Policy Updates

Farmers have to manage 2027 costs around a supply crunch driven by the Strait of Hormuz, European gas prices, and falling corn prices. The FIELDS awards committed $1.34 billion to eight domestic fertilizer projects on Oct. 22, and Josh Linville of StoneX says it is a real step in the right direction that still falls well short of what farmers need.

Growers can finally combine supplemental coverage with farm programs without losing protection that fits their operation. Meanwhile, federal officials are developing trade incentives for four countries that could expand demand for American cotton.

Meridian Ag Advisor’s Wesley Davis puts data behind 10 puzzles in the 2026 farm economy. Three of them: land values that won’t fall, input costs that won’t ease and a downturn that looks like the 1980s until it doesn’t.

Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson and Democratic state Rep. Josh Turek agree on E15 and a Farm Bill. They split on who is responsible for the squeeze on farm margins.

BNSF says the proposed UP-NS merger would leave captive shippers with fewer options and farm inputs with higher freight costs. Union Pacific says it would open new routes and take trucks off the road.

With fertilizer prices elevated, farmers are looking for relief wherever they can find it. The question is whether suspending the Jones Act is a key piece of the puzzle.

The question facing U.S. agriculture is whether current farm aid is a bridge through temporary hardship — or a pier toward more structural government support.

Researchers estimate a glyphosate ban could cost Illinois corn and soybean growers $300 million to $609 million a year.