U.S. Department of Agriculture
Due to the northward spread of New World Screwworm, a month-by-month suspension is effective immediately and will continue until a significant window of containment is achieved.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins testified in front of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday, fielding questions on everything from USDA’s bold budget cuts and frozen funding to the fate of the nearly $21 billion in disaster aid.
Accounting for about 15% of USDA’s total workforce and representing FSA, NRCS, FSIS, APHIS and other departments, 3,877 staff signed contracts in February for the first deferred resignation program and 11,305 in the second round in April.
USDA’s latest crop progress report puts the country at 24% of corn and 18% of soybeans in the ground. Farmers are sharing timely rains and great conditions to start the season.
A handful of rain-free days were a perfect recipe for spring planting — and farmers took full advantage of the opportunity. This week’s USDA crop progress report puts corn and soybean acres just ahead of last year’s pace.
The initial round of ECAP payments will only amount to 85% of the per-acre payment to ensure enough funding is available for all farmers who sign up for the program.
As of April 13, USDA says 13 states have started planting corn and 10 are working on soybeans. The report calculates 4% of corn and 2% of soybeans are in the ground so far.
Major changes weren’t anticipated for USDA’s April World Agricultural Supply and Demand Report, but there were still a few surprises — mostly for corn.
The downturn in the ag economy has everyone from farmers and ag lenders to even ag economists concerned. Waning optimism is an overriding theme for the row crop side of agriculture, yet some farmers hope President Donald Trump’s tough stance on trade can get the ag economy back on track longer-term.
USDA’s March Prospective Plantings report estimates U.S. farmers will plant 95.3 million acres of corn in 2025, 83.5 million acres of soybeans and 45.4 million acres of wheat.