Ag Policy
On her list of issues to tackle, says Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, is deciding if farmers will need another round of assistance payments later this year and if USDA headquarters should be relocated.
The tit-for-tat on tariffs between the U.S. and China continues, with China announcing on Friday a new rate of 125%, which is up from the 84% announced earlier this week. That pushes the tariff on U.S. pork and pork variety meat to 172%. The new soybean tariff is more than 150%.
With four companies controlling 85% of the beef market and 67% of pork, four U.S. senators are seeking to beef up enforcement of anticompetitive practices in the meatpacking industry.
California’s Proposition 12 has devastated family farms, fueled market consolidation and increased food costs. Legislators brought forward The Food Security and Farm Protection Act to protect farmers and consumers from “burdensome government overreach.”
After China retaliated with its own tariffs, the U.S. said on Tuesday that 104% duties on imports from China would take effect shortly after midnight, even as the Trump administration moved to quickly start talks with other trading partners targeted by Trump’s sweeping tariff plan.
Non-tariff barriers, which also include food safety regulations, are “orders of magnitude” more important than tariff rates.
China accounted for 14% of total U.S. beef export volume last year and 15% of export value as well as 15% of total U.S. pork export volume and 13% of export value, according to the U.S. Meat Export Federation.
President Trump has announced a series of tariffs, scheduled to roll out over the next few days, on some of agriculture’s most significant trade partners. The outcomes could be a net positive for cattlemen, some beef industry members say.
In a Wednesday morning press conference, ahead of Trump announcing his global tariff plan, Sheinbaum says Mexico will “announce a comprehensive program, not a tit for tat on tariffs,” but added, “we have a plan to strengthen the economy under any circumstance.”
The March Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor asked economists if they think the U.S. general economy will see a recession in 2025. 62% said yes.
Allowing cattle to graze is a well documented tool to help remove the fuel that can lead to wildfires.
With tariffs and trade in focus again, a recent AgWeb poll asked farmers if they support President Donald Trump’s use of tariffs as a negotiating strategy.
The majority of respondents in the March Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor agree the U.S. is currently in a trade war, but who wins? Ag economists say it’s not the U.S., Canada or Mexico but rather Brazil that could come out on top.
USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins says the agency is hyper-focused on poultry, but no vaccine is yet available. The agency has ‘separate work streams’ to address the virus in the ‘cattle and dairy’ industries, but dairy is not part of USDA’s primary focus for now.
Tariff whiplash is consuming the commodity markets — and the possible impact is stirring up quite the debate. At present, President Trump says he’s sticking to his plan to impose additional tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China starting April 2.
Lucia Sanchez’s ranch is crossed by a knee-high stream, and for decades her family could block trespass up and down the flow. No more.
The registration status for pork, beef and poultry plants across the U.S., including some owned by major producers, was changed from “effective” to “expired.”
The agency will hold at least six listening sessions for stakeholders between late March and into April. Persons or organizations wishing to provide input will be selected on a first-come, first-serve basis.
While many farmers are comparing the current threats of tariffs and trade wars to the situation they endured in 2018, Joe Vaclavik believes this time will be better.
While there is much uncertainty with current trade and tariff news, current data gives analysts some insight into possible impacts.
The exemption, which will expire on April 2, covers the two largest U.S. trading partners. Trump had earlier only mentioned an exemption for Mexico, but the amendment he signed to his order for 25% levies on imports, which went into effect on Tuesday, covers Canada as well.
U.S. Meat Export Federation released a study this week showing pork exports accounted for more than 100 million bushels of soybean demand last year. For corn, 525 million bushels were consumed by the beef and pork exported in 2024.
Mexico’s president said on Tuesday the country will respond to U.S. tariffs with a 25% tariff on U.S. goods, but she will hold off announcing the targeted products until Sunday.
The impacts of tariffs on U.S. red meat is yet to be determined, but industry remains hopeful in the process of negotiations.
While Canada and Mexico have taken measures to address U.S. concerns, China’s response remains muted, potentially setting the stage for further trade tensions.
Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins confirms those payments will be released before the March 21 current deadline in an exclusive interview with Farm Journal on Thursday morning. She also outlined the timing of the $1 billion just announced to combat avian flu.
The look at corn and soybean acreage under current conditions will be among the key focal points during the event, but it will also be key to see how USDA paints an export outlook with so much uncertainty surrounding tariffs and trade.
Trump said Monday that his planned 25% tariffs on all Mexican and Canadian exports to the U.S. “are going ahead on time, on schedule,” meaning the duties would take effect on March 4 at the conclusion of a one-month suspension.
As tariffs and trade wars continue to make headlines, veteran trade negotiator Gregg Doud feels somewhat optimistic about a possible new deal with one of America’s leading markets — China. He explains why on the latest episode of Unscripted.
Following White House directives, USDA is honoring existing contracts with farmers, releasing approximately $20 million for the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP), the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), and the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP).