Artificial intelligence use is surging on farms as growers look for some high-tech help in planning and managing operations after years of scaling back on spending, according to McKinsey & Co. Some 17% of the world’s farmers now use generative AI in farm-related tasks, making it one of the fastest-growing technologies in agriculture.
Farm Policy News
Record Diesel Prices Threaten Farm Margins as Harvest Begins
Skyrocketing diesel costs are threatening to squeeze farm profits, just as U.S. crop growers were starting to catch a break. The average price of U.S. diesel reached a new all-time high of $5.94 a gallon on Wednesday, up four cents from the prior record set Monday over the travel-heavy Labor Day weekend, according to automobile club AAA. Prices are up 61% from a year ago.
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.
USDA’s 2026 Farm Income Outlook Improves, but Expenses Sharply Higher
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has raised its forecast for U.S. farm income in 2026, but the improved headline number masks a more difficult financial picture for farmers as production expenses climb, debt increases and government payments account for a growing share of sector income.
DOJ Expands Beef Price Investigation to Major Retailers
The U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday said it is expanding its investigation of record high beef prices to eight major grocery chains — Kroger, Walmart, Publix, Albertsons, Aldi, Ahold Delhaize, Costco and Amazon.
USDA Turning to Satellites, Tech to Improve Crop Reports
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is launching a pilot project that will rely more heavily on technology as part of a broader effort to improve its closely watched U.S. crop acreage and yield estimates, Secretary Brooke Rollins said on Tuesday, as the agency faces mounting criticism from farmers and traders over the reliability of government agricultural data.
EPA Grants 1.76 Billion Biofuel Exemptions, Seeks to Shield Impact on Ag
On Monday, the EPA said it has granted full exemptions to 18 out of 34 refineries that had sought exemptions from their Renewable Fuel Standard obligations for the 2025 compliance year. The exemptions totalled 1.76 billion worth of renewable fuel credits.
Trump Seeks to Ease Meat Processing Regulations, Targets Big 4 Meatpackers
President Donald Trump is moving to give ranchers a new way around the powerful meatpacking companies that stand between their cattle and the grocery-store shelf, following backlash in farm country over his decision to allow more foreign beef imports.
First US Phosphate Fertilizer Plant in 40 Years Planned in Louisiana
Farm cooperative CHS Inc. and fertilizer producer OCP North America are proposing a $450 million phosphate fertilizer plant in Louisiana, bolstering domestic supplies as global conflicts have increasingly thwarted the flow of foreign crop nutrients.
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.
Farmers Struggling to Get Services from Depleted USDA Workforce
Across the country, farmers and rural residents describe struggling to obtain the basic services the Agriculture Department is meant to offer, including loans and grants, technical assistance and financing for housing and utilities.
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.
Diesel Prices Soar Ahead of U.S. Harvest Season
Diesel prices are soaring just as the energy-thirsty peak of harvest season looms for many of the country’s largest crops. Mid-August diesel prices are at their highest levels in the last decade, per AAA data.
Corn Futures Above $5 for First Time in 18 Months
Corn futures topped the $5-a-bushel mark for the first time in 18 months as weaker-than-expected US crop tour results add to global supply concerns for the staple grain.
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.
Inflation-Adjusted Midwest Farmland Values Fall Most Since 2016
When adjusted for inflation, values in the Federal Reserve’s Seventh District fell 3.7% year over year in the second quarter of 2026 — the steepest real decline in a decade — even as demand from data centers and solar farms helped prop up prices.
Tractor Sales Fall in July Amid Continued Ag Economy Pressure
U.S. tractor sales were down 10.9%, while combine sales fell 5.3% year-over-year in July 2026, according to sales data the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) released this week.