Republicans want to lump in about $11 billion in direct farm aid with a forthcoming defense spending package. But even if that measure clears Congress, there would be a delay before checks hit farmers’ bank accounts, likely around spring of 2027. That might come too late to save some farmers’ businesses after a brutal harvest season amid record-breaking diesel prices.
Farm Policy News
China to Slash Tariffs on US Ag Products, Excluding Soybeans
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.
Immigration Raids Disrupting Kansas Meatpacking Operations
Meatpacking industry groups raised concerns Friday that recent heightened immigration operations in Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma have caused employees to miss work, leading to problems at meat-related businesses that could ultimately raise prices for consumers. Meatpackers slaughtered an estimated 90,000 cattle on Thursday, down 16% from a week earlier, and 87,000 cattle on Friday, down 14% from last week, the US Department of Agriculture said.
Farm Bill Action Unlikely in Senate Until After Midterm Elections
The Senate’s version of the farm bill isn’t expected to be put to a vote in the chamber before the election and instead senators and House lawmakers will informally conference to work out differences, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman (R-Ark.) said Thursday. “We’ll get together with the House and the Senate and discuss and figure out a path,” Boozman said.
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.
Ag Committee Advances Farm Bill 2.0 to Uncertain Future in Full Senate
The Senate Agriculture Committee advanced the 2026 farm bill on a 12-11 party-line vote Wednesday after resuming a recessed business meeting and rejecting an effort to reopen the bill for another amendment. The bill advanced after Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., returned to the committee following an extended absence.
Farm Bill Likely to Advance as McConnell Returns to Senate Ag Committee
The Farm Bill will once again be in front of the Senate Agriculture Committee for a vote on Wednesday, with the return of Senator Mitch McConnell from a several month absence giving Republicans enough votes to advance the legislation out of committee if they remain unified.
USDA Seeks Info from Farmers About Fertilizer ‘Cartel’ Practices
U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden was in Iowa Friday, asking farmers from across the country to share their experiences dealing with consolidation and pricing issues in the fertilizer industry. Separately, the Senate Agriculture Committee will return to action on Wednesday for another vote on its currently stalled Farm Bill 2.0.
Judge Considering Temporary Pause to USDA Reorganization
A federal judge in San Francisco is considering a temporary pause of the Agriculture Department’s imminent plans to relocate employees across the country. He said an administrative stay “doesn’t say anything about the merits” of the case, but would give him more time to “adjudicate this properly.”
Farmers Adopting AI Faster than any other Tech
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.
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.