Economy

RSS

The Trump administration is vowing to protect American farmers from "high and volatile" costs of fertilizer, seed, equipment and other key inputs as growers grapple with a difficult agriculture economy.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the Trump administration will announce a plan next month to expand U.S. beef production, but she ruled out making payments to producers to retain cattle.

The Trump administration is threatening to conduct reductions in force at federal agencies if Congress cannot reach a funding agreement by Sept. 30 and government funding lapses.

US farmers are grappling with higher fertilizer prices, especially phosphate needed to help restore post-harvest fields, as overall input prices are higher and intensifying concern about a full-blown economic agriculture crisis. 

Summit Carbon Solutions, the company behind a nearly $10 billion carbon pipeline meant to boost the fortunes of the U.S. Corn Belt, is working to win support after a raft of setbacks. Meanwhile, a CO2 project with ethanol plants in Nebraska has started up operations, giving the No. 3 corn-growing U.S. state a potential edge over No. 1 Iowa. 

New World screwworm has been detected in an 8-month-old calf less than 70 miles south of the Texas border near a major commercial corridor to the United States, according to USDA, which says it will be announcing steps to help rebuild U.S. cattle supplies.

New polling shows that the majority of U.S. corn growers see an economic crisis on the horizon – or at least the possibility of one. A large majority also said they were “very” or “moderately” concerned about the state of the farm economy. 

Chinese buyers are still avoiding U.S. soybeans and other commodities, a move many analysts see as Beijing's effort to maximize leverage in ongoing trade discussions. Absent a political settlement, many fear a revival of Chinese purchases could still be several months away.

Tight labor supplies and President Donald Trump’s shifting tariff policies are increasing financial pressure on producers of a wide range of specialty crops, producers say.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins says USDA officials are keeping a watchful eye on commodity markets as they weigh how much help farmers may need this fall to keep their operations afloat.