The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Thursday cut its U.S. winter wheat crop outlook by 2% from a month earlier as a harsh drought in the Plains cut its hard red winter wheat production view to the lowest since 1957 and total winter wheat production to the lowest since 1965.
USDA Data
New World Screwworm Found 31 Miles from US Border
A devastating parasitic fly — the New World Screwworm — that eats warm-blooded animals alive and could cause millions of dollars in economic damage to the U.S. economy has been found in a young sheep in Mexico within 31 miles of the U.S. border, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported on Friday.
76% of USDA Researchers Tell Union They Won’t Relocate
USDA relocated hundreds of ERS and NIFA positions to Kansas City in 2019, but about 85% of impacted employees quit their jobs or retired, rather than relocate. The American Federation of Government Employees Local 3403, which represents USDA researchers, expects to see similar results this year. An internal survey conducted by the union found that 76% of its members have indicated they are not planning to relocate.
US Imports of Brazilian Beef Surged in First Quarter
Brazilian beef exports to the U.S. are booming, according to monthly USDA trade data released Tuesday. Brazilian meat packers shipped $795 million in beef to the U.S. in the first three months of this year, up 21% from a year ago. Last year marked a record for Brazilian beef shipments to the U.S., topping $1.75 billion, up 39% from 2024.
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.
USDA to Include More Farmers in Future Surveys
The U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to survey more farmers for some of its key U.S. crop reports following a drop in the response rate for its March 31 plantings report, officials with the agency’s statistical arm said in a public data users’ meeting on Wednesday.
USDA Raises Wheat, Corn and Soy Price Estimates
Season-average price estimates for wheat, corn, soybeans, soybean meal, cheese and cotton were all raised slightly in the Agriculture Department’s latest World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report published Thursday.
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.
Farmers Will Plant Less Corn and More Soy in 2026, USDA Says
Farmers intend to plant 95.3 million acres of corn and 84.7 million acres of soybeans in 2026, the USDA NASS said on Tuesday. Altogether, the USDA is estimating a total of 223.8 million corn, soybean, and wheat acres for 2026/2027, down from 225.3 million for 2025/2026.
U.S. Corn Acres to Fall in 2026, Surveys Show
The Iran war has upended the planting intentions of U.S. farmers, resulting in fewer acres of corn and the lowest quantity of spring wheat planted since 1970 as rising fertilizer and fuel costs and low grain prices dim the outlook for profits, analysts said ahead of a U.S. government report due on Tuesday.
Most Rented Farmland Owned by Non-Farmers, USDA Says
The vast majority of over two million landowners who rented out 347.8 million acres of agricultural land in 2024 were non-farming landlords, according to the latest USDA survey data, while the amount of land rent collected has increased since 2014.
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.
USDA Seeks Input on Data Collection as Confidence Falls
USDA is asking farmers and other stakeholders to help examine how USDA can improve its data collection and analysis. The department is issuing a Request for Information (RFI) to examine USDA’s statistical data collection, analysis and research.
Ag Economy to Improve Slightly in 2026, USDA Projects
The Agriculture Department is anticipating a slightly easier 2026 for U.S. ag producers, with prices for major commodities nudging higher and input and labor costs moderating, according to USDA Chief Economist Justin Benavidez.
Number of U.S. Farms Shrank by 15,000 in 2025
The number of U.S. farms shrank by 15,000 in 2025, bringing the total to 1.865 million, USDA said (last week) in its Land in Farms report. This continues a long-lasting trend of declining farm numbers. Analysis from the American Farm Bureau Federation noted that farm bankruptcies were also on the rise.
USDA Crop Data Reliability Remains Under Scrutiny
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, long the world’s gold standard for crop estimates, faces mounting doubts about the reliability of its data from farmers, grain traders and economists following deep staff losses and a sharp upward revision in how many acres of corn were harvested.
Farm Income to Fall in 2026 Despite Hefty Gov’t Payments
In a sign of growing stress for U.S. farmers, the Agriculture Department forecast on Thursday that U.S. net farm income would fall 0.7% this year, despite near-record government payments that are expected to account for nearly 29% of producers’ bottom line.
Brazil Surpasses US as Top Global Beef Producer
Brazil surpassed the U.S. as the world’s top beef producer last year, according to market estimates, after the South American country beat output forecasts by hundreds of thousands of tons, easing a global supply squeeze and helping limit a surge in meat prices.
USDA Says 2025 Corn Production Hit 17 Billion Bushels, Likely to Keep Prices Low
Corn futures plunged to the lowest levels since August after USDA stunned the market by boosting its 2025 U.S. crop estimate above 17 billion bushels for the first time, signaling a heavy supply outlook that likely will burden prices and further squeeze farmer bottom lines even amid record demand.
USDA Projects $37 Billion Ag Trade Deficit in FY26
The USDA is projecting that the ag trade deficit will shrink in FY2026 even more than previously anticipated. USDA expects the trade deficit to fall from $43.7 billion in FY2025 to $37 billion in FY2026, according to its quarterly trade forecast published Tuesday. In its previous report issued in August, USDA had projected a trade deficit of $41.5 billion this fiscal year.