August 22, 2025

U.S. and EU Issue A Joint Statement on Trade Framework

The U.S. and the European Union announced that they’ve agreed on a Framework of an Agreement on Reciprocal, Fair, and Balanced Trade. Among the key terms, the EU intends to eliminate tariffs on all U.S. industrial goods and provide preferential market access for a wide range of U.S. seafood and agricultural goods, including dairy products, fresh and processed fruits and vegetables, soybean oil, pork, and other products. The U.S. commits to applying the higher of either the U.S. Most Favored Nation Tariff Rate or a tariff rate of 15 percent, comprised of the MFN tariff and a reciprocal tariff, on originating goods from the European Union. Among some of the other commitments, the U.S. and EU share one of the world’s largest economic relationships. European companies commit to invest an additional $600 billion across strategic U.S. sectors through 2028. They’ll also work to eliminate tariff and non-tariff barriers. 

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NPPC Optimistic About U.S.-EU Trade Framework

The White House announced a United States-European Union Framework on an “Agreement on Reciprocal, Fair, and Balanced Trade.” The administration stated the Framework Agreement aims to resolve trade imbalances and maximize the U.S. and EU’s combined economic power in an ongoing process to improve market access and increase the U.S.-EU trade and investment relationship. National Pork Producers Council President Duane Stateler, an Ohio pork producer, thanked the administration for including U.S. pork, saying, “America’s pork producers are encouraged by the specific inclusion of pork in the U.S.-EU framework to address tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade.” For decades, the pork trade between the U.S. and the EU has been weighted to favor EU interests. In 2024, the U.S. exported $7 million worth of pork products to the EU while importing over $709 million from the EU. The U.S. currently exports more pork to Honduras than to the 27 countries in the EU. 

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Indiana Farmland Prices Increase Despite Pressure

Indiana farmland prices have continued the trend of record highs in 2025. That’s according to the Purdue University Farmland Value and Cash Rents Survey. The survey found the average price of top-quality land reached $14,826 per acre, a three percent increase from June 2024. Average and poor-quality farmland also saw gains, with prices increasing 5.4 percent and 7.6 percent to $12,254 and $9,761 per acre, respectively. Unlike previous years, the survey indicates a mixture of increases and decreases in farmland values and cash rents across the region. Statewide, cash rents increased from 1.5 to 1.7 percent for poor, average, and top-quality land. The rent per bushel of corn for average-quality farmland was 1.32, and the rest as a percentage of farmland value was 2.2 percent, which was unchanged from the prior year. In both the Southwest and Southeast regions of Indiana, farmland values fell across all three quality grades.

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NCGA: Stop Brazil Now and Fight for Farmers

The President of the National Corn Growers submitted comments on the U.S. Section 301 investigation into Brazil’s unfair trading practices, specifically on ethanol. Kenneth Hartman, Jr., outlined clear evidence in his comments demonstrating that Brazil’s ethanol tariff and other actions are unreasonable, discriminatory, and burden U.S. commerce. “Brazil has enjoyed preferential market conditions while erecting barriers that restrict and prevent access for American corn ethanol exporters,” Hartman said. “Brazil was once a top market for American ethanol exports, but its 18 percent tariff has eradicated this market.” Brazil is actively looking to unseat the historic and obvious success of the American corn industry by a series of trade actions that directly or indirectly harm U.S. corn growers. For many years, Brazil has taken measures to siphon market share from American ethanol exports and prevent U.S. access to the global synthetic aviation jet fuel market, which is a big opportunity ahead. 

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Sheep Board Promotes Targeted Grazing

The American Lamb Board held a Targeted Grazing Workshop in Maryland, where 28 producers from nine states gathered to discuss opportunities for growing sheep production in the U.S. through solar grazing. This was the sixth workshop of its kind since the program began in 2024. “Providing educational opportunities for producers is one of the board’s strategic goals,” says ALB Chairman Jeff Ebert. “These grazing workshops have been successful in helping producers across the country learn about opportunities to graze sheep on solar projects as a way to increase herd size and maximize profitability.” The workshop curriculum focused on the details of contract grazing while also offering producers resources to adopt sheep management best practices on their farms. Attendees also had the chance to network and discuss different aspects of grazing programs. ALB will host two more Targeted Grazing Workshops in Colorado during September and another in Kentucky during October.

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Peanut Council Gets New Leadership

The American Peanut Council named Lucas Blaustein as its next president and CEO. He succeeded Richard Owen and will join the APC on August 25, 2025. For the past seven years, Blaustein has served as a diplomat in the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service, where he led teams, offices, and projects in Central Asia, the Arabian Gulf, Taiwan, and in Washington D.C. “Luke brings to APC an exceptional blend of global trade acumen, deep-rooted agricultural knowledge, and a bold vision for the future of the peanut industry,” said Anne-Marie DeLorenzo, APC 2025 board chair and the senior strategic sourcing manager at Mars Wrigley. “His leadership is dynamic and inclusive, and is grounded in a strong commitment to serving growers, shellers, manufacturers, and our allied members.” Blaustein has a Master of Agribusiness from Texas A & M University. “I’m honored to lead an organization that unites the entire U.S. peanut industry,” he said. 

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