The U.S. and China extended the Busan Agreement, the trade truce between the two countries, to Jan. 10 while identifying more than 1,600 products, including agricultural commodities, for potential tariff reductions. But soybeans for food and crushing were excluded from the list, and negotiators did not announce new agricultural trade commitments or a timeline for implementing the potential tariff reductions.
Trade
US & China Extend Trade Truce Until January as Xi Arrives in US
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Washington on Wednesday, where he was met with a rare planeside greeting from President Donald Trump after their top officials agreed to extend a trade truce until January.
U.S. Weighing Diesel Export Ban Pushed by Ag Lawmakers
The Trump administration is examining whether a diesel export ban is a feasible way to address record-high prices for the critical fuel, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Tuesday. Many of the calls for a diesel export ban are coming from lawmakers in states with agriculture-rich economies, like Iowa Republicans Sen. Chuck Grassley and Rep. Ashley Hinson.
Trump Says US Working to Buy Cheaper Potash from Belarus
President Donald Trump on Monday announced that he is working on a “massive deal” to purchase potash, a key fertilizer, from Belarus. “The pricing would be for substantially less than we are currently paying to Canada, very good news for our Farmers and Ranchers,” Trump said on his social media site, Truth Social.
China Hasn’t Met Pledge to Increase US Ag Purchases, Except for Soybeans
China is over halfway to meeting its pledge to buy 25 million tons of US soybeans this year, but progress on a separate commitment to spend at least $17 billion more on American crops has largely stalled. In the first seven months of 2026, China bought only $3.9 billion of U.S. agricultural products, excluding soybeans, according to the most recent Agriculture Department data, only slightly more than during the same period last year.
USDA to Reopen New Mexico Border Port to Cattle
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on Wednesday that the Department of Agriculture is preparing to reopen the Santa Teresa, New Mexico, port of entry at the U.S.-Mexico border. The agency said that operations will start slowly with an initial limit of 750 head of cattle per day.
Farmers, Ag State Lawmakers Brace for Escalating Canada Trade War
American farmers are bracing for the impact of new tariffs exchanged between the U.S. and Canada on both their supply costs and their sales. Additionally, farm state Republicans say they want deescalation in Trump’s trade war with Canada, wary of another blow to growers who have suffered financially this year.
Trump Says Brazil, Argentina Will Supply Tariff-Free Beef Imports
President Donald Trump said Friday that tariff-free imported beef will be coming from Brazil and Argentina, among other places, as his administration works to alleviate stubbornly high prices.
Cattle Groups Protest as Trump Signs Beef Import Plan
In an unprecedented display of industry-wide unity, four of the nation’s largest livestock organizations have jointly petitioned President Donald J. Trump to immediately reverse his administration’s proposed 90-day beef import initiative.
Arizona Border Reopens to Mexican Cattle, New Mexico Reopening Soon
Mexico resumed live cattle exports to the United States on Monday after they were halted for nearly two years by restrictions imposed by the Trump administration following a screwworm outbreak.
Cattle Producers, Lawmakers Condemn Trump’s New Beef Import Plan
President Donald Trump said on Friday he will temporarily ease beef tariffs to help lower prices, although U.S. cattle producers warned the move would hurt efforts to rebuild herds and economists said it would have little effect on prices.
Morocco Phosphate Fertilizer Returns to U.S. Market
A vessel carrying approximately 54,000 metric tons of Triple Super Phosphate has arrived at the Port of New Orleans, marking the return of Moroccan phosphate fertilizer to the U.S. market following temporary relief from countervailing duties, OCP North America announced.
Morocco Phosphate Fertilizer Returns to U.S. Market
Morocco’s state-owned OCP has returned to the U.S. phosphate fertilizer market after President Donald Trump suspended countervailing duties on the company in June, a spokesperson told POLITICO on Friday, with its first shipment already landing in New Orleans.
Texas Screwworm Sterile Fly Facility to Open 7 Months Ahead of Schedule
The U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a post on X on Monday that a Texas facility to breed sterile flies to combat screwworm will open ahead of schedule in spring 2027. Previously, the agency said the plant would open at the end of next year.
Russia-Ukraine War Surge Again Disrupting Black Sea Grain
A surge in attacks on ships, ports and export terminals in the Black Sea is disrupting global supplies of grain and oil, turning the region into the latest strategic trade chokepoint to be hit by escalating conflict.
China Ramping Up US Soybean Purchases
US soybean buys by China have picked up following a summit between Trump and President Xi Jinping in May, putting this year’s purchases roughly a quarter of the way toward meeting what the White House has said is a commitment to purchase at least 25 million tons of soybeans annually through 2028.
US to Lift Screwworm Ban on Mexican Cattle Imports
Reuters’ Tom Polansek and Kanishka Singh reported that, “the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Friday it is lifting a ban on imports of Mexican cattle that it imposed more than a year ago to keep out the flesh-eating livestock pest New World screwworm.” “The halt of imports drove U.S. beef prices to record highs, […]
Monsanto Withdraws Glyphosate Duties Petition
E&E News’ Grace Yarrow reported that, “Bayer is withdrawing its request that the Trump administration impose countervailing duties on glyphosate imports from China after backlash from the agriculture industry.” “The parent company of pesticide giant Monsanto filed a petition last month with the Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration and the U.S. International Trade Commission, arguing […]
American Farmers May See Deeper Losses in 2027
Northern AG Network reported that, “several years of high inflation and low commodity prices, coupled with volatile production costs, are continuing to squeeze farmers financially. These forces are projected to hit farmers with $32 billion in losses for the major row crops in 2027 after a projected loss of $31 billion in 2026. Fruit, vegetable, […]
Product of USA Label Gains Momentum with Meat and Poultry Companies
Quality Assurance & Food Safety Magazine’s Jacqueline Mitchell reported that, “ten meat and poultry companies have recently adopted the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) voluntary Product of USA label, identifying meat, poultry and egg products from animals that are born, raised, harvested and processed in the United States. USDA launched a nationwide awareness campaign about […]