National Ag News for July 09, 2025
NCBA Supports Resumption of Livestock Imports
The first U.S. port of entry to reopen to shipments of cattle, bison, and horses is in Douglas, Arizona. Colin Woodall, CEO of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, says his group supports the reopening. “Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins has been focused on America-first policies that support America’s cattle producers, like defending us from the New World screwworm,” he said. “The Secretary’s decision to reopen the Douglas port of entry to live cattle imports will help relieve the economic pain for some producers throughout the country who depend on cattle moving through that port for business.” He also points out that cattle moving through the port will go through a robust double-inspection. Before entering the port, cattle will be inspected for any wounds or other health conditions. If any are detected, the entire lot of cattle will be rejected by veterinary authorities. Cattle are inspected again after reaching the other side.
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Clean Fuels Testifies on EPA’s 2026-2027 RFS Rule Proposal
Clean Fuels Alliance America CEO Donnell Rehagen testified during the Environmental Protection Agency’s Public Hearing on Proposed Renewable Fuel Standards for 2026 and 2027. Multiple Clean Fuels staff and member companies also testified, thanking EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and EPA staff for proposing a much-needed step-change in the RFS Biomass-Based Diesel obligations. Clean Fuels also encouraged the agency to maintain the proposed volumes as it addresses outstanding small refinery exemption petitions. “Our industry has made substantial investments over the past several years in biofuel production, feedstock supply, and distribution infrastructure,” said Rehagen. “We supplied more than five billion gallons of biodiesel, renewable diesel, and SAF to the U.S. market in 2024, and we are poised to deliver even more in 2026.” Rehagen also said that the markets have reacted in a positive fashion since the rule came out, but uncertainty around small refinery exemptions still hangs over the industry.
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CDC Ends Bird Flu Emergency Response
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ended its emergency response to bird flu as the outbreak that sickened dozens of people, spread to cattle, and drove up egg prices has abated. Bloomberg said the emergency designation ended last week. The CDC is combining bird flu updates with the routinely reported seasonal influenza infections. It will also post the number of people monitored and tested for H5N1 every month. It’s not just the CDC ending its emergency efforts. States that were some of the hardest hit are also slowing their reporting efforts. California, for example, ended its emergency declaration in April. Washington had 11 human cases last year and is also downsizing its response. The former deputy director of the CDC, who resigned from his position this year, says he would also have chosen to end the emergency response. The rationale is simple: there haven’t been human infections in some time.
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Export Inspections of Corn and Beans Rise
The USDA says inspections of U.S. corn and soybeans were higher week to week, while wheat assessments declined during the seven days ending on July 3. Corn inspections during the week totaled 1.49 million metric tons. That’s up from 1.38 million tons the prior week and well ahead of the 1.02 million tons assessed last year in the same timeframe. Soybean examinations for offshore delivery rose to 389,364 metric tons from 236,700 the previous week. That also topped the 294,000 tons inspected last year. Wheat inspections were reported at 436,628 metric tons, up from 236,700 tons the prior week, and more than the 294,209 tons inspected during the same week last year. Since the marketing year began, the USDA has inspected 56.4 million metric tons of corn, 46.3 million tons of soybeans, and 1.76 million tons of wheat. All of those totals are higher than the same point in 2024.
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Farm Security is National Security
Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins joined several Cabinet members to announce the next pillar of her Make Agriculture Great Again Initiative: USDA’s National Farm Security Action Plan. The initiative covers several critical areas. It secures and protects American farmland, enhances agricultural supply chain resilience, and protects the U.S. nutrition safety net from fraud and foreign exploitation. “We feed the world, lead the world, and we’ll never let foreign adversaries control our land, our labs, or our livelihoods,” Rollins said. “This action plan puts farmers, families, and the future first.” The plan also defends agricultural research and innovation, puts America first in every USDA program, safeguards animal and plant health, and protects critical infrastructure. Recent events highlight the critical need for this action as the Justice Department charged foreign nationals with smuggling a noxious fungus into the United States. It was a potential agroterrorism weapon that’s been responsible for significant global crop losses.
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Mexico is Building a Sterile Fly Plant
The Mexican government has started construction on a $51 million facility in southern Mexico as part of an effort to combat the New World screwworm that’s disrupted Mexican cattle exports to the U.S. Mexico’s agriculture ministry said the plant is a joint project with the U.S. and will produce 100 million sterile screwworm flies per week once completed in the first half of next year. The release of sterile flies reduces the population of wild flies and is a key tool in helping to control the damaging pest. The U.S., which is Mexico’s largest trading partner, is paying $21 million of the cost, and the U.S. is spending $30 million. The U.S. also has plans to open a sterile fly dispersal facility in Texas as part of the ongoing battle against screwworm. The pest carries maggots that burrow into the skin of living animals, causing serious and often fatal damage.
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