June 11, 2025

Brazil Farmers Harvesting a Big Corn Crop

Brazil’s 2024-2025 corn harvest is expected to be the second largest in the country’s history, with a projected five million bushels. The National Supply Company (Conab), the country’s food supply and statistics agency, says the volume is higher than last year and above previous projections due to favorable rainfall in April and May that benefited most of the second-crop corn regions, which are responsible for 78 percent of Brazil’s total corn production in the current season. Despite the large harvest, Brazil’s corn exports in 2025 are projected to decline due to rising domestic demand from animal feed producers and the expanding corn ethanol industry. For U.S. corn exporters, who have seen corn exports exceed expectations in the first five months of the year, Brazil’s slower pace is likely to continue creating windows of opportunity throughout the year, especially when American corn remains price competitive with other key corn-exporting countries. 

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Winter Wheat Conditions Rebound from Gloomy 2024 Forecast

Health conditions of the 2025 U.S. winter wheat crop were described as the “second-worst ever” last Fall. As harvest ramps up, Reuters says winter wheat ratings now sit at a six-year-high point for early June. It’s precisely what U.S. exporters need to continue and possibly grow their impressive sales numbers into next year. As of last weekend, the USDA rated 54 percent of the American winter wheat crop in good or excellent condition, which is higher than trade expectations and up from 50 percent only two weeks ago. That number is significantly higher than the 38 percent good-to-excellent in late October, which was the crops’ second-worst start in 39 years of data. By way of comparison, winter wheat was 47 percent good-to-excellent one year ago and final yield numbers were close to trend. Rain, however, has the winter wheat crop in Oklahoma, and the hard-red crop in Kansas off to slow starts. 

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Trade Mission to Peru is Underway

USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service Administrator Daniel Whitely arrived in Lima (LEE-mah), Peru, this week to begin an agribusiness trade mission to expand market access. The goal is to boost U.S. agricultural exports to address the $3.66 billion trade deficit with Peru. Whitley is leading a delegation of more than 50 agribusinesses and trade groups as well as five state departments of agriculture, all working to strengthen economic ties and improve the trade balance. Peru is the fourth-largest market for U.S. agricultural exports in South America, and the U.S. is Peru’s second-largest agricultural supplier. Despite bilateral trade growing by 263 percent since 2009 to $5.3 billion, the trade deficit persists. Export prospects in Peru are strong, especially in beef, pork, poultry, dairy products, tree nuts, ethanol, wine, and distilled spirits. “I’m honored to lead this delegation as we work to strengthen vital connections and grow U.S. agricultural exports,” said Whitley.

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Clean Fuels Launches Redesigned BQ-9000 Website

Clean Fuels Alliance America is proud to announce the launch of the newly redesigned BQ-9000 website(Link is external). It’s intended to deliver a streamlined and user-friendly experience that better showcases the value of biodiesel quality assurance and the benefits of certification through the industry’s gold standard program. Administered by the National Biodiesel Accreditation Commission and supported by Clean Fuels, the BQ-9000 program combines ASTM fuel standards with best practices for production, storage, handling, and distribution. The revamped website offers easy access to accreditation status for biodiesel producers, marketers, and laboratories, helping fuel buyers and fleets make informed, confident choices. “In today’s environment, BQ-9000 accreditation is more than a label,” says Scott Fenwick, Technical Services Director at Clean Fuels. “It’s a mark of quality that leading engine manufacturers, fleets, and fuel suppliers depend on.” The new website makes it even easier for stakeholders to identify approved suppliers and understand why accreditation matters.

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First Safety Training Focusing on Spray Drones

Mississippi State University made agricultural aviation history last week by hosting the nation’s first Self-Regulating Application and Flight Efficiency (SAFE) training program exclusively focused on spray drones. The training at MSU’s Agricultural Autonomy Institute marked a significant milestone in bridging the gap between traditional aerial applications and emerging drone technology. “Everything that we’re doing with spray drones, we want the traditional crop dusters to be involved in,” said Madison Dixon, director of the agronomy institute. “We want to build inroads between the spray drone community and the traditional crop duster community and, more importantly, ensure the mutual safety of all agricultural aviators as spray drone adoption increases.” The training examined multiple variables, including payload loading, wind speed applications, application height, nozzle configuration, and flow rates. One of the main goals is to master the emerging technology and understand how it fits into modernized practices to benefit the grower financially. 

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Sugar Growers Celebrate Candy Month in June

June is National Candy Month, a celebration of all things sweet. This and every month, America can take great pride in the hard work and dedication of America’s sugarbeet and sugarcane farmers and workers. Thanks to them, both candy manufacturers and consumers benefit from high-quality, made-in-America sugar. It’s an essential ingredient in not only your favorite treats but also countless everyday foods vital to a balanced and healthy diet. American family sugar farmers celebrate the policies that support their farms. While other confectionaries like cocoa remain difficult to get, U.S. sugar policy helps ensure a reliable, affordable supply of sugar, which keeps food manufacturing lines running, supporting American manufacturing jobs, benefiting local economies, and bolstering supply chains. All the benefits of U.S. sugar policy come at zero cost to American taxpayers and an affordable cost to consumers. Domestic producers provide sugar at reasonable prices despite supply uncertainty in the world market. 

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