ARPA-E Forum Focuses on Optimizing Canola

The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) held a workshop May 19-20 in Alexandria, VA, that included a strong focus on canola. ARPA-E is an agency within the United States Department of Energy tasked with funding the research and development of advanced energy technologies that have the potential to transform the energy landscape. The workshop was titled “Optimizing Biomass-based Diesel with AI" and explored options for optimizing crop oil yields and specifically for canola and winter canola that can be double-cropped.

Leading up to the workshop, ARPA-E representatives attended the USCA meeting in March, and USCA helped frame the issues and connect ARPA-E with industry experts. Two potential goals identified by ARPA-E are to reach 22 million acres of canola in the U.S. and to increase soybean oil content from 20% to 30%. 

The workshop was intended to help inform ARPA-E on the worthiness of pursuing those goals, the challenges and breakthroughs needed to achieve them. USCA staff and several industry members participated in the workshop, including representatives of Bayer, Bunge, Chevron, Corteva, and Rubisco, as well as canola researchers from Washington State University and the University of Idaho.

USCA Board Members Tasso Sideris of Bunge and Brian Caldbeck of Rubisco Seeds served as speakers covering the oil supply chain and winter-canola double-cropping in the southern U.S.

A broader range of industry and researchers attended the workshop and their questions and comments served as a reminder of the large knowledge gap that exists outside of the USCA and immediate canola industry. USCA will follow up with ARPA-E on the workshop's takeaways and urge continued pursuit and investment in optimizing canola. 

USDA Announces Plans and Timeline for Base Acre Additions


 On May 26, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced eligible landowners have from June 1 until Aug. 31, 2026, to review and consider base acre increases on farms enrolled in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs, as authorized by provisions included in the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.  Landowners will have the opportunity to increase base acres in preparation for enrollment in ARC and PLC beginning with the 2026 and future crop years. Nationwide, up to 30 million new base acres can be added by eligible farms.  

FSA began notifying eligible landowners by direct mail that Base Allocation Summaries outlining potential base acre updates will be available for review beginning June 1, 2026. These Base Allocation Summaries can be accessed online at fsa.usda.gov/arc-plc using a Login.gov account. Landowners who do not currently have a Login.gov account are encouraged to contact their local FSA county office to obtain their Base Allocation Summary beginning June 1, 2026. The Base Allocation Summary should be reviewed and any necessary actions completed by Mon., Aug. 31, 2026.  

To be eligible for new base acres, a current covered commodity must have been planted or prevented from being planted on the farm during the 2019 through 2023 crop years. The farm’s average planted and prevented planted acres during that period must exceed the total existing base acres for all covered commodities in effect on Sept. 30, 2024, excluding unassigned base acres. FSA farm total base acres cannot exceed the farm’s total cropland acres. If eligible requests exceed the nationwide cap of 30 million acres, USDA will apply an across-the-board, prorated reduction to all approved new base acres.  

For more information, producers should contact their local FSA county office or visit the U.S. Department of Agriculture online at: fsa.usda.gov/state-offices

Read USDA FSA's Press Release: https://bit.ly/3RCkQJh

Regulators and Lawmakers Looking at Fertilizer Issues

On May 28, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that it has launched an investigation into the fertilizer industry’s market concentration and pricing practices in the U.S.

The FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson noted that fertilizer is the single largest increase in input costs for farmers across the United States since 2020 and while acknowledging that the high prices do not always mean illegal activity, the possibility of anti-competitive action in the fertilizer industry must be investigated. The Justice Department has launched a separate probe into potential anti-competitive practices of fertilizer companies. 

On May 12, the Senate Agriculture Committee held a hearing titled “Perspectives on the Fertilizer Industry: Ensuring a Stable and Affordable Supply for American Producers.” Testifying at the hearing were Andy Green, a principal and senior adviser at Center Market Strategies; Trent Kubic, vice president of South Dakota Corn Growers; Eddie Melton, president of the Kentucky Farm Bureau Federation; Joshua Westling, CEO of J. Westling & Co.; and Corey Rosenbusch, president and CEO of The Fertilizer Institute.

House Ag Committee Chairman Releases H2A Reform Bill

House Agriculture Committee Chairman G.T. Thompson (R-PA) is introducing a bill to reform the H-2A farm labor program. The bill is intended to reflect the needs and priorities of growers and ag employers. Notably, the bill would enable year-round workers, waive interview requirements for returning workers, allow employers to deduct housing costs from worker wages, and limit how much Adverse Effect Wage Rates can change from one year to the next. The bill will be referred to the House Judiciary Committee, which has primary jurisdiction over the H-2A program. 

House Committee Advances Highway Bill



On May 22, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee advanced the Surface Transportation reauthorization bill, also known as the Highway Bill. The House measure would provide $580 billion for road, bridge and transportation infrastructure programs for five years. The Build America 250 Act was approved on a bipartisan 66-2 vote after a 14-hour committee markup. Of note for agricultural producers, the bill accommodates weight variance for load shifts, allowing dry bulk transporters to have up to 110% of the maximum weight on any axle. The bill streamlines seasonal CDL renewals, allowing agriculture industry employees to obtain temporary credentials to drive commercial vehicles in certain parts of the year. The committee also approved an amendment filed by Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD) that would allow states to raise weight limits to 91,000 pounds on federal interstates for vehicles with six axles through a voluntary pilot program. The next step for the bill is consideration by the full House, but no timeline has been announced.

EPA Released Fungicide Strategy



On May 1, the Environmental Protection Agency released its draft fungicide strategy for determining how growers must mitigate harm to endangered species. The fungicide strategy follows the frameworks established in previous herbicide and insecticide strategies. The strategies are compelled by a court settlement agreed to by EPA, CropLife America and other industry groups, and the Center for Biological Diversity and Pesticide Action Network. The goal is to reduce harm to species listed under the Endangered Species Act from exposure to fungicides and enable EPA to address its ESA obligations comprehensively. 



Once finalized, EPA may identify specific mitigation measures to be implemented on labels wherever the pesticide is applied and may also propose label language that requires a specific level of mitigation and directs users to EPA’s Mitigation Menu website. The strategy outlines the specific types of mitigation likely to make the cut. In many cases, since spray drift is considered a risk, EPA has identified adjuvants that can be used to reduce the distance a pesticide drifts off-field into species habitats.

EPA has identified 85 listed vertebrates, 39 listed invertebrates, and 136 listed plants that may require mitigation in Pesticide Use Limitation Areas (PULAs). A PULA is the specific geographic area associated with particular pesticide mitigation for a listed species or designated critical habitat. 

EPA has indicated it will continue to engage with stakeholders and state partners to discuss updates and revisions to mitigation measures and implementation of the strategy. The FIFRA Endangered Species Task Force (FESTF) is providing resources and technical support for agricultural groups and has a resource hub: https://lens.festf.org

There is a public comment period for the Fungicide Strategy and comments are due June 29, 2026.

USCA Joins Ag Coalition Letter Supporting USMCA



The USCA joined 145 agricultural organizations from the U.S., Mexico and Canada on a letter in support of a renewal and strengthening of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). The letter cites the significant economic benefits and the removal of regulatory barriers that are derived from the trilateral trade pact. The USMCA represents one of the largest trading blocs in the world, with over 500 million people, a $30 trillion-dollar GDP, and a trade volume of $1.7 trillion. The letter reiterates that the USMCA is key to maintaining a competitive global advantage that reduces reliance on distant supply chains and encourages investment across the region. Preserving the full trilateral framework of the agreement safeguards these advantages, as the integrated nature of North American agriculture depends on predictable and cooperative trading relationships among all three countries.

Senate Democrats Raise Concerns About the USDA Research, Education, and Economics Mission Area Reorganization



On May 14, Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), the Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, led a letter to USDA expressing concerns about the reorganization of the Research, Education, and Economics (REE) mission area at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Senators cited concerns that the actions will erode the capacity of USDA’s research agencies and threaten their ability to deliver innovation and timely economic data for farmers, ranchers, and rural communities. They cited significant staff losses that resulted from previous relocations of the Economic Research Service (ERS) and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) in 2018 and 2019 and a loss of over 30 percent of staff within the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) in 2025. The REE reorganization and restructuring announced this April proposes relocating REE mission area staff to over 27 locations within months.  The letter was signed by 23 Democratic senators, including Klobuchar (D-MN), Baldwin (D-WI), Murray (D-WA), and Smith (D-MN).

STB Accepts Rail Merger Application, But Pauses Review



On May 28, the Surface Transportation Board (STB) accepted Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern’s merger application. The board in January rejected UP and NS’s first merger application after finding it lacked the information necessary to proceed with the review. The companies submitted a revised application with additional information on May 6.

While accepting the application, the STB called on the companies to provide more information on enhanced competition, public benefits, market share projections, and other merger impacts. The board has temporarily paused further proceedings and asked UP and NS to submit supplemental information. The merger, if approved, would create a new Union Pacific Transcontinental Railroad, which would span approximately 50,000 miles and connect around 100 U.S. ports on the East, West and Gulf Coasts.