Trade

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s supply and demand estimates report opened with a note due to the current fluidity of trade and tariff policies.

There were no changes in the U.S. corn and soybean balance sheets for the second straight month, despite expectations for higher corn exports and lower domestic soybean use.

R-CALF USA welcomes the 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican beef and cattle — and we want more.

Uncertainty in both commodity prices and input prices is making farmers’ already tough job even more difficult.

From issues impacting the farm economy, including record costs for labor, interest and taxes, to trade and biofuels, there a lot of challenges facing farmers today. But there also are opportunities, said Caleb Ragland, president of the American Soybean Association.

Crop production baseline forecasts for the 2025-2026 marketing year balance sheets were unveiled at the Agricultural Outlook Forum.

The pressure in the ag economy is real — and farmers are feeling it, said Natasha Cox, senior vice president of Farm Credit Mid-America.

An important lesson I’ve learned over the years is that success is built on the foundation of strong relationships. We are stronger when we work together, building trust, exploring new opportunities and navigating challenges.

What happens globally can impact the profitability of U.S. farmers.

With egg prices soaring, the Trump administration is planning a new strategy for fighting bird flu that stresses vaccinations and tighter biosecurity instead of killing off millions of chickens when the disease strikes a flock.

President Donald Trump temporarily suspended across-the-board 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada until April 2.

As the trade deficit and farm production costs continue to rise, the state of the agricultural economy is “dire,” lamented new U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins.

It is a new day for agriculture, said Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins.

U.S. farmers are projected to shift acreage to corn this spring as corn prices maintain an impressive run while prices for competing crops struggle to keep pace.

One of the first marketing lessons offered to me, a wet-behind-the-ears ag editor, by a steely and successful ag futures trader was as simple and useful as a feed bucket.

Farmers were more optimistic about the ag economy in February, according to the latest reading of the Purdue/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer.

The notion of tariffs dates back to the first major law passed by the U.S. Congress in 1789 and has evolved over time.

The long-term downward spiral in the number of U.S. cattle farms and ranches informs us that our industry is in a severe crisis.

The CattleFax Outlook Seminar, held as part of CattleCon 2025 in San Antonio, shared expert market and weather analysis.

Tariffs will not curtail imports, but they will help to rebalance trade by leveling the economic playing field between domestic cattle producers and producers from countries who enjoy less stringent production standards and lower currency valuations.

America’s farmers and ranchers are no strangers to uncertainty, but the challenges they face today call for immediate attention and decisive leadership.

Just a couple weeks ago at the American Farm Bureau Convention in San Antonio, Texas, I reminded Farm Bureau members that it’s going to take all of us stepping up in 2025 to drive agriculture forward.

When you push markets one way with tariffs, you should expect an equal and opposite reaction from those same markets.

The trade’s focus continues to be on U.S. exports and South American weather as the market continues to wade through winter.

The Mexican government repealed its ban on biotech corn imports from the United States.

We need your help in convincing Congress and the administration to help reverse the decline of our nation’s cattle and sheep farms and ranches, and your calls and letters to Congress will certainly help.

Just weeks into the Republican takeover of Congress and the White House, Project 2025 is the cornerstone of President Donald Trump’s governing plans.

Indiana Farm Bureau leaders Randy Kron and Isabella Chism were reelected to positions at American Farm Bureau Federation at the organization’s national convention.

With U.S. and Illinois pork producers being some of the first to be impacted directly by news coming out of Washington, D.C., Jennifer Tirey is ready to arm producers and allied industry with timely information.

Ukraine continues to be a major player in global agricultural markets, despite three years of military attacks by Russia.

Brooke Rollins was confirmed as secretary of agriculture, placing a close ally of President Donald Trump into a key position at a time when mass deportation plans could lead to farm labor shortages and tariffs could hit exports.

The day after Congress certified Donald Trump’s election as president, the U.S. Border Patrol conducted unannounced raids throughout Bakersfield, California, descending on businesses where day laborers and field workers gather. The impact was immediate.

Mexico and the European Union announced a revamped trade agreement that they said would substantially increase trade and investment, days before the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump.

U.S. dairy has found its “whey” into China with a dairy byproduct that continues to grow in popularity. Whey is the liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained in making cheese.

The new year always feels like a fresh start, a time to plan for the months ahead and think about what needs to get done.

Adding sustainable aviation fuel to the list of products made from corn and soybeans may help increase profits for U.S. farmers.

U.S. farmers harvested the second-largest corn and soybean crops on record last fall, improving carries in the futures market and lifting the margin outlook for grain elevators storing corn and soybeans.

U.S. dairy exports are approaching record levels as consumer demand for dairy products in Mexico continues to outpace the country’s production.

This past year marked my second full year serving as executive vice president at the American Farm Bureau Federation and it has been inspiring to see our organization flourish as we serve farmers and ranchers.

By far the biggest lender to U.S. farmers, ranchers and rural businesses is the Farm Credit System whose four banks and 56 associations hold nearly 50% of all debt in rural America.

The 25th annual First State Bank Ag Conference, a special forum for area farmers, is scheduled for 10 a.m. Jan. 23 at the Mendota Civic Center.

A trade dispute panel ruled that Mexico’s decree to ban genetically modified corn imports violate the conditions of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

Bolstered by surprises in the December supply and demand estimates report, corn enters 2025 with strengths in exports and ethanol demand.

Before 2024 slides into history, some noteworthy farm and food updates, please, to ensure these stories go with it.

As a farmer and rancher, I’ve learned to count on the seasons. They don’t wait. The crops don’t hold off until it’s convenient, and the livestock don’t adjust their needs to fit my schedule.

Though growth in economic activity was generally small, expectations for growth rose moderately across most geographies and sectors across the Federal Reserve Districts.

Any change in political party leadership from the top down draws questions of how it will impact agriculture.

The Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate by a quarter-point in response to the steady decline in the once-high inflation that had angered Americans and helped drive Donald Trump’s presidential election victory.

Voters chose to send Donald Trump, who served his first term as U.S. president from 2016 to 2020, back to the White House in the Nov. 5 national election.

Every preelection poll for the U.S. presidential race saw it as a too-close-to-call nail-biter. Not one predicted the sweeping victory posted by former, now President-elect Donald Trump.