Author: staff

Some farm-state lawmakers are eyeing potential opportunities for the U.S. agricultural sector should President Donald Trump follow through on his threat to impose steep new tariffs on Brazil. The president shared a letter to Truth Social on Wednesday addressed to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva that outlined new 50% duties on imports from Brazil on Aug. 1 over his displeasure at the country’s treatment of former President Jair Bolsonaro. The president also indicated that he would open an investigation into the country’s unfair trade practices. “I’m very happy to keep Brazil out of my agriculture market,” Sen. Roger Marshall,…

By Ryan Hanrahan Bloomberg’s Ilena Peng, Dayanne Sousa, and Mariana Durao reported that “President Donald Trump’s unexpected move to threaten a 50% tariff on Brazil risks roiling global commodity markets, disrupting trade on everything from beef to coffee.” “The U.S. is Brazil’s second-largest trading partner, trailing only China. But while the two nations compete directly in some markets like corn and cotton, Brazil — an agricultural powerhouse — also produces tropical goods like coffee that can’t be grown in the continental U.S.,” Peng, Sousa, and Durao reported. “Brazil has been ramping up beef shipments to meet growing U.S. demand, and is…

The U.S. Department of Labor has issued a citation against Tyson Foods’ Keystone Foods subsidiary following a fatal boiler explosion and fire at its poultry processing plant in Camilla, Georgia, in December 2024. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Keystone Foods for a serious violation and proposed a penalty of $16,550. According to the OSHA investigation, two workers at the facility were seriously burned when a hose filled with oil ruptured during maintenance, igniting an oil mist and causing a fire and explosion in the plant’s boiler room. Inspectors concluded the company failed to ensure that employees followed internal…

President Donald Trump said Thursday evening that Canada will face higher duties for some products beginning next month due to the Canadian government’s decision to retaliate against U.S. duties applied earlier this year. He also took the opportunity to reiterate his call for greater market access for U.S. dairy producers. In March, Trump imposed 25% duties on Canadian exports not covered by the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) — reduced to 10% for energy products and potash. Canada responded by hiking duties on some $22 billion in U.S. exports, including orange juice, peanut butter, wine, spirits, beer, and coffee. The Canadian government…

The Trump administration has postponed implementation of a new round of tariffs until Aug. 1, following an executive order issued this week by President Donald Trump aimed at giving trade negotiations more time to wrap up. The reciprocal tariffs — initially announced in April — had been on a 90-day delay set to expire July 9. With the new deadline in place, the White House sent formal notification letters to 14 countries, informing them that the revised tariff rates will go into effect at the beginning of August, whether or not deals are reached. While most countries saw only minor…

In the days after signing an executive order delaying the implementation of reciprocal tariffs until Aug. 1 and sending 14 letters to countries warning them of new tariff rates, President Donald Trump has continued to release letters informing countries of new tariffs. On the platform Truth Social, Trump released letters sent to seven more U.S. trade partners on Wednesday.  Wednesday evening, Trump announced a 50% tariff on imports from Brazil. Thursday evening, Trump threatened 35% duties on imports from Canada that fall outside the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Markets were lower in the wake of increased tariff uncertainty early in the…

Today, USDA released the July 2025 World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report. 2025/2026 U.S. Ending Stocks In the report, USDA pegged 2025/2026 corn and wheat ending stocks lower month-over-month and lower than the average trade expectation while soybean ending stocks were increased month-over-month more than the average expecation. 2024/2025 U.S. Ending Stocks For 2024/2025, USDA pegged corn ending stocks a bit lower than the average trade expectation. For soybeans, ending stocks were unchanged when the average trade expectation was for an increase. Wheat ending stocks were increased a bit more than the average expectation. 2025/2026 Global Ending Stocks…

DAILY Bites A shrinking U.S. labor force driven by declining birth rates, lower immigration, and rising retirements is creating serious labor shortages, especially in rural areas. Economic pressure is mounting in agriculture, housing, and manufacturing, with rising home costs, weakening crop exports, and policy uncertainty straining rural development. Animal protein and dairy sectors remain strong amid tight supplies and high global demand, while sectors like cotton, rice, and sugar face cost, weather, and global market headwinds. DAILY Discussion Declining labor force participation, lower birth rates, and a collapse in net migration are combining to squeeze the U.S. labor supply. The…

After 9 a.m. CT, December corn was down 1½¢ at $4.15 per bushel. November soybeans were down 5¾¢ at $10.08 per bushel. “Light pressure is being seen in the market [Friday] morning in low volume trade. Most activity is final positioning ahead of the WASDE report,” said Karl Setzer, partner with Consus Ag Consulting. “No major changes are forecast to balance sheets, with most interest on corn numbers.” He added: “Unless we see a major surprise in the data, soon after its release, we will be back to weather and crop reports for price discovery. Current weather is mostly favorable…

The latest U.S. Drought Monitor report showed a mixed landscape across the country as of July 8. Heavy rainfall helped shrink drought coverage and intensity across large parts of the High Plains and Midwest, continuing a gradual recovery trend seen since spring. Much of the Corn Belt remains drought-free, though pockets of dryness are beginning to creep back. Meanwhile, drought worsened and spread in the Pacific Northwest, and long-term drought persists stubbornly in south-central Texas. For producers in the nation’s central regions, summer storms brought welcome relief — but not everywhere benefited equally. Map of the U.S. showing drought levels…