Policy
USDA’s Brooke Rollins says the financial details will be unveiled next week. Some groups estimate payments could total in the neighborhood of $12 billion. “There’s people that can really use them. Everyone can use them…but we’re not getting real solutions,” says one Iowa farmer.
China’s pledge to buy 12 MMT of U.S. soybeans is facing questions over timing, storage capacity and price competitiveness, leaving markets uncertain whether the full promise can be met before year-end.
Going into the final weeks of the year, many growers across the country are shouldering significant financial strain from land rent payments, rising input costs, and efforts to stay in business and viable until commodity prices improve.
Is EPA Reversing Course on RFS Proposal? Agency Pushes Back on Rumors as Ag Sector Awaits Final Rule
EPA’s frustration was on full display when asked about a media report suggesting the administration is considering delaying proposed cuts to incentives for imported biofuels — a key piece of EPA’s June proposal that was intended to prioritize domestic production.
USDA Under Secretary Richard Fordyce says USDA’s new phase of the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program expands eligibility, requires in-person enrollment and targets losses from the 2023 and 2024 weather disasters.
In an exclusive interview, EPA Deputy Administrator David Fotouhi says EPA’s new WOTUS definition fully reflects the Sackett ruling, simplifies compliance and delivers the certainty farmers have been demanding for years.
The change reverses part of a July trade action that had imposed elevated import duties on multiple categories of Brazilian goods and is the latest effort by the Trump administration to bring grocery prices down.
The companion piece to the Senate’s Fertilizer Research Act of 2025 has the same, ultimate goal: to provide U.S. farmers with more clarity on the pricing of crop nutrients, lawmakers say.
Farmers who suffered losses from natural disasters that occurred in calendar years 2023 and 2024 can sign up for the aid. It is also available to farmers participating in the On-Farm Storage Loss Program and the Milk Loss Program.
Ag products not grown or produced enough in the U.S.—including coffee, fruit and some fertilizers—are being removed from Trump’s reciprocal tariff list. The move also lifts tariffs on one major ag import: beef.
With Congress passing another extension, some economists suggest a new reality may be setting in: the era of comprehensive Farm Bills could be ending, replaced by a piecemeal approach in Washington.
At a fiery Senate hearing, farmers and lawmakers call out corporate consolidation for driving up input costs, while industry leaders insist global geopolitics, not greed, are to blame.
Growers say they remain cautiously optimistic and believe the U.S. is “headed in the right direction.” But they want the gridlock with China to end and for actual steps to be taken to get their crops sold and shipped.
As fertilizer prices and demand hold firm this fall, Josh Linville with Stone X Group warns prices could climb higher if reported government aid payments arrive this year.
The White House says China will buy 12 MMT of U.S. soybeans in late 2025 and 25 MMT annually through 2028, plus resume U.S. sorghum and hardwood log imports, clearing confusion over comments from Secretary Bessent.
Kansas State University’s Joe Parcell says livestock revenues make up more than half of the state’s projected $6.2 billion increase, but volatility across its rural economies signals continued uncertainty ahead.
Details are minimal so it’s not clear how there will be enough staff to provide the Milk Production, Crop Production, Cattle on Feed and WASDE reports with many still furloughed.
Hear the latest on the government shutdown, the farm economy, including aid for farmers, and Thursday’s trade news with China.
As a handful of corporations influences more of the agricultural supply chain, row crop growers say they are left with fewer input choices, higher prices and diminishing control over their own operations.
The Farm Action co-founder says it’s time for agriculture to face an uncomfortable truth. From cattle to crops, American agriculture must rebuild from the ground up or face a tough reality: U.S. agriculture no longer feeds the world.
Producers nationwide face thin or negative margins, rising input costs and economic pressure not seen in decades — forcing some to make the tough choice of whether they can afford to keep farming.
Arlan Suderman says the U.S. is strengthening ties with Argentina to counter China’s growing influence — a global strategy that’s leaving many U.S. farmers and ranchers feeling sidelined.
Farm economists say today’s ag slowdown “isn’t a collapse, but it’s a grind.” From trade woes to rising costs and consolidation, experts warn recovery could take time, even as livestock markets stay strong.
The senior senator from Iowa says the president ‘has to’ get an agreement made that will enable trade between China and the U.S. to resume.
The government shutdown halts USDA marketing loans, cutting off a vital tool for farmers and adding financial strain during harvest season. Experts warn the impact could deepen.
Various programs and reports are on hold. Among them are EQIP and SDRP. Also in jeopardy of being delayed or cancelled is the October WASDE, due this Thursday.
Third-generation farmer Amy France and team at NSP are on a mission to improve buyer demand for the crop domestically and abroad.
Farmers will receive more payments under the changes to ARC and PLC programs, and the increase could be significant.
While the Trump administration weighs an economic bailout for farmers that would use tariff income, groups like ASA continue to press for better market opportunities and a trade deal with China, in particular.
The Farm Journal September Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor makes it clear: Working capital is thinning, export markets are shaky and long-term crop margins could get ugly. But for now, one thing is still keeping its strength: Americans’ appetite for beef.