Top Stories
Seed Sovereignty Initiative capitalizes on U.S. seed collection
Yesterday, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins announced a $180 million investment into the new Seed Sovereignty Initiative. This provides much-needed support for the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS). Dr. Scott Hutchins, USDA Undersecretary for Research, Education, and Economics, said this will allow the U.S. to capitalize on the genetic information within the U.S. seed collection, which has not been fully sequenced. Dr. Hutchins said modern...
Trump administration weighs diesel export ban
Record-high diesel prices are pressuring farmers heading into harvest, and the Trump administration is considering whether restricting diesel exports could provide relief. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says officials are examining whether a full or partial export...
China’s ag purchase pledge back in spotlight ahead of Trump-Xi meeting
President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping of China are set to meet Thursday September 24th in Washington D.C. Jim McCormick, co-founder of AgMarket.net, says that the agriculture industry will be closely following the meeting to determine what agriculture topics...
Oil prices move lower in response to peace talk rumors
After weeks of steady improvement, oil prices traded lower to start this week as they were down 4-5% in Monday’s trading action. Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst at Gasbuddy.com, said the markets are likely hopeful that the Trump administration is going to...
Naig warns against rushing fall applications
Recent rains have delayed harvest across Iowa, but the wet conditions are also putting more attention on water quality and how farmers manage nutrients and conservation practices heading into the fall. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig says the recent rainfall...
USDA moving to modernize farm loan programs
The USDA is making efforts to streamline the farm loan process, but that’s only one piece of the puzzle that is the current farm economy. The changes to the farm loan program come as farmers face increasingly tight profit margins and greater credit demand. Danny...
ARC and PLC enrollment underway
Enrollment is open now for acreage in the ARC or PLC safety net programs. USDA Farm Production Undersecretary Richard Fordyce says enrollment is open through early December for farmers to choose either program. Fordyce explains the ARC safety net program. He says that...
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More Ag News
BW Fusion names new CEO
Dean Williams, an ag industry veteran with over forty years of experience, has been named the new CEO of BW Fusion. With experience leading a wide range of ag businesses, Williams said he is excited to bring the company into its next phase of growth in biological crop...
Examining record corn exports
Will the 2026-27 commodity marketing year produce another record for U.S. corn exports? The 2025-2026 marketing year was a record year for U.S. corn exports and USDA Chief Economist Justin Benevidez was asked recently if the 26-27 marketing year can follow that trend....
U.S.-China summit leaves key agricultural trade issues unresolved
U.S. farmers are awaiting more details on agricultural trade after President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping concluded talks Thursday without announcing a broader trade agreement. Reuters reports the countries extended their existing trade truce by two...
Diesel prices remain high as harvest gets underway
Diesel prices continue climbing, leaving farmers wondering how long this will continue. Crude oil prices have shown signs of easing, but diesel prices are not following suit, putting even more pressure on the farm economy. Faith Parum, an economist for the American...
Iowa grown food reaches more school cafeterias
The Choose Iowa Local Food for Schools program is expanding its efforts to connect Iowa schools with locally produced food after a successful pilot program last year. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig said the program was piloted last year before being made...
