800 326 9054USDA announces moves of food safety, research staff out of D.C. area
USDA food safety and scientific research personnel will be moved out of Washington to locations across the country, including to a new food safety center in Iowa. In a news release, USDA said it plans to move positions in the Economic Research Service and National Institute of Food and Agriculture from the National Capital Region to Kansas City and decommission the Beltsville Agricultural...
Opinion: Rural America is in trouble. Congress needs to pass the farm bill.
By Rep. Dan Newhouse Farmers across rural America are facing an affordability crisis. As a third-generation farmer in the Yakima Valley, I know firsthand the challenges facing farm country and the importance of passing the Farm, Food and National Security Act of 2026, otherwise known as the farm bill. This legislation is an investment in our producers, our families and the rural economy...
Corn Growers Tackle Rising Fertilizer Costs
By Lesly McNitt Spring has sprung in the nation’s capital. The sun is shining. Plants and flowers are blooming. Weekend marathons are happening across the city. Yet the discussions taking place in the halls of power here are a reminder that all is not rosy across the country and around the world. As the conflict in the Middle East rages on, and the Strait of Hormuz remains all but closed,...
China buying up U.S. farmland a ‘perilous threat,’ Rollins says
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins addressed Chinese ownership of U.S. land, New World Screwworm and more at a lively congressional hearing on USDA budget priorities. Trump administration plans to bring down skyrocketing fertilizer costs were also discussed by Rollins at the House Appropriations ag subcommittee hearing on Thursday. Read more here. The U.S. agriculture...
Even optimistic scenarios now show elevated fertilizer prices into 2028
Even if the latest U.S. ceasefire with Iran holds and the Strait of Hormuz reopens in short order, damage to fertilizer infrastructure in the region will keep prices elevated through 2027 and into 2028, a new analysis finds, as U.S. agriculture braces for long-term supply challenges. Forthcoming analysis from North Dakota State University, set for publication Wednesday and seen...
Opinion: 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...