National Ag News for May 28, 2025
Fewer U.S. Cattle on Feed
The USDA’s Cattle on Feed Report showed on-feed numbers, placements, and marketings were all down two-to-three percent this month. U.S. cattle and calves on feed for the slaughter market for feedlots with a capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 11.4 million head on May 1, 2025. April placements in feedlots totaled 1.61 million head, three percent below 2024. Net placements were 1.56 million head. April’s fed cattle marketings totaled 1.83 million head, three percent below 2024. Other disappearances totaled 50,000 head during April, 11 percent below 2024. USDA also released its Cold Storage Report on Friday, which showed total red meat supplies in freezers were up five percent from the previous month but down six percent from last year. Total pounds of beef in freezers were down two percent from the previous month and down two percent from last year. Frozen pork supplies were up 11 percent from the prior month.
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USDA Food Purchases to Help the Needy
The USDA will purchase up to $67 million in fresh seafood, fruits, and vegetables from domestic producers to distribute to food banks and nutrition assistance programs across the country. These purchases are being made through Section 32 of the Agriculture Act of 1935 and will assist producers and communities in need. Fiscal year to date, USDA has provided more than $600 million in purchases, all of which benefit the charitable feeding network. “These purchases deliver healthy and nutritious American commodities to individuals and families in need,” said Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins. “USDA is proud to support those in need by providing access to the safest and highest quality fresh fruits, vegetables, and seafood in the world.” USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service will purchase $20 million in Atlantic Groundfish, $14 million in canned pears, $3 million in sweet cherries, $14 million worth of Great Northern Beans, and $16 million in Pacific Pink Shrimp.
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White House Gives EU a Trade Reprieve
The European Union won a pause from President Donald Trump’s threatened 50 percent tariffs. However, Reuters said it’s not certain yet how the EU will push for a beneficial trade deal while Washington pushes for steeper EU concessions. After a conference call with the EU Commission President, Trump restored the July 9 deadline to allow talks between the U.S. and the 27-member nations to produce a trade agreement. The EU Commission oversees the trade policy for the bloc and said the call from Trump added new motivation to the negotiations that the two presidents agreed to put on a fast track. There wasn’t a lot of indication of what, if any, progress was made during the phone call toward clearing a path toward a negotiated solution. The EU wants a deal beneficial to both sides that could include moving to zero tariffs on industrial goods and the EU buying more U.S. soybeans.
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Mass Honeybee Collapse May Compromise U.S. Agriculture
U.S. commercial beekeepers discovered their colonies of honeybees in near or total collapse earlier this year. There wasn’t a clear explanation for what the industry is calling the worst bee die-off in U.S. history, and over half the nation’s managed honey bee colonies appear to have experienced a mass die-off. These losses, combined with honey bee die-off events at other times of the year, mean many beekeepers have seen 70 to even 100 percent of their colonies collapse during the past 12 months. Those numbers come from a recent report by Project Apis m, a honeybee research organization. “The losses are severe, broad, and may impact food security through inadequate pollination services,” the report says. “Financial losses to the apiary industry are estimated to be well over $139 million.” Beekeepers learned of the die-off in January as they readied their hives for transportation to California for the annual almond pollination.
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Council of Farmer Cooperatives Picks New CEO
The National Council of Farmer Cooperatives selected Duane Simpson as its next President and CEO. Simpson will formally assume the role on July 14, 2025, coinciding with the opening of NCFC’s annual Washington Conference. “Duane’s enthusiasm about the future of agriculture is just what the NCFC needs in today’s climate of uncertainty and risks,” said Kevin Brinkley, Chair of NCFC and the CEO of the Plains Cotton Cooperative Association. “His leadership skills will help the Council navigate the ever-changing terrain of government and markets, ensuring that it continues as one of the country’s most relevant and respected agricultural organizations.” Simpson brings a wealth of experience in ag policy, industry relations, and organizational leadership. He spent the last 17 years at Bayer. “I am humbled and honored by the opportunity to lead NCFC and to work alongside the dedicated professionals throughout the cooperative family,” Simpson said. “NCFC’s mission has never been more vital.”
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Iowa Cash Rents Drop in 2025
The 2025 annual survey of cash rental rates for Iowa farmland shows that rates decreased, on average, by 2.9 percent in 2025 to $271 per acre. It’s the first decline in cash rents since 2019, after a peak of $279 per acre during the previous two years of the survey. Crop reporting districts saw different results in cash rents, ranging from a drop of 6.9 percent in South Central Iowa to an increase of 2.8 percent in Southeast Iowa. There was considerable variability across the counties in year-to-year changes, as is typical of survey data. A total of 68 of Iowa’s 99 counties reported decreases in average rents for corn and soybean acres. High-quality land experienced a decrease of 3.4 percent, from $328 an acre last year to $317 in 2025. Medium-quality land dropped 2.5 percent to $271 in 2025, while low-quality land experienced a three percent decrease to $225.
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