Author: staff

1. Soybeans, Grains Higher on Trade Talk Optimism Soybean and grain futures were higher in overnight trading as optimism about normalized trade relations with China gave prices a boost.  Top officials from the U.S. and China will meet in London today, June 9, in a bid to end the ongoing trade war between the countries.  U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is leading a delegation from Washington, while China’s contingent will be led by He Lifeng, China’s vice premier for economic policy.  Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping spoke for about 90 minutes on Thursday.  Trump said the talks went well…

By Morgan Chilson TOPEKA — The firing and rehiring of federal workers at the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility in Manhattan was part of an “imperfect process,” U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said Wednesday. Rollins responded to questions from U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kansas, at a U.S. House Agriculture Committee hearing. NBAF conducts high-level research of animal pathogens, zoonotic diseases, which are diseases that pass from animals to humans, and other issues that affect food safety. “It’s the nation’s first bio-safety level 4 lab for livestock. It was built to protect us from the worst animal disease. I understand that…

1. Wheat Futures Rise as USDA Raises Export Outlook Wheat futures were higher in overnight trading after the USDA raised its forecast for exports of the grain in the 2025/2026 season that started on June 1.  Exporters will ship 825 million bushels of the grain in the current marketing year, the agency said in a monthly supply and demand report yesterday.  That’s up from a previous outlook for 800 million and the 820 million bushels that were shipped in the previous year.  Total use including exports are now forecast at 1.984 billion bushels, up from the prior forecast for 1.959…

By Ella Cao and Gus Trompiz BEIJING/PARIS, June 13 (Reuters) – Chicago soybeans ticked up on Friday on the back of a jump in crude oil prices after Israel conducted strikes on Iran, though the oilseed market remained capped by uncertainty over U.S. biofuel targets and expectations of abundant global supply. Wheat edged higher to recover from an earlier four-week low, while corn eased to move back towards a six-month low from last week. Favourable crop prospects continued to hang over grain markets, with relatively benign weather in the U.S. Midwest and the onset of wheat harvesting in the Northern…

By Stephanie Kelly NEW YORK, June 12 – The Trump administration on Friday proposed to increase the amount of biofuels that oil refiners must blend into the nation’s fuel mix over the next two years, driven by a surge in biomass-based diesel mandates. The move, which also included measures to discourage biofuel imports, was welcomed by the biofuels industry, which had been lobbying on the issue for months. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed on Friday total biofuel blending volumes at 24.02 billion gallons in 2026 and 24.46 billion gallons in 2027. That compares with blending requirements of 22.33 billion gallons in…

This week, the Senate Ag Committee released budget reconciliation text that includes a boost to some key farm bill programs and a less aggressive state SNAP cost share proposal than the House. On this episode of Agri-Pulse Newsmakers, Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., discussed the proposal and her recent meeting with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. about the Make America Healthy Again Commission report. Plus, Katie Naessens with Torrey Advisory Group and Ken Barbic with Invariant continued the discussion on reconciliation, then dive into trade and state SNAP waivers restricting soda and candy purchases. Watch the Episode Want to receive…

Dustin Echelbarger, a former salesman for TTG/Truland Equipment in Swayzee, Indiana, was charged June 11 with 17 felony counts involving alleged corrupt business influence, fraud, and forgery in connection with sales of farm machinery.  According to an affidavit filed by the Grant County, Indiana prosecutor’s office seeking Echelbarger’s arrest, “From January 2023 through September of 2024, Echelbarger conducted approximately eight fraudulent transactions for his own personal financial gain.” “Dustin was interviewed by law enforcement,” the document said. “Eventually Dustin agreed with investigators [sic] theory that he was using money from these transactions to attempt to pay other bills and debts…

By Julie Ingwersen CHICAGO, June 13 (Reuters) – U.S. soyoil futures surged their daily limit on Friday and soybeans hit a three-week high after the Trump administration proposed biofuel blending requirements that were above trade expectations, analysts said. Chicago Board of Trade corn futures followed soybeans higher and CBOT wheat rose about 2% on bargain-buying after falling to a four-week low in early moves. As of 10:54 a.m. CDT (1554 GMT), CBOT July soyoil BON25 was up 3 cents, its maximum daily limit, at 50.61 cents per pound, while July soybeans SN25 were up 25-3/4 cents at $10.68 per bushel. CBOT July corn was up 3-3/4…

The Midwest and the High Plains experienced a mix of drought improvements and degradations over the past week, according to the latest Midwest Drought Monitor. A broad band of rain stretched from Missouri through Illinois, Indiana, and into parts of Michigan, bringing widespread one-category improvements.  https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap.aspx Nebraska Avoids Extreme Drought — for Now Nebraska’s drought conditions have improved considerably in recent weeks, according to the latest data from the U.S. Drought Monitor. As of early June, no part of the state is classified in extreme or exceptional drought — marking the first time since last summer that Nebraska has avoided…

On June 11, the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry released text for its proposed budget reconciliation package. John Boozman (R-AR) is the committee chairman.  “Our farmers and ranchers are facing real challenges, which have been unaddressed for too long,” said Boozman in a statement alongside the release of the text. “This legislation delivers the risk management tools and updated farm bill safety net they need to keep producing the safest, most abundant and affordable food, fuel, and fiber in the world. It’s an investment in rural America and the future of agriculture.”  Boozman also said the bill…