January 14, 2026

Food Price Index Drops in December

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s Food Price Index averaged 124.3 points in December 2025, down 0.8 points from November. Declines in the prices for dairy products, meat, and vegetable oils more than offset increases in cereals and sugar. The index stood three points (2.3 percent) below its level the previous year and as much as 35.9 points (22.4 percent) below the peak reached in March 2022. For the year, the 2025 index averaged 127.2 points, 5.2 points higher than the 2024 average. The biggest jump took place in the Sugar Index, which averaged 90.7 points in December, up 2.1 points from November. The biggest drop happened in the Dairy Price Index, which dropped by 5.9 points in December. The Meat Index averaged 123.6 points in December, down 1.7 points from its revised November value. The Vegetable Oil Price Index averaged 164.6 points in December, a drop of only 0.4 points from November.

***********************************************************************************
Corn Growers Alarmed by New Supply Projections

The USDA released its January WASDE Report, which projected a 17-billion-bushel corn supply in 2025-2026, raising alarms among the nation’s corn growers and triggering an immediate market reaction. If the projections prove accurate, this year’s crop will be the largest on record by far. The surplus supply promises to keep corn prices low as farmers struggle to pay higher input costs. “We need long-term market solutions, and we need them quickly, or this is going to deepen the economic crisis in the countryside,” said Jed Bower, president of the National Corn Growers Association. “The urgency for Congress and the president to open new markets abroad and expand consumer access to ethanol just increased exponentially.” Bower also noted that an immediate boost to demand would be the passage of legislation authorizing year-round consumer access to fuels with a 15 percent ethanol blend. He said this solution could use 2.4 billion additional bushels of corn annually. 

***********************************************************************************
Wheat Growers Applaud Moving Food for Peace to USDA

National Association of Wheat Growers CEO Sam Kieffer issued the following statement in response to the news that the State Department and USDA reached an Interagency agreement allowing USDA to operate the Food for Peace Program. Kieffer said the Food for Peace Program has embodied the best of American leadership for decades, delivering life-sustaining food around the world while supporting American farmers at home. “We’re thrilled to see this agreement between USDA and the State Department and thank the administration for initiating this common-sense move,” said Kieffer. “Having USDA manage Food for Peace strengthens the program’s stability, ensures continued market opportunities for American-grown crops, and safeguards in-kind food aid for the people around the world who need it the most.” Kieffer also said the agreement provides near-term certainty, and his group is calling on Congress to pass legislation permanently transferring Food for Peace to the USDA. 

***********************************************************************************
Weekly Export Inspection Up Across the Board

The USDA said inspections of corn, soybeans, and wheat for export all rose week to week during the seven days ending on January 8. Corn inspections improved to 1.49 million metric tons from 1.32 million a week earlier. The agency report said that’s higher than the 1.44 million tons that were inspected during the same week last year. Soybean assessments were reported at 1.53 million metric tons, up from just over 984,000 tons the previous week and the 1.36 million tons inspected at the same point last year. Wheat examinations for overseas delivery jumped to 317,400 metric tons, up from 183,000 the previous week. That was narrowly higher than the total inspected during the same week a year earlier. Since the start of the marketing year, USDA has inspected 28.4 million metric tons of corn for export, 17.9 million metric tons of soybeans, and wheat assessments since the start of the marketing year totaled 15.6 million metric tons. 

**********************************************************************************
Agri Stats Settles Price-Fixing Lawsuit

Agricultural data firm Agri Stats has agreed to settle a federal antitrust class-action lawsuit accusing it of helping major U.S. meat processors suppress worker wages by sharing confidential compensation data. The proposed settlement, filed last week in Colorado, still requires a judge’s approval. The lawsuit was brought on behalf of tens of thousands of red meat processing workers employed at about 140 plants nationwide. Workers allege that leading processors engaged in a years-long conspiracy to keep wages low, violating federal antitrust law by exchanging sensitive pay information through Agri Stats. Under the agreement, Indiana-based Agri Stats will not pay into a settlement fund but agreed to cooperate with plaintiffs and change how it reports certain labor-related data. The company denied wrongdoing, saying the settlement avoids the cost and burden of prolonged litigation. Since 2022, workers have secured more than $200 million in settlements from major processors, including Tyson Foods, JBS, and Cargill.

***********************************************************************************
House Passes Africa and Haiti Trade Preference Programs

The House of Representatives passed a three-year extension of preferential trade programs for sub-Saharan Africa and Haiti. The legislation, passed by a strong bipartisan vote, lowered trading barriers for emerging economies. Lawmakers voted 340-54 in favor of renewing the African Growth and Opportunity Act. They also passed the Haiti Economic Lift Program Extension Act 345-45. Both programs expired on September 30, 2025. The programs provide duty-free access to the U.S. market for a wide range of goods, including apparel, from Haiti and more than 30 African countries. Politico said Representative Jason Smith (R-MO) said the U.S. still needs a much-longer-term extension of AGOA, but the current reauthorization provides a much-needed level of stability and certainty in the near term, so that Congress can continue to work on future reforms and strengthen a number of U.S. priorities in the African continent. 

***********************************************************************************