May 9, 2025

U.S. and U.K. Reach Historic Trade Deal

The United States and the United Kingdom announced a historic trade deal. The White House says the agreement provides American companies with unprecedented access to U.K. markets while bolstering national security. President Donald Trump said, “The deal includes billions of dollars of increased market access for American exports, especially in agriculture, dramatically increasing access for American beef, ethanol, and virtually all the products produced by our great farmers.” The U.K. also agrees to reduce or eliminate non-tariff trade barriers that unfairly discriminate against U.S. goods. The deal creates a $5 billion opportunity for new exports for U.S. farmers, ranchers, and producers, including over $700 million in ethanol exports and $250 million in other agricultural products like beef. It also commits the countries to work together to enhance industrial and agricultural market access. Customs procedures for U.S. exports will be streamlined to ensure smooth entry into the U.K. marketplace. 
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Beef Producers React to U.S.-U.K. Trade Deal

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association announced its appreciation for President Donald Trump’s trade agreement in principle with the United Kingdom. Most importantly, the agreement includes market access for beef. This announcement followed years of NCBA’s hard work in building the foundation for a trade deal with the U.K., including numerous meetings with British industry stakeholders, Members of Parliament, the British Embassy, and other British authorities. “With this trade deal, President Trump has delivered a tremendous win for American family farmers and ranchers,” said NCBA President Buck Wehrbein (WHERE-byne). “For years, American cattle producers have seen the United Kingdom as an ideal partner for trade.” He also says between the countries’ shared history, culture, and their desire for high-quality American beef, securing a trade agreement is a natural step forward. When the United Kingdom left the European Union, it opened the door for securing international trade agreements with countries like the U.S. 
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Rollins: Not Closing FSA Offices

Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins testified before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee this week and defended downsizing the USDA and potential cuts to international food programs. Reuters says the secretary added that the Agriculture Department doesn’t plan to close any of its 4,500 Farm Service Agency offices that serve America’s farmers. “It is not in our plans to close any FSA offices,” she said. “USDA is working to develop online technical assistance that may mean less reliance on in-person services in the future.” The president’s budget would cut $358 million from the FSA and suggested that some of its locations are underutilized, resulting in waste. Rollins also said her agency is recruiting to rehire staff to critical roles that were vacated, including for the FSA county offices, wildland firefighters in the U.S. Forest Service, and staff at the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, which handles animal disease outbreaks like bird flu. 
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House Dems: SNAP Cuts Hurt Families and Farmers

At a press conference on Capitol Hill, House Ag Committee Democrats railed against GOP plans to cut spending on food aid in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The Democrats emphasized that funding for SNAP supports hungry families as well as farmers, grocery workers, truckers, and food manufacturers. “SNAP doesn’t just give away money,” said Representative Nikki Budzinski of Illinois. “It powers our economy.” Kat Becker, a Wisconsin farmer, and Carah Ronan, a Montana producer, both spoke about how SNAP dollars support their farms. “Farms and nutrition go hand-in-hand,” Ronan said after detailing how the funds help her provide fresh local produce, eggs, and meat to her community. “Let’s keep it that way.” The event was one of many that Democrats and anti-hunger advocates organized in advance of the Agriculture Committee’s meeting to lay out the details of what they plan to cut from the program, which is scheduled for next week. 
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Missouri River Runoff Forecast Lowered by Drought

The updated 2025 calendar year runoff forecast for the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City, Iowa, continues to be below average. April runoff in the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City was 1.4 million acre-feet, which is 48 percent of the average. “Runoff into the reservoir system was below average for the month of April, and runoff was below average in all reaches,” says John Remus of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. “Drought or abnormally dry conditions are currently present in 75 percent of the basin, and conditions have worsened in the Fort Peck reach and Garrison reach in the last month, which resulted in a forecast lowered by 1.9 million acre-feet from last month.” The 2025 calendar year forecast above Sioux City is 20 million acre-feet, 78 percent of the average. The runoff forecast is based on current soil moisture conditions, mountain snowpack, and long-term precipitation and temperature outlooks. 
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More States Ban Lab-Grown Meat

Five U.S. states have now officially banned lab-grown meat. Last week, Governor Greg Gianforte (jee-an-FOR-tay) of Montana signed a bill prohibiting the manufacture, sale, and distribution of the product. Earlier this week, Indiana Governor Mike Braun signed a two-year ban into law, followed by strict labeling laws after the law expires. “The lab-grown meat sector will continue to face headwinds as consumers and lawmakers learn more about the use of ‘immortalized cells’ and the lack of long-term nutritional and health studies around the product,” said Jack Hubbard, executive director of the Center for Environment and Welfare, one of the leading critics of lab-grown meat. “We are seeing a bipartisan consumer movement against the experimental product that we believe will ultimately intensify as more people learn about how lab-grown meat is manufactured.” Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi have also enacted their own bans on lab-grown meat, and Nebraska is currently considering similar legislation. 
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