Author: staff

By Stephanie Kelly and Jarrett Renshaw NEW YORK, Aug 1 (Reuters) – The Trump administration’s push to discourage the use of foreign feedstocks in domestic biodiesel could lead to higher energy prices for U.S. consumers and restricted domestic production, according to some refining and biofuel trade groups. The warning reflects ongoing friction between President Donald Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency and the administration’s traditional allies in the energy and agriculture industries over biofuels policy. Trump has promised to slash consumer energy costs, but is also trying to advance his America First agenda to support domestic production through trade protectionism – which can often make costs go up…

For the past week, talk of dicamba has been on the lips of many growers as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency considers registration for three products. The use of dicamba, a postemergence weedkiller for soybeans and cotton, was put on hold in 2024 over claims about its impact on human and environmental health. The EPA has opened public comments on this topic, and the comment period ends Aug. 22. Growers, applicators, distributors, retailers, and others with experience and knowledge about dicamba herbicides are encouraged to submit a comment. After the public comment period closes, the EPA will review the comments…

DAILY Bites Canada tariff raised to 35%: President Trump cited a national emergency over fentanyl trafficking to justify raising tariffs on Canadian imports not covered by USMCA, effective August 1, with transshipped goods facing a 40% penalty. Brazil faces 50% beef tariff: The U.S. imposed a 50% tariff on Brazilian goods including beef, threatening $1 billion in trade losses and driving concerns of rising U.S. beef prices. Countries like Japan, South Korea, and the EU secured lower tariff hikes (to 15%), but benefits to U.S. agriculture remain unclear as trade deal details are sparse. DAILY Discussion Escalating his promised trade…

An international research team has uncovered that natural interbreeding in the wild between tomato plants and potato-like species from South America about 9 million years ago gave rise to the modern-day potato. In a study publishing in the journal Cell, researchers suggest this ancient evolutionary event triggered the formation of the tuber, the enlarged underground structure that stores nutrients found in plants like potatoes, yams, and taros. “Our findings show how a hybridization event between species can spark the evolution of new traits, allowing even more species to emerge,” said corresponding author Sanwen Huang of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural…

By Ryan Hanrahan Reuters’ David Lawder, Trevor Hunnicutt, and Aida Pelaez-fernandez reported that “U.S. President Donald Trump imposed steep tariffs on exports from dozens of trading partners, including Canada, Brazil, India, and Taiwan, ahead of a Friday trade deal deadline, pressing ahead with plans to reorder the global economy. Trump set rates including a 35% duty on many goods from Canada, 50% for Brazil, 25% for India, 20% for Taiwan, and 39% for Switzerland, according to a presidential executive order.” “The order listed higher import duty rates of 10%–41% starting in seven days for 69 trading partners,” Lawder, Hunnicutt, and…

American Farmland Trust kicks off the 17th annual America’s Farmer’s Market Celebration today — a celebration of the only annual ranking of the top farmers markets in the United States as voted on by the public. Since 2008, the event has highlighted the critical role farmers markets play in communities across the nation while celebrating the farmers, staff, and volunteers that make them possible. While they have long served as pillars of local food in urban centers and town squares, in recent years, farmers markets have gained the national recognition they deserve as essential businesses that power farmers and communities…

By Nicole Jao NEW YORK, July 31 (Reuters) – U.S. refiner Phillips 66 PSX.N was ordered to pay biofuel maker Propel Fuels $800 million in damages for stealing trade secrets to build up its renewable-fuel capabilities, according to a California state court document. A state court in Alameda, California, on Wednesday ordered Phillips 66 to pay $195 million in punitive damages, in addition to $604.9 million in compensation the refiner was ordered to pay following a separate verdict. “In summary, the court finds that Phillips 66’s misconduct was ‘reprehensible’ from a business perspective. The evidence at trial reflects that Phillips 66 took advantage of Propel Fuels by abusing its bargaining power during due diligence,” the court order said. In October, a jury in the California court decided that…

The Associated Equipment Distributors is sounding the alarm over recent legislative efforts that could drastically shift the landscape for equipment dealers. According to Daniel B. Fisher, AED’s senior vice president of government and external affairs, “right-to-repair amendments have been attached to both the House and Senate versions” of the National Defense Authorization Act, posing what he describes as a “continuing threat to the equipment industry.” Traditionally focused on defense priorities, the AED says that the NDAA is being used to push right-to-repair mandates under the pretense of military readiness. “This is no time to take victory laps or be lulled…

According to the USDA’s Crop Progress report for the week ending July 27, 26% of the country’s corn crop is at the dough growth stage, with all 18 top-producing states reporting for the stage. Eight are ahead of the national five-year average of 24%, and 10 are below it. Here’s a closer look at the numbers. Ahead of the Five-Year Average North Carolina North Carolina currently leads the country in the percentage of corn at the dough growth stage. As of July 27, 81% of the state’s crop was at the dough growth stage. That’s an increase of 10 percentage points…

The John Deere GM is a bit of an interesting footnote in the G’s story, and a neat one at that. Since I’ve never written about the G — or the GM — this feels like a good time to change that. I was flipping through Mecum’s listings recently, and one in particular caught my eye: a 1942 John Deere GM. There were three main generations of the G: unstyled (1937–1941), the GM (1942–1947), and styled (1948–1953). Let’s dig in. Ray and Diane Miedema’s Tractor Collection The G Stands for “Gorilla” The G didn’t really stand for gorilla, but it…