Articles by Olivia M. Bridges

President Donald Trump says he will address the nation Thursday night as U.S. strikes against Iran accelerate, raising fresh concerns about the potential toll on agriculture and the broader economy. Several poultry companies have agreed to pay nearly $44 million and limit the amount of their birds’ litter that can be applied to soils within the Illinois River watershed.

The breakdown of a ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran is threatening a fresh wave of disruption to global energy and agriculture supply chains.

 Renewed hostilities between Iran and the U.S. have effectively brought traffic through the Strait of Hormuz “to a halt,” Lloyds List Intelligence said late Thursday. The U.S. exported $4.7 billion in agricultural products to Vietnam in 2025, making the U.S. the second largest agriculture supplier to the country, according to a July 9 report released by the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service.

President Donald Trump has ordered Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to cut off all trade with Spain despite an upward trend of U.S. agricultural exports to the country. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, says Congress needs to move on legislation to allow voluntary, year-round sales of higher ethanol fuel blends, known as E15, before lawmakers adjourn for five weeks starting in early October.

Agriculture industry experts at a hearing urged the Trump administration to adjust its list of food and drink products exempt from possible levies on 60 nations for allegedly using forced labor. 

USDA Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Luke Lindberg says trading partners have begun implementing the trade deals made with the Trump administration as the agricultural trade deficit continues to fall.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative heard testimony Monday on its proposal to exempt beef from a proposed 25% tariff on Brazilian imports as part of the Trump administration’s goal to reduce prices.

The Council of the European Union and European Parliament approved regulations to remove tariffs on U.S. nuts, fruits, vegetables and lobsters as well as establish a tariff-rate quota for 500,000 metric tons of tree nuts to enter the EU market.

The Trump administration will not renew the U.S.-Mexico-Canada agreement in its current form, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer announced Wednesday. The agreement has been a boon to farm country, but lawmakers and the dairy industry say there's room for improvement.