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House Ag Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson expects slumping commodity prices, not just export losses from tariffs, to be a top consideration in the Trump administration's formula in coming up with an economic aid package for farmers facing economic hardship. 

Using renewable fuels to power heavy farm machinery never took off during the initial surge in U.S. biodiesel and ethanol production. Now, with electric vehicles, including tractors, threatening liquid fuels, there's optimism that more home-grown fuels will soon stay on the farm.

The holiday season is in full swing and 2025 in the final stretch as lawmakers and the Trump administration face a bundle of unfinished agriculture business. This includes key biofuel issues and financial relief for crop growers hurt by tariffs. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has said an announcement on a support package for farmers is imminent and could land at soon as this week.

Tyson Foods is laying off nearly 2,000 workers at its beef processing plant in Amarillo, Texas, on the heels of the company's announced cuts in Lexington, Nebraska, home of another one of its major facilities. The workforce reductions come amid cattle shortages, surging beef prices for consumers and the Trump administration's crackdown on undocumented immigrants. 

It’s been a rocky year for food companies, agribusiness firms, ag lenders and farmers navigating the seismic shift in policies coming out of Washington when it comes to environmental policy, even as much of the farm economy is mired in a multiyear slump. But many companies are pressing forward with their environmental goals and testing new ways of financing changes in farming practices. 

President Trump cut duties on imported fertilizers earlier this month, but multiple analysts tell Agri-Pulse that prices are still likely to stay high through next year’s planting season amid tight global supplies.

Seth Meyer, USDA's chief economist since 2021, will lead the University of Missouri's Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute beginning in January, according to the school. 

The American Farm Bureau Federation’s annual survey shows consumers will pay 5% less for Thanksgiving dinner this year than in 2024, despite an increase in wholesale turkey prices. It is the third straight decline in the cost of Thanksgiving dinner after a record high in 2022.

Agricultural bankers are growing increasingly concerned about the financial stress facing row crop producers heading into 2026.