National Ag News for October 22, 2025
FSA Offices Set to Reopen; Trump Administration to Release $3 Billion in Aid to Farmers
The Trump administration will release about $3 billion in assistance to U.S. farmers despite the government shutdown, administration officials told CBS News. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is also planning to resume operations Thursday at the Farm Service Agency, which runs financial assistance and loan programs for farmers, according to a USDA spokesperson. Many of the agency’s operations were shuttered due to the government shutdown. President Trump told the department to give out the $3 billion in aid by tapping a fund that was used in his first term to aid farmers, officials said. “President Trump is committed to supporting America’s farmers and ranchers and this action will release billions in assistance for farmers that Democrats in Congress have held up for over 20 days,” the USDA spokesperson said. Many farmers have faced pressure in recent months as China cuts off soybean purchases amid a trade war with the U.S.
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Despite Challenges, Beef Demand at 40-Year high
For the past year, the drumbeat across cattle country has been lower herd numbers, market fluctuations and rising input costs. Total beef supply tightened by 3% and beef retail prices climbed to an average of $8 per pound. Yet consumer demand for beef surged to a 40-year high. Despite the challenges, Certified Angus Beef (CAB) sales reached 1.235 billion pounds globally, marking it one of the brand’s strongest years in history. “The brand’s success this year is the direct result of the hard work and innovation across our entire beef community,” says John Stika, CAB president. “It’s their intentional efforts to win with Certified Angus Beef year in and year out that have allowed this brand to thrive over 47 years.” This year marks the brand’s third-best year, with a record-setting month in November and the brand’s all-time best sales month in March. April and May followed with strength heading into grilling season, landing in the brand’s top 10 for monthly sales.
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API Calls for Balanced E15 Policy Amid Shifting Market Realities
The American Petroleum Institute (API) on Tuesday urged congressional leadership to adopt a more balanced and up-to-date approach to E15 legislation, warning the current proposal no longer reflects today’s fuel market realities. In a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, API President and CEO Mike Sommers said sweeping changes to federal biofuel policy, state volatility mandates, and market conditions have upended the fuels landscape, prompting API to oppose the Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act of 2025 in its current form. The letter details how recent changes to federal tax rules, EPA decisions, and state-level policy reversals have imposed new costs on refiners and disrupted the fuels marketplace. Sommers urged lawmakers to pursue a holistic and balanced approach to E15 that supports consumer choice while maintaining reliable, affordable fuel supply.
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Congressional Leaders Propose Legislation that Would Harm Hemp Consumable Sales
Major Congressional leaders, including Sen. Mitch McConnell and Rep. Andy Harris, are attempting to insert provisions into must-pass spending legislation that could eliminate the market for hemp-based consumable products in the United States. According to Hemp Industry & Farmers of America (HIFA), the proposed prohibition would directly harm military veterans managing post-traumatic stress, elderly Americans seeking natural pain relief alternatives, and countless individuals who have found legal hemp products to be an effective wellness solution. Hemp industry leaders say they have advocated for a thoughtful, common-sense regulatory framework that ensures product safety and consumer protection. Instead of engaging with these proposals, Congressional leaders are pursuing an approach that would shut down the entire industry signed into law by President Trump in the 2018 Farm Bill.
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‘Fix Our Forest’ Bill Passed in Senate Committee
A Senate committee easily passed legislation Tuesday to reduce legal and environmental checks on forest thinning and logging aimed at reducing wildfire risks. E&E News reports the 18-5 vote in the Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee was the latest indication that the “Fix Our Forests Act,” S. 1462, from Sen. John Curtis, appears to have momentum after similar bills have languished in Congress. The bill would speed forest projects in high-risk “firesheds” identified by the Forest Service. A new board of officials from several federal agencies would advise on the creation of additional firesheds on national forest system land. In the designated areas, projects would face fewer potential legal or environmental hurdles. Categorical exclusions from the National Environmental Policy Act would grow from 3,000 acres to 10,000 acres in some places, and when legal challenges arise, judges would face new limits on imposing temporary or permanent injunctions to block the work.
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World Hereford Conference Comes to Kansas City
More than 700 Hereford breeders from 20 countries have gathered in Kansas City, Missouri for the World Hereford Conference which started Wednesday. “This event, which occurs in conjunction with the annual American Hereford Association (AHA) Annual Meeting and Educational Symposium comes at a time of increasing demand for Hereford genetics,” says Jack Ward, AHA executive vice president. “Especially here in the United States, more commercial cow-calf producers are incorporating Hereford genetics into their herds for the breed’s proven inherent genetic advantages, which include fertility, docility, longevity and feed efficiency.” The World Hereford Conference takes place every four years when delegates of the World Hereford Council meet to conduct official business aimed at breed improvement and opportunity development. It is a time for Hereford breeders from around the world to network and learn from one another. The event runs through Sunday.
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