800 326 9054Opinion: End fertilizer import tariffs to bring relief to farmers
As American corn farmers prepare to plant one of the most expensive crops in history, the leaders at two of the nation’s largest fertilizer corporations are doing everything possible to make it even worse. At a time when costs are rising across the board, these companies are working hard to ensure prices stay high for farmers and, ultimately, consumers. The near exclusive focus on the...
USDA launches ‘Product of USA’ public awareness campaign on National Ag Day
Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins used a National Ag Day celebration Tuesday to unveil a “massive outreach phase” for Product of USA labeling, a voluntary program that took effect in January. Meat, poultry, and processed egg products from animals born, raised, harvested, and processed in the United States are eligible, and encouraged by Rollins, to use the voluntary “Product of USA”...
Fertilizer producers fixed prices, lawsuit claims
A class-action lawsuit filed Friday alleges that major U.S. manufacturers of fertilizer have conspired since 2021 to raise fertilizer prices and keep them high. “When prices for an essential input are artificially inflated, the impact falls squarely on farmers and ripples across the food system. This case is about restoring competition in a market that is foundational to American...
DOJ Probes US Fertilizer Market for Possible Price Fixing
The Justice Department has been investigating whether several leading producers of commercial fertilizers colluded to raise prices, according to people familiar with the matter. The companies whose conduct is under scrutiny include phosphate and potash suppliers Nutrien Ltd. and Mosaic Co., as well as CF Industries Holdings Inc., Koch Inc. and...
Nutrien in favor of removing phosphate tariffs
As a five-year review of countervailing duties on phosphate fertilizer from Russia and Morocco gets underway, one of the largest U.S. producers says it is time to lift the tariffs. “Based on evolving global phosphate supply and demand dynamics since 2021, we believe removing countervailing duties on phosphate imports would be a constructive step that supports U.S. farmer economics, balanced...
Farmers can start applying for aid payments on Monday
The enrollment period for USDA’s $11 billion Farmer Bridge Assistance Program will start Monday and end April 17. Farmers could receive a payment as soon as Feb. 28, USDA said in a press release Friday. Pre-filled applications will be available online for farmers who have a Login.gov account, according to the Farm Service Agency. Farmers can also request their pre-filled application...
45Z credit puts regen ag in spotlight with corn demand in doubt
As U.S. ethanol producers race to find new markets, a single slide at an agricultural gathering in Iowa this month showed three drastically different paths for corn farmers through 2034. The first showed stagnant corn prices in the state, hovering around $4 a bushel, a level at which most farmers aren’t profitable, said David Miller, agricultural economist at Decision Innovation Solutions,...
Farm bill reaction: Prop 12, pesticide provisions grab attention
Provisions in the House Agriculture Committee’s farm bill that addressed issues like Proposition 12 and pesticide labeling drew fire and some praise after the text’s release. Some farm groups, led by the American Farm Bureau Federation welcomed the bill’s revisions to various provisions of the 2018 farm bill that have had to be repeatedly extended because lawmakers have been unable to...
USDA issues $1.89 billion in livestock disaster aid
The Agriculture Department announced Friday it has issued disaster relief payments for losses producers faced in 2023 and 2024 due to drought, flooding and wildfire. A USDA press release says the agency has issued more than $1.89 billion through the Emergency Livestock Relief Program. The program is separated into two sub-programs — ELRP Drought and Wildfire, which goes to...
E15 outlook dims in Congress despite Trump’s call for action
Photo: House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., center left, talks with Rep. Adrian Smith, R-Neb., center right, during an April 2023 committee hearing. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf) In the latest setback for E15, mid-sized oil refiners say a congressional plan aimed at expanding the U.S. market for corn-based ethanol would cause them to shut down. “Current draft proposals...