Federal

From RFD-TV Water levels along the Mississippi River have fallen to historic lows again this fall — throttling barge traffic and raising freight costs just as the Midwest harvest reaches full stride. Gauges at St. Louis and Memphis are near record lows, forcing towboats to run lighter and with fewer barges per tow. For farmers moving corn and soybeans to ... Read More »

From Successful Farming China has booked two cargoes of U.S. wheat following last week’s meeting between the countries’ leaders, traders said on Thursday, the first such purchases since October last year, signalling easing trade tensions between Washington and Beijing. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »

The National Wheat Foundation (NWF) today announced the winners of the 2025 National Wheat Yield Contest during its annual fall meeting in Austin, Texas. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the contest, which continues to highlight excellence and innovation in U.S. wheat production. Since its inception in 2016, the contest has aimed to improve the productivity, quality, and marketability ... Read More »

From agriculture.com Politico’s Grace Yarrow and Meredith Lee Hill reported late last week that “the Trump administration plans to roll out an initial payment of up to $12 billion for farmers hurt by the president’s tariff policies once the government shutdown ends, according to three people familiar with the matter. The finalized amount will come on top of President Donald ... Read More »

From Progressive Farmer Outside of a weather-related supply shock, an outlook for global crop production and supplies by analysts at Rabobank suggests there isn’t much potential for commodity farmers to break even until the 2027-28 crop year. Analysts at Rabobank on Tuesday highlighted their outlook for crops, inputs and profitability by diving into trends affecting global stocks and production. Unfortunately, ... Read More »

From the Capital Press Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, and Cambodia have agreed to eliminate tariffs and nontariff barriers on U.S. agricultural goods, according to the Trump administration. The White House announced the four trade deals Oct. 26 to coincide with President Trump’s trip to a U.S.-Southeast Asia summit in Malaysia. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »

From agriculture.com China imported no soybeans from the U.S. in September, the first time since November 2018 that shipments fell to zero, while South American shipments surged from a year earlier, as buyers shunned American cargoes during the ongoing trade dispute between the world’s two largest economies. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »

By Allison Thompson for agweek.com Wheat prices have spent the past few weeks testing levels not seen in half a decade. All three exchanges, including Chicago, Kansas City and Minneapolis wheat, are hovering at five-year lows. That’s not a distinction anyone in the wheat business wants to brag about. Especially as the current lows now align with what used to ... Read More »

From the National Association of Wheat Growers The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced on Oct. 22 that it will resume Farm Service Agency (FSA) core operations this Thursday and begin distributing commodity program payments that have been delayed during the ongoing partial government shutdown. In a statement Tuesday, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins confirmed that the Department will move forward ... Read More »

From OPB Environmental groups and the State of Oregon are seeking a court injunction to force federal dams on the Columbia River to lower reservoirs and increase the amount of water they spill downstream. The court filing is the latest turn in the fight over the Columbia River’s endangered salmon populations. It comes after the Trump administration canceled a long-term agreement ... Read More »