A new administration has reset some of the priorities for the coming year for the nation’s leading commodity associations.
American Soybean Association CEO Steve Censky says they have concerns about the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) program under new Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and are playing offense to protect seed oils, which he has labeled as unhealthy.
“Because seed oils, of course, half of the soybean oil use is used for human consumption, the other half for biofuels, and we need to maintain that domestic market,” Censky says.
They also don’t want to lose the use of GMO’s or glyphosate which Kennedy has wanted to eliminate.
Censky says, “Our hope is is that Secretary Kennedy will be taking a look at the science and be guided by the science, but we also want to make sure that Secretary Rollins and Administrator Zeldin have all of the support and information they need so that to ensure that whatever decisions are coming out of the MAHA commission and recommendations that they are science -based.”
Trade is also high on their list as tariff uncertainty continues, especially focused on top customers Canada, Mexico and China.
He says, “We export half of the crop that we grow here in the United States. The soybeans that are grown are exported overseas. Number one market is China. Number two, individual country market is Mexico. And Canada is our fourth largest meal market, and so those are all important markets for us.”
The last trade war put soybeans at the tip of the spear.So they’re hoping tariffs are a tool for negotiating trade deals including with China.
“You know, U .S. agriculture lost, according to the ERS, about $27 billion from the last trade war 71% of that was born by soybean farmers in the soybean industry. And we don’t want to go through that again. And it would be far better to reach a phase two trade agreement.”
Biofuels policy is key for soybean and corn farmers as uncertainty with 45Z has many biodiesel plants shuttered and guidance is needed on Sustainable Aviation Fuel.
But Neil Caskey, CEO of the National Corn Growers Association says year round E15 is their top priority for 2025.
“We’re looking at year-round, nationwide, E -15 as a driver of that demand creation in the short term. And so, for every 1% increase in the blend rate, equates to almost 500 million bushels of demand. And so E15 is not a mandate, so that’s not going to happen.”
He thinks odds of passage an E15 bill are highs as they have support, even from the American Petroleum Institute.
“The stars are aligning once more to get that completed in the next CR that expires in a couple of weeks and we are grateful for a lot of strong bipartisan support out in Washington, D .C.”
Trade takes the second spot for NCGA, both striking new deals and avoiding a trade war with Mexico as their top corn customer and Canada a leading ethanol importer.
Caskey says their analysis documents the damage from tariffs.
“Not good for corn farmers, farmers in general. We did that in conjunction with the American Soybean Association and it concluded that a trade war is really only good for Brazil and we hope to avoid that.”
For the nation’s sorghum producers, their top ask, just like last year, is getting a new farm bill passed.
Tim Lust, CEO, National Sorghum Producers Association says, “There’s obviously challenges in the country. We need the certainty that farm policy provides and that underpinning for growers and their financing institutions and so certainly that continues to be a huge lift but something that is very important to our growers.”
Trade is also high on their list but instead of playing defense, they want to play offense, growing marketing in Southeast Asia, China and India.
Lust says, “Our industry has, you know, there’s many countries around the world we still don’t have access to. And so, just excited about the opportunity to talk about what we can do to get into other markets.”
And they too are awaiting details on 45Z biofuels policy.
Passing a modernized farm bill also tops the agenda for wheat growers says National Association of Wheat Growers CEO Chandler Goule.
“You know, making sure we adjust our PLC prices, make sure we maintain our voluntary conservation programs, but most importantly that we keep crop insurance, if not expand it so that it is more affordable and can cover more more growers across the country.”
He says they’ll know how much money Congress has to write a bill after budget reconciliation is completed.
“So far we’ve not heard of any cuts out of title one or title two or the crop insurance title so hopefully we can maintain that amount so that we can at least write a farm bill that will be reflective again of the current cost of production.”
And they’re also hopeful for tax policy extensions including the 1031 like kind land exchanges.
Goule says,"Making sure that we keep a lot of those tax cuts that President Trump put in that first time, making sure that we maintain stepped up bases, which is critical for our growers as land values continue to go up.”
Export expansion is also key for NAWG and they’re watching how DOGE impacts programs like USAID.
“All those programs where we send our U .S. wheat to developing countries is critical to help us maintain a good domestic market price,” he adds.
And its key because half of the U.S. wheat crop is sold internationally.
