesticides
The Trump administration’s highly anticipated policy strategy to improve children’s health outcomes targets ultra-processed food and exposure to chemicals but doesn’t go as far as some industry groups feared in proposing new regulations.
California Senate Passes Bill to Allow E15 Fuel Sales
California lawmakers on Wednesday voted to allow the sale of a higher-ethanol gasoline blend that could help bring down fuel prices in the largest U.S. auto market. California had been the only U.S. state that did not allow sales of E15, a blend containing 15% ethanol.
Cattle Industry Concerned Over Screwworm Reporting Delay
A nearly three-week delay between the confirmation of the first human infestation of travel-associated New World screwworm in the United States on August 4 and the U.S. government’s disclosure erodes trust that public agencies need to identify and fight potential screwworm outbreaks, said Neal Wilkins, CEO of conservation and cattle group East Foundation.
Human Case of New World Screwworm Confirmed in US
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Sunday reported the first human case in the United States of travel-associated New World screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite, from an outbreak-affected country.
USDA Ending Loan Support for Solar Projects on Farmland
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said Monday that the department would be cutting off subsidies for solar power projects on U.S. farmland, asserting that they are making it harder for producers to afford acreage.
USDA to Spend $750 Million on Texas Fly Facility to Combat Screwworm
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will spend up to $750 million to build a facility in Texas that produces sterile flies to fight the flesh-eating livestock pest New World screwworm, Secretary Brooke Rollins said on Friday.
Draft MAHA Strategy Report Shows No Pesticide Restrictions
A highly anticipated White House report on the health of American children would stop short of proposing direct restrictions on ultraprocessed foods and pesticides that the health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has called major threats, according to a draft of the document that was reviewed by The New York Times.
MAHA Report Will ‘Respect’ Glyphosate Safety, EPA Official Says
The upcoming MAHA report on recommendations for action will ‘continue to respect regulatory frameworks’ that have found glyphosate is safe, a high-ranking Environmental Protection Agency official said Tuesday at the American Sugar Alliance’s International Sweetener Symposium.