U.S.-China Announce Trade Deal – There is a reprieve in the trade war between the U.S. and China. After a weekend of negotiations in Geneva, Switzerland, a joint announcement was made saying both sides recognize the importance of ‘a sustainable, long-term and mutually beneficial economic and trade relationship.’ With this deal, the U.S. will lower tariffs from 145 percent to 30 percent on Chinese imports. At the same time, China will cut its tariff from 125 percent to ten percent. This agreement is in place for the next 90 days.

Markets React to Trade Deal – There was an immediate 500 point pop in the Dow Jones Industrial Average when the details emerged overnight about a 90-day trade deal with China. Eventually, the Dow futures were up by nearly 1,000 points. In the ag commodities, soybeans and soybean oil moved higher. “It looks like President Trump is getting his goals,” said Tommy Grisafi, who is with the Nesvick Trading Group. “We’re still keeping a 30 percent tariff on China, but this means the ships that may be coming into a California port, they can get unloaded with light tariffs and go about their day.” A USDA supply/demand report will be released at 11, resulting in another “wild day” in the markets.

US-UK Trade Deal Announced – The United States and the United Kingdom have announced a new trade deal. The details are still being worked out, but it is designed to increase market access for both countries. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins was part of the Oval Office announcement. Specific to the beef sector, Rollins said the agreement will “exponentially” increase U.S. beef exports. “To be very clear, American beef is the safest, the best quality, and the Crown Jewel of American agriculture for the world.” British officials are saying the agreement won’t undermine their strict environmental and animal welfare standards. Regarding ethanol, tariffs will be reduced from 19 percent to zero. Rollins praised the announcement. “I don’t know if there is an industry that has been treated more unfairly and has suffered more than our agricultural industries.”

Trade Mission Underway – Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins is in the United Kingdom through Wednesday. This will be her first foreign trade mission. Rollins is also planning trade trips to Japan, Vietnam, Brazil, Peru, Italy and India over the next five months.

Japan Eyes More U.S. Corn in Trade Talks – Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba suggested that increasing U.S. corn imports, particularly for ethanol and biomass use, could be part of ongoing trade negotiations with Washington. Ishiba emphasized Japan’s commitment to protecting its domestic agriculture sector, especially as pressure mounts from U.S. tariffs on automobile exports. Trade talks between the two nations remain slow, with Japan seeking relief from new U.S. tariffs set to rise further in July. Japan imported $2.8 billion worth of U.S. corn in 2024, helping offset a steep decline in exports to China.

Trade Policy is a ‘Lose-Lose’ Scenario – North Dakota Farmers Union President Mark Watne is worried about the current tariff strategy. “I’ve been fortunate to travel the world,” said Watne. “China is trying to replace us and folks think they’ll automatically come back to the table; they won’t.” Around the world, Brazil is expanding its crop production, India and Africa have goals of becoming self sufficient in food production. “Plus, we’re making enemies of our friends. This is a lose-lose (situation). It needs to stop quick or we’re going to have a problem and it will be a long-term problem.” Listen to RRFN’s interview with Watne. 

Cramer Calls for Certainty in Trade and Farm Policy – North Dakota Senator Kevin Cramer is calling for more stability in trade and farm policy. In an interview with the Red River Farm Network, Cramer said President Trump’s trade strategy is showing results. “Donald Trump understands that we’re five percent of the world’s population and 20 percent of the world’s consumption. We’re the big economy in the world, and he’s been trying to leverage that,” said Cramer.  On the farm bill, Cramer emphasized the importance of raising reference prices to reflect current costs. “They haven’t been raised for several years. They don’t recognize modern costs or input costs. The bankers don’t like that, nor do investors or farmers themselves,” said Cramer, adding that a budget reconciliation process could allow for those changes with a simple majority in the Senate.  Click to listen to the full interview with Sen. Cramer.

USDA Suspends Cattle Imports from Mexico – The USDA has suspended all live cattle, horse, and bison imports at southern U.S. border ports due to the rapid northward spread of the New World Screwworm in Mexico. The pest has now been found as far north as roughly 700 miles from the U.S. border. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins says this suspension is necessary to protect the livestock industry and national food supply. The USDA and Mexico remain in close communication, and the suspension will be reviewed monthly based on containment progress. Livestock already in holding will be processed with inspections and treatments as planned.

What’s Hot, What’s Not in the Markets – In this week’s edition of What’s Hot, What’s Not in the Markets, Martinson Ag Risk Management President Randy Martinson said the bull run continues in the cattle market. “Cattle continue to trade to new all-time contract highs; canola is seeing strength and bean oil is seeing pretty good push.” Wheat markets continue to struggle. Click here. 

Farm Bill, Regulatory Wins – National Association of State Departments of Agriculture Chief Operating Officer Ted McKinney says the farm bill remains the top priority, even as progress is being made in a piecemeal fashion. “The problem, though, is what happens after the whole mess of reconciliation, which is always partisan, when we have to finish out the rest of it,” said McKinney.  Regulatory relief was noted as a bright spot, with McKinney pointing to the EPA’s decision to stop its initial insecticide strategy under the Endangered Species Act. On trade, McKinney acknowledged the challenges of using tariffs. “Now, do I like tariffs? No, I hate tariffs, but short of getting trade and fair trade resolved in other ways, which we made a magnanimous effort at under Trump 45, what are you left to do but to carry a bigger stick, as Teddy Roosevelt used to say.”

Ag Retailers Frustrated With Farm Bill Delays – With each farm bill delay, agricultural retailers are voicing frustration over the uncertainty it creates. Agricultural Retailers Association Vice President Richard Gupton said agriculture needs lawmakers to act. “Kicking it down one more year is really not an option for the industry. It’s created too much uncertainty and for financial planning and making sure they have a proper safety net, they need to get it done this year.”  Gupton also called for regulatory stability, especially around pesticide policy. He said the association wants decision-making to remain with EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs and state lead agencies. “We’ve also tried to get other measures in there related to regulatory relief, common-sense things related to pesticide policy, making sure the decision-making stays at EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs and the state lead agency, making sure that the labels are uniform. If you saw what happened in California with the glyphosate issue and all the litigation, they tried to use science inconsistent with the EPA’s determinations. We want to make sure that doesn’t take place.”

Midwest Farm Bureau Leaders Meet in DC – Farm Bureau state administrators for the 12 Upper Midwest states met this past week in Washington, D.C to discuss policy issues. NDFB Executive Vice President and CEO Jeff Missling was the host of this gathering. Missling came out of the meetings optimistic about potential changes to perpetual easements. There is legislation in Congress that would be “an opportunity for folks to potentially renegotiate terms with some of these easements, renew these easements or even buy back these easements at fair market value.” In the Midwest states, Missling said there is concern about the property tax burden shifting to agriculture. The growth of solar farms on productive farmland was also on the radar. “My counterpart from Iowa was discussing the fact that 25 counties in Iowa now have moratoriums on wind and solar projects. There was a rush down in the ‘I’ states with solar projects, and now the counties are trying to play catch-up.”

A Two-Step Approach for the Farm Bill – Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman supports a two-step approach to the next farm bill, starting with risk management tools. “I’d really like to get the risk management tools done in reconciliation, set those aside, and then come back and pass a farm bill and clean up the policy things that we need to clean up.”  Boozman emphasized the urgency of addressing crop insurance and reference prices first before tackling other farm bill priorities like trade and research.  Boozman also raised concerns about the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, pointing to a high rate of overpayments. “USDA and the Biden administration said that the overpayment rate of SNAP is $100 billion over ten years. That’s a lot of money.”  While Boozman supports increasing accountability at the state level, he stressed that cutting benefits is not under consideration.

Craig: ‘Reconciliation is Not the Place to be Doing a Farm Bill’ – In an interview with the Red River Farm Network, House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Angie Craig said budget reconciliation complicates the passage of any farm bill. “If Republicans raid the Nutrition Title by anywhere from $230 billion to $300 billion, it is a real tough ask to bring Democrats across the aisle to support a farm bill,” said Craig. “There are also 50-to-70 Republicans who will never vote for a traditional farm bill; I’ve been honest, reconciliation is not the place to be doing a farm bill.” During a meeting with Minnesota Farmers Union members, Craig also discussed the Department of Government Efficiency’s new requirement to review USDA farm loans. “Talk about adding bureaucracy to the system; DOGE has now said any (USDA) farm loan over $500,000 they need to approve it,” said Craig. “They’re actually creating less efficiency here and I think family farmers and folks that work at FSA are stunned.”

Farmers Want ‘Markets, Not Mailboxes’ – Minnesota Congressman Brad Finstad wants Washington to take swift action to address the growing uncertainty in agriculture. Finstad, a farmer himself, emphasized that farmers are not seeking handouts but need stronger markets to support their operations. “Challenges on the market side, our inputs have continued to grow year-over-year. I don’t think I’ve seen a year in my farming life where a bag of corn is less expensive or fertilizer is less expensive.” He stressed the importance of stable markets for long-term farm viability, saying, “we want to farm for markets, not mailboxes.” Finstad is also frustrated with the repeated farm bill delays. “We’re living in extensions. Thanks be to God, the 2018 farm bill was pretty good because that’s what we’re living under now, under another extension. But it’s time for us to get our work done.”

Thompson Defends Farm Bill SNAP Provisions – House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn ‘GT Thompson defends proposed changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, insisting they are bipartisan and designed to strengthen program integrity. “You’ll see that these are program integrity measures, which are all designed to make the programs work better, to better serve the people who are waking up in poverty.” Thompson rejected criticism that SNAP changes would harm recipients, emphasizing efforts to eliminate the so-called poverty cliff. “The more you do, you do marginally better, and guess what? They pull the rug out from underneath you. We’re not robbing from anyone. We’re enhancing opportunity.”

SNAP Cost-Sharing Plan Called a Shell Game – At a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol, House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Angie Craig criticized Republican proposals to shift Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program costs to states. “What we’re hearing about through the great work of all of you in the press is cost share for SNAP, which is going to put the onus on states to either fund SNAP or blame the states for the cuts, but it doesn’t matter because people will be more hungry and less healthy in our country.” Craig also defended SNAP’s current benefit levels and challenged the rationale behind proposed cuts. “Do we think $6.20 a day on average is too much for someone who qualifies for the SNAP program? This is a shell game, frankly, that the American people need to call bulls_t on right here and now.”

Fedorchak Criticizes ‘Fear-Mongering’ in Farm Bill Debate – North Dakota Representative Julie Fedorchak is pushing back against the strategy adopted by the Democrats in the ongoing farm bill discussions. “It’s disappointing to see the Democrats with their fear-mongering, and that is what it is, what we’re trying to do is change things for the better.” With reconciliation talks underway, Fedorchak says this is a key opportunity to address national debt and government accountability. “We’re $36 trillion in debt. The government is unresponsive to the citizens. You couldn’t get answers from federal agencies over the last four years. We’ve got out-of-control spending. We’ve got government regulations strangling everyone.”

Disaster Relief Timeline Outlined – Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced the timeline for releasing the disaster assistance approved by Congress at the end of last year. Payments for USDA’s Emergency Livestock Relief Program, which covers drought and wildfire-related losses, will start being made at the end of this month. The final rule for Supplemental Disaster Relief, previously known as an indemnified loss, will be made public July 3 and signup will begin July 7. The Emergency Livestock Relief Program for flood-related losses will be finalized in mid August and the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program for uncovered losses will be made public in mid-September. USDA has a new online landing page with details on its disaster relief.

Hoeven Advocates for FSA Staff and Crop Insurance Reforms – Senator John Hoeven is working to secure vital reforms for North Dakota farmers, focusing on updated farm policies and international trade agreements. Speaking from his office on Capitol Hill, Hoeven emphasized the importance of maintaining front-line staff, particularly in FSA offices, to support farmers. “We need to find savings and efficiencies, but we need to make sure those people there are on the job,” Hoeven is pushing to include crop insurance reforms and counter-cyclical safety net updates in the reconciliation process. On the topic of the SNAP program, Hoeven reassured that the focus is on accountability, not cuts. “We’re going to find some accountability and savings in the SNAP program.” Hoeven also expressed confidence in the Trump administration’s international trade efforts, stating that securing better terms for U.S. exporters will put pressure on trade partners like China.

Rollins: USDA Reorganization Happening in an Intential & Smart Way – Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced the USDA’s reorganization plan will be released in the upcoming week. While meeting with farm broadcasters, Rollins said roughly 15,000 USDA employees have taken early retirement or buyouts under the Deferred Resignation Program, but emphasized this number is in line with expected attrition. “USDA has around 106,000 employees in total. Every year, we lose just by attrition between 8,000 to 10,000 of those employees so while 15,000 is blasting across a lot of headlines right now, at the end of the day, through the DRP, hopefully the goal is that it isn’t too much of a difference.” Framing the effort as part of a broader administration goal, Rollins added, “I think the President has a very bold vision of returning the power to the people of downsizing the government and I think we’re doing that in a very intentional and very smart way.”

Trump Budget Called a ‘Non-Starter’ – The Trump Administration’s budget recommendations call for cuts at the Farm Service Agency and the Natural Resources Conservation Service, cuts in ag research and long-standing programs like Food for Peace. “I think the President’s budget is a non-starter,” said Minnesota Senator Tina Smith. “A lot of Republicans in Congress are saying the same thing because they understand that funding for USDA works. “We know the importance of the FSA, but there also cuts to Rural Development and that is a big issue when you look at what we’ve been trying to do to expand child care and housing in rural communities. If you don’t have those two things, life really doesn’t work for a lot of farm families.” In an interview with RRFN, Smith also addressed Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr.’s ‘Make America Healthy Again’ strategy, which is critical of food produced with added sugars and seed oils. “I’m very concerned about what Secretary Kennedy has in mind,” said Smith. “I don’t get the sense that what he is working on is based on facts, science and data and I don’t think he has any idea about the impact it could have on the farm economy, especially in northwest Minnesota.” Smith is a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee.

Randy Russell Interview: Budget Reconciliation, Trade and More – The House Agriculture Committee has scheduled a two-day markup of the budget reconciliation process. The hearing will begin on Tuesday night and amendments will be made on Wednesday. Randy Russell, who leads The Russell Group, describes this process as a big jigsaw puzzle. “I think there will be changes to the SNAP program and I do think that Chairman (Glenn) Thompson and the Republicans in the House Agriculture Committee and Senate (John) Bozeman will include increases in reference prices, probably close to what was in Chairman Thompson’s farm bill last year; I think there’ll be some changes in crop insurance; I think there’ll be some investments in trade promotion programs and God knows we need it with a $50 billion ag trade deficit,” said Russell. “I do think I feel pretty confident that those will be included in the reconciliation bill that the House Ag Committee reports out.” Congress can address mandatory programs, such as reference prices and crop insurance, in reconciliation. However, the other titles of the farm bill will need to be done on a separate track. In an interview with RRFN, Russell touched on the current trade environment. “This is trade negotiations on steroids,” said Russell. “Frankly, we don’t even have an ag trade ambassador; we have one nominated with Doug Hoelscher, but he probably won’t get confirmed until summer.” Click here for the full Randy Russell interview. 

Dietary Guidelines Expected by Early Fall – During a House Appropriations hearing, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said USDA is working with the Health and Human Services Department on the new dietary guidelines. The details will be released in the early fall. The Dietary Guidelines are released every five years and influence federal nutrition programs.

Zeldin Outlines EPA’s Ag Policy Priorities – EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin is tackling several major policy priorities impacting agriculture, including Waters of the United States. “Our goal is to be able to come up with a simple definition that farmers, ranchers, landowners across this country are going to know whether or not there’s a water of the U.S. on their land without having to hire an attorney or to hire a consultant.” He also announced an emergency waiver for E-15 sales during the summer driving season. Zeldin acknowledged the EPA’s heavy workload but stressed his commitment to responsiveness and transparency with the ag community. “If there’s any feedback that we get from the farming community on things that the EPA could be doing better, whether they are big things or they are small things, our ask is that the community lets us know what the entire list is now. You’re not doing yourself a favor by holding anything back.”

Armstrong and Zeldin Have a Positive Meeting – North Dakota Governor Kelly Armstrong met with EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin Friday and discussed agriculture and energy issues. The two men who served together in Congress also discussed the need to ease the regulatory burden. North Dakota’s new pesticide labeling law was also part of the conversation.

Hoeven Brings Back Proposal to Increase Crop Insurance Premium Support – North Dakota Senator John Hoeven has reintroduced his bill to make higher levels of crop insurance more affordable to farmers. It increases premium support for revenue protection and yield protection policy, increases premium support for the Supplemental Coverage Option and increases SCO coverage levels. The proposal has the support of numerous farm groups including corn, soybean, wheat, sugarbeet, canola and barley trade associations.

A Time for Action – With the Capitol as a backdrop, the National Farmers Union rallied support for passage of a comprehensive farm bill Tuesday. With the farm bill in limbo, Ohio Democratic Representative Marcy Kaptur said it was time for action. “We have to support our farmers and producers, strengthen our farm safety net and expand access to markets elsewhere.” House Republican leadership is pushing forward with budget reconciliation and hopes to fold in a portion of the farm bill in the effort. NFU President Rob Larew describes a complicated path forward. “Where it ends up is the big question right now,” said Larew. “Whatever moves first, what are the damages to the coalition; that will have a lot of bearing on whether or not the rest of the provisions of the farm bill can be passed.”

‘Do Your Work’ – Nearly 100 farmers took time away from the planter this past week to bring their message to Congress. The National Farmers Union ‘Week of Action’ is focused on passing a five-year farm bill; legislation strengthening the farm safety net, promoting voluntary conservation programs and delivering support for farmers and consumers. Minnesota Farmers Union President Gary Wertish admits that may be a big lift in the current political environment. “We’ve gotten into more partisan politics and you can blame both sides of the aisle,” said Wertish. “We really need to come back together and figure out how to get things done.” Ted Winter represents southwest Minnesota on the MFU executive committee. After two farm bill extensions, Winter is frustrated. “We need to have Congress do their work; they need to pass a farm bill, pass the budget bills and do the work that reflects the values and needs of the people across our entire country. That’s their job.”

MFU Minute – In the Minnesota Farmers Union Minute, MFU President Gary Wertish highlights the National Farmers Union Week of Action. Click here to listen. 

Taking Town Hall Message to DC – The Minnesota Farmers Union hosted a series of town hall meetings in March and April. The information gathered at those events was shared with lawmakers during this past week in Washington. Wabasso farmer Paul Sobocinski said tariffs were brought up at every session. With tariffs, it’s an issue of relationships,” said Sobocinski. “For grain farmers and even pork farmers, that relationship is built over years and years and years of work, so causing chaos this way is not good for agriculture, not good for rural communities, and not good for the country.” Sobocinski said all areas of the farm bill deserve attention. “That’s why we’ve been out here (in Washington, D.C.) with this campaign to build something better for agriculture; something that supports farmers and consumers.” Click here to listen to the full interview. 

Seeking Support for Family Farmers – Felton, Minnesota farmer Melany Thomas was part of the Minnesota Farmers Union delegation in Washington, D.C. this past week. Thomas spoke out for voluntary conservation programs. “I’m a beginning farmer and I was able to access EQIP, which helped provide the technical knowledge that I wouldn’t be able to afford to hire outright.” These programs benefit soil health and water quality. As a beginning farmer, Thomas is frustrated with the mixed response she’s heard from lawmakers. “There’s a lot of (lawmakers saying) we don’t know what’s going on because of reconciliation,” said Thomas. “I may not know the whole budget situation, but I’m here to make the statement that we need to support family farmers and pass a farm bill.”

Small Farms Have a Voice in the Farm Bill Debate – Pine County farmer Hannah Bernhardt grew up in a traditional corn/soybean farming operation, but has taken a different approach herself. “I direct market all of the products that I raise and that gives me the ability to control my own price.” Bernhardt is part of the Minnesota Farmers Union delegation in Washington, D.C. this week. Chippewa County farmer Josh VanDerPol was also part of that same group, advocating for local food initiatives. “We’re a smaller farm that does a lot of direct marketing so programs that support that are very important to us,” said VanDerPol. “We’re working to promote the Farm-to-School program that brings commodities directly from the farm to the local school districts.”

Tax Returns Were a Surprise to Ag Bankers – National Farmers Union Vice President Jeff Kippley is a farmer and tax preparer at Aberdeen, South Dakota. Kippley drew on his tax season experience when he shared comments at a Capitol Hill event. “Bankers came up to me after tax season and said they were surprised because they thought the returns for the cow-calf producers with these high prices.” Kippley said he was not surprised. The high prices are a recent phenomenon, while there have been low prices since 2014. Ranchers invested back into their operations because everything had been neglected for years. “Now is the time to do something for our commodities; we can’t let what happened to the livestock industry for the last ten years happen to the commodities.” Kippley said the farm safety net with the current farm bill is inadequate.

A Situation That Mirrors the 1980s – South Dakota Farmers Union President Doug Sombke was one of nearly 100 farmers on Capitol Hill this week seeking passage of a five-year farm bill. “We really haven’t had a farm bill since 2013,” said Sombke. “Yeah, we had one in 2018, but that was a gotcha bill that basically passed the ’13 bill on. We can’t have this uncertainty, especially if they’re going to pass these tariffs.” Sombke said the current farm economy mirrors the farm crisis days of the 1980s. “I lived through the ’80s; I started farming in 1978 and that wasn’t fun and there were a lot of sleepless nights.” The SDFU leader said the farm economy may be even more challenging today because farmers aren’t as diversified as they were in the 1980s.

Corn Matters – Corn Matters is a presentation of the Minnesota Corn Growers Association. In this edition of Minnesota Corn Matters, University of Minnesota Extension Educator Liz Stahl discusses the Strategic Farming Field Notes Program. Listen to the update. 

Excellent Seeding Conditions, But More Moisture is Needed – Hazelton, North Dakota farmer Mike Appert is happy with how planting is going. “It’s dry, but we caught a rain over a week ago, which we really needed. Soil conditions are nice; it’s warming up nicely. So, the corn and soybeans are going in really well, but we’ll need some rain later.” The small grain is up and out of the ground. “The small grains around here are emerging nicely and look pretty good for right now. It’s kind of full bore here, we haven’t had seeding conditions this nice for a while so it’s going to go in at a rapid pace.”

Crops, Weeds Emerge with Warm Weather – The warm weather has given planting progress a boost across North Dakota. “All crops are being planted right now, but wheat and barley are the farthest along, and some areas were completely done the farther west you go and where you get into the dry pockets like Sheridan County,” said NDSU Extension Cropping Systems Specialist Jeff Stachler. “Further south along the South Dakota border, most of those counties are completely done planting barley and wheat and moving along with the corn.” With warmer weather, though, also comes weeds. “Emerging weeds like kochia and common lambsquarters, those two species are out there, and they’re growing quite well. Kochia is, I think, some of the densest I’ve seen.”

Perfect Weather for Planting – At Karlstad, Minnesota, Justin Dagen is almost done planting corn and getting ready to start seeding potatoes. “In the meantime, we’re shipping seed potatoes six days a week and the process is going really well.” Dagen said the weather has been perfect for planting. “Some of the early wheat looks awesome here. It’s up and out of the ground and looks really nice.”

Canola Flea Beetles Like the Warm Weather – The warm weather has accelerated the emergence and development of insects, including canola flea beetles. The NDSU Crop and Pest Report said the canola flea beetles were identified near Cooperstown. They typically begin feeding on volunteer canola and weeds, like wild mustard, before moving into spring-planted canola. It can take up to three weeks for adult beetles to leave their overwintering sites. Scouting is recommended during May and June.

Pioneer Agronomy Update – In the Pioneer Agronomy Update, Pioneer Field Agronomist Larry Lunder said planters and air seeders are busy this week. “This is also a good time to start a weed control program by using any one of a number of preemergent herbicide to help achieve season-long weed control.” Cleaner fields equal larger yields. Listen to the update.

Plan for Fertility Success – Managing crop fertility requires a plan. “Let’s get started in the fall with a good soil test and get a good base program out there,” said AgroLiquid Sales Account Manager Brad Schultz. “Then we can start to look ahead and make determinations on whether we want to do some additional applications throughout the growing season.” If the soil test indicates fertility levels are deficient, Schultz recommends meeting with the local agronomist and evaluating ways to have a healthier crop.

Sugarbeet Report – In this week’s Sugarbeet Report, NDSU Extension Sugarbeet Entomologist Mark Boetel prepared farmers for the season ahead and the insect and pest threat. Listen to the report.

Wheat Tour Preview – The Kanas Wheat Tour will be held this week. Sixty-five people are registered to participate. “Everybody’s looking forward to it,” said Dave Green, executive vice president, Wheat Quality Council. “We have a nice crowd, not just farmers, but we’ve got millers and bakers involved. We’ve also got a lot of foreign market people this year from some of the southern markets.” The tour consists of six routes covering Kansas, the southern tier of Nebraska, and northern Oklahoma.

WestBred Wheat Report – Decisions made now can have a huge impact on protein levels at harvest. In the latest WestBred Wheat Report, WestBred Technical Product Manager Justin Berg said the nutrient management plan is part of that effort. “It all does come back to nitrogen; it has the #1 impact on protein in the fall.” WestBred Wheat still has seed available for your last-minute needs. “I’d encourage farmers to reach out to their suppliers and have that conversation.” Click here to listen to the WestBred Wheat Report. 

Fielding Questions – In the Fielding Questions podcast, RRFN Farm Broadcaster Randy Koenen visits with AgCountry Farm Credit Services Insurance Officer Bill Roiger about crop hail insurance and more.Fielding Questions is a collaborative effort between AgCountry Farm Credit Services and RRFN. Listen to the podcast online. 

Waiting for Budget Framework – Minnesota House and Senate conference committee meetings are underway, but there’s still a lot of work that needs to be done. “The conference committee can’t dig too much in until there is a broader budget agreement on the framework for the overall state budget,” says Minnesota Corn Growers Association Public Policy Director Amanda Bilek. “That needs to be agreed to by the governor and then the caucus leaders from the House and the Senate. Until they get an overall spending agreement, they can’t start reconciling the differences in spending between the House and the Senate versions.” Bilek admits that the gap is pretty wide. “The House bill did about $17 million in new funding for the Department of Agriculture, or across the agriculture jurisdiction, and the Senate had a negative or a cut target of about $300,000.”

MFBF Minute – The Minnesota legislative session is nearing an end. Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation Director of Public Policy Loren Dauer said the ag budget still needs to be finalized. Listen to the update. 

MN Senate Tax Bill Boosts Ag Homestead Credit – The tax bill released by the Minnesota Senate has provisions that support agriculture. “Legislators continue to improve Minnesota’s Ag Homestead Tax Credit this year,” said Minnesota Farmers Union Government Relations Director Stu Lourey. “With the leadership of Senator (Aric) Putnam, we made a fix to ensure that farmers who are farming on small acreages can qualify for the Ag Homestead Tax Credit.”  The tax bill also increases funding for soil and water conservation districts. “Those are our on-the-ground partners for conservation efforts and for accessing federal programs. This local government aid style program will really help bolster their efforts. Chair (Samuel) Rask’s bill also pilots a $5 per-acre tax credit for participation in the Ag Water Quality Certification Program in the eight counties in southeast Minnesota.”

Conference Committees Meet in St. Paul – A Minnesota House-Senate conference committee reviewed its two versions of the omnibus agriculture bill on Friday. Legislative leaders have not provided the budget target so no action was taken. There is a $17.8 million difference between the two bills. House Agriculture Committee Co-Chair Paul Anderson finished the meeting by highlighting a difficult farm economy. “In 2024, we had the lowest median net farm income in the past 20 years and with input costs rising and commodity prices flat or falling, it’s a challenge out there for farmers to try to make ends meet.” Anderson said that is why it is so important for the Legislature to help agriculture flourish in the state. Side-by-side comparisons were also made to the omnibus environment and natural resources budget and policy bill. The biggest policy difference is a Republican proposal to reform the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency permitting procedures so the process could happen faster and be more efficient. Democrats said that can’t be done without impacting air, water and soil quality. Similar to the agriculture bill, no action was taken on the environment bill.

Dry Bean Scene – In the Dry Bean Scene, NDSU Extension Agronomist Ana Carcedo was part of a recent webinar highlighting the role of dry beans in a healthy diet. Listen here. 

Farmer Sentiment Climbs Despite Trade Uncertainty – In the latest Ag Economy Barometer from Purdue University and the CME Group, farmer sentiment rose by eight points over last month, showing a continued positive outlook on the U.S. ag economy. “It was a little bit surprising that we saw this improvement in sentiment despite the fact that we have the ongoing trade disputes with some of the U.S. agriculture’s largest trading partners, including Mexico, Canada, and China,” said Jim Mintert, director, Purdue University Center for Commercial Agriculture. Mintert says tariffs have taken the spotlight for yet another month. “Fifty-six percent of respondents said that they thought that tariffs would have a negative impact on the current economy, while 70 percent said they expect the long-run impact of tariffs will actually wind up benefiting U.S. agriculture.”

Interest Rates Remain Unchanged – As expected, the Fed left interest rates unchanged. Regarding future rate cuts, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell used the words ‘wait and see’ nearly a dozen times in the news briefing. Powell said the economic impact of tariffs has not yet been seen. “We see sentiment concerns that higher prices may be coming, people are worried now about inflation; they’re worried about a shock from the tariffs, but they really haven’t, that shock hasn’t hit yet.” Powell emphasized the economy is still in solid shape.

Cattle Markets Push Higher – AgMarket.net analyst Jacob Burks says the futures market is continuing to chase the cash cattle market higher. On Thursday, the August and September Feeder Cattle contracts topped $300 for the first time in history. “This can stay strong for a long time.” Heifer retention is starting. “That’s going to keep more meat off the rails in the fall and into next spring.”

Mental Health Resources Available – Farm Credit Council President and CEO Christy Seyfert says farmers are under significant stress due to policy uncertainty and high input costs. “For those especially who are pure row crop farmers, they in many cases have experienced multiple years of challenging commodity prices. The input costs have remained high.” She said farmers are anxious about the future and are looking for stability in areas like the farm bill and tax extenders. Seyfert also addressed the toll this has on mental health, noting the farmer suicide rate is three and a half times that of the general public. Resources are available online. 

SD Corn Comments – May is Mental Health Awareness Month. The South Dakota Corn Utilization Council provides a mental health reminder in this week’s edition of South Dakota Corn Comments. Click here. 

Winters: Consensus Reached on 2026 RFS Volumes – Biofuel stakeholders are pushing for clarity on the 2026 Renewable Fuel Standard, with industry groups urging the EPA to adopt volumes they say are both realistic and necessary. Paul Winters, director of public affairs for Clean Fuels Alliance, says there is strong consensus across the agriculture and energy sectors. “Clean Fuels Alliance, along with a lot of our partners, the American Soybean Association, the National Oilseed Processors, North American Renderers, the American Farm Bureau Federation, we joined together in March this year and we did the math.” The groups have agreed on a volume of 5.25 billion gallons they believe can be easily integrated into the market in 2026.  “Robust, timely volumes are always important; they are critical right now, especially for a lot of workers and farmers across the country,” said Winters. He pointed to a study released by Clean Fuels that shows the significant economic impact of the biofuel industry, noting that in 2024, with five billion gallons of domestic production, the industry supported more than 107,000 jobs and generated over $42 billion in economic activity.

U.S. Renewable Diesel Imports Not Hurting Canada – The Canadian government has ended its investigation of renewable diesel imports from the U.S. The Canadian International Trade Tribunal determined there are no unfair trade practices. Canada has only one renewable diesel company, Tidewater Renewables, which maintains U.S. imports are hurting its business.

Farming for the Future – The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is partnering with the Red River Farm Network and the Linder Farm Network to provide information on soil health events and topics. This week, Brad Jordahl Redlin, Minnesota Department of Agriculture, talks about the difference between Minnesota water quality-certified vs. non-certified farms. Click here.  

Global Nitrogen Fertilizer Supply Remains Tight – The global supply of nitrogen fertilizer is still very low, with Chinese exports absent. “Global supplies are still very, very tight,” said StoneX Vice President of Fertilizers Josh Linville. “When we look at the major issues of the world, nothing’s changed in terms of Europe. European production is still 75 percent normal, and that 25 percent is missing. That’s several million tons of urea that’s just not being produced. Chinese exports have been nearly nonexistent. 2024 totals only reached 266,000 tons, and that’s for a nation that typically exports between five and five and a half million tons on the annual side.”

Students Learn High-Tech Farming Through FFA Initiative – The National FFA Organization and Microsoft are expanding their FarmBeats for Students program, which teaches precision agriculture in classrooms. Chief Program Officer Christine White said the program is aimed at helping prepare students for how emerging technologies are being integrated into farming operations. “We’re expanding to all 50 states so that students will have the ability to really look at tech and ag and sensors and how being able to put those pieces together will allow them to make smart farming and agricultural decision making moving forward.” The expansion follows a pilot program that started last year in four states. “It will allow students and teachers to look at technology and how technology plays a role in agriculture, and how we are equipping young people to be tech savvy.”

Syngenta/Corteva Antitrust Case Advances – A federal court in North Carolina has set a November 21^st deadline to complete discovery in the antitrust lawsuit against Syngenta Crop Protection and Corteva. This lawsuit, which began in 2022, claims the two companies blocked competition with loyalty programs for ag distributors. The Federal Trade Commission and 12 state attorneys general, including Minnesota AG Keith Ellison, are part of this legal action.

Rail Tariff Rates Reduced – Ahead of the new wheat marketing year, which begins June 1, BNSF Railway and Union Pacific Railroad announced rail tariff rate changes for hard red winter wheat. USDA’s Grain Transportation Report said BNSF will reduce both the domestic and export tariff rates by more than $500. That is the largest decline since 2010 and the first time since December 2016 the BNSF tariff rates will be less than $4,000 per rail car. UP tariff rates will rise by $100 per car for domestic wheat shipments while the shipments to the Texas Gulf export terminals will be reduced by $400 per car.

Two ND Towns Named Finalists in Cenex Hometown Competition – Cenex has announced the five finalists for its Hometown Throwdown competition. Now in its second year, this contest celebrates local communities by recognizing and funding the best festivals in the country. Two of the five finalists are in North Dakota; the Hazen Chalkfest and the Borderline Chalkfest in Wahpeton. The other finalists are in Wisconsin, Iowa and Missouri. The grand prize winner receives $100,000. Voting is open through May 31. 

Canola Minute – In the Canola Minute, Northern Canola Growers Executive Director Barry Coleman highlights the recent producer roundtable hosted by North Dakota Senator John Hoeven and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins. Misinformation about seed oils were discussed. Listen. 

MSRPC Names New Research Director – The Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council has appointed Sergio Cabello Leiva as its new research director. A native of Central Chile, Cabello Leiva previously worked for the NDSU Soil and Crop Nutrition Research program. At MSRPC, his focus will be on weed control, fertilizer-use efficiency, breeding and genetics; crop rotation; and disease and insect pressure.

Ismay Selected for SD HOF – The South Dakota Hall of Fame has announced 11 new inductees. For agriculture, HOF honors belong to Dr. John Ismay of Bison. Ismay has been a veterinarian in Sturgis since 1972 and is known for his innovative work in veterinary medicine. In addition, Ismay has a large cattle and bison operation. The ceremony will be held in September.

Distinguished Alumni Award Goest to Uetz – Michael Uetz has been named the North Dakota State University College of Agriculture, Food Systems and Natural Resources Distinguished Alumni Award recipient. Uetz leads Midan Marketing in Chicago, an agency helping meat producers, processors and retailers develop business and marketing plans. Uetz earned his bachelor’s degree in ag economics from NDSU in 1982 and a master’s degree in food marketing from Cornell University in 1985.