July 16, 2025
Farm Bankruptcies Already Exceed Last Year
More U.S. farms filed for bankruptcy in the first three months of 2025 than during the entire 2024 calendar year. That’s according to new research from University of Arkansas Extension Economist Ryan Loy. The information shows that the 259 filings in the first three months of 2025 are the most in any year since 2021. “We’ve already beaten last year in terms of national filings just in the first three months of this year,” Loy said. “Once you see this on a national level, it’s a clear sign that financial pressures that we saw before in 2018 and 2019 are reemerging.” A large part of the pressure comes from the fact that commodity prices are back where they were in the 2018-2019 era. Adding to that pressure are high input costs for seed, fertilizer, pest management tools, and diesel that never seem to decline much or for a long period.
***********************************************************************************
USDA Blocks Additional Sugar Imports
The USDA announced there will be no additional imports of specialty sugars beyond what U.S. international obligations dictate. “Production agriculture has seen devastating impacts from natural disasters, Biden-era policies, and extraordinary increases to the cost of production,” said Stephen Vaden, USDA Deputy Secretary of Agriculture. “Worse, a trade landscape that, over the last four years, favored foreign competitors over America’s farmers, ranchers, and producers, led to what is projected to be the largest agricultural trade deficit on record.” He also said that although sugar policy is uniquely designed to protect sugar farmers from the dumping of heavily subsidized foreign sugar, those farmers are not immune to the same distress facing other agricultural producers. “Over the last 20 years, sugar imports have more than doubled and producers have lost 15 percent of the U.S. sugar market to imports, leading to closures of mills and processors,” Vaden added. “This decision begins righting the ship.”
***********************************************************************************
Export Inspections Down Across the Board
Inspections of corn, beans, and wheat for offshore delivery all declined week over week. Corn assessments in the seven days that ended on July 10 totaled 1.29 million metric tons. That’s down from 1.56 million tons the previous week, but still ahead of the 1.1 million tons inspected during the same week a year ago. Soybean inspections totaled 147,045 tons, down from almost 400,000 tons the prior week and 175,300 tons at the same point last year. Wheat examinations for export dropped to 439,533 metric tons from more than 522,000 tons the previous week and 622,300 tons a year earlier. Since the start of the marketing year, the USDA has inspected 57.8 million metric tons of corn, 46.4 million tons of soybeans, and wheat inspections since June 1 are now at 2.28 million metric tons. Corn and soybean inspection totals are higher, and the wheat total is lower than last year.
***********************************************************************************
USDA’s Grassland Conservation Reserve Program Signup Now Open
Agricultural producers and private landowners can now enroll in the Grassland Conservation Reserve Program. The signup runs from now until August 8, 2025. Grassland CRP, offered by the USDA’s Farm Service Agency, is a voluntary working lands conservation program that enables participants to conserve grasslands while also continuing most grazing and haying practices. Grassland CRP emphasizes support for grazing operations, plant and animal biodiversity, and grasslands and land with shrubs and forbs under the greatest threat of conversion. “Through the conservation of America’s essential grasslands, Grassland CRP supports continued agricultural productivity while, at the same time, prioritizing private lands stewardship,” said FSA Administrator Bill Beam. “By offering landowners the best of both worlds – economic viability and working lands preservation – Grassland CRP provisions support USDA’s commitment to Farmers First. Farmers and landowners should contact their local USDA Service Center to sign up. CRP, USDA’s flagship conservation program, celebrates its 40th anniversary this year.
***********************************************************************************
Veterinarians Head to Capitol Hill
Hundreds of veterinary professionals will meet with senators, representatives, and their staffs on Thursday, July 17, to advocate for legislation that will help address the emerging threat of illicit xylazine (ZY-lah-zeen) while preserving access to the animal sedative. They’ll also be discussing ways to boost the retention of veterinarians in rural and underserved communities. As part of the legislative fly-in, more than 340 advocates representing 50 states and 37 veterinary schools will urge congressional support for the Combating Illicit Xylazine Act and the Rural Veterinary Workforce Act. The AVMA-backed Combating Illicit Xylazine Act can help to preserve the availability of this prescription animal drug for its critical uses in veterinary medicine as a controlled drug and allow the DEA transparency into the legitimate drug marketplace. The AVMA also endorses the Rural Veterinary Workforce Act, which would eliminate federal taxes on awards from the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program, making it easier to participate.
***********************************************************************************
U.S. Withdraws from Tomato Suspension Agreement
The U.S. Commerce Department announced it is withdrawing from and terminating the 2019 Agreement Suspending the Antidumping Duty Investigation of Fresh Tomatoes from Mexico. Now that the 2019 Agreement is terminated, Commerce is issuing an antidumping duty order, resulting in duties of 17 percent on most imports of tomatoes from Mexico. Antidumping duties are calculated to measure the percentage by which Mexican tomatoes have been sold in the U.S. at unfair prices. “Mexico remains one of our greatest allies, but for far too long our farmers have been crushed by unfair trade practices that undercut pricing on produce like tomatoes,” said Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. “That ends today.” Commerce’s Enforcement and Compliance Unit within the International Trade Administration is responsible for rigorously enforcing U.S. trade laws. Commerce currently maintains 768 antidumping and countervailing duty orders, which provide relief to American companies and workers who have been impacted by unfair trade practices.
**********************************************************************************