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In the first 100 days of the Trump administration, Secretary Rollins puts farmers first
From USDA
In the first 100 days of the Trump Administration, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins has taken action to support the leadership of President Donald J. Trump and put Farmers First at the United States Department of Agriculture.
Full story.
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Secretary Rollins and Secretary Kennedy visit Texas farmers
From USDA
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins visited Texas with U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to discuss food security and learn how America’s farmers are working to Make America Healthy Again. During the visit, Secretary Rollins met at the Texas A&M Beef Center to provide an update on the status of the New World Screwworm.
Full story.
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EPA plans action to address PFAS, including ‘polluter pays’
From Roll Call
The EPA on Monday announced a series of “major actions” to address per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance contamination, including an initiative to work with Congress to ensure that liability adheres to the “polluter pays” principle.
The actions include designating an agency lead for the chemicals, commonly known as PFAS, developing wastewater guidelines for PFAS manufacturers and metal finishers, and moving forward with cleanup in areas where drinking water supplies show PFAS contamination.
Full story.
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Republicans eye putting agriculture conservation programs in megabus
From Politico
House and Senate Republicans are sending more signals they doubt their ability to pass a new, bipartisan farm bill this year.
Their latest suggestion of looming defeat: Lawmakers are currently weighing whether to put Biden-era conservation programs into their party-line megabill that might have otherwise been included in their separate reauthorization of federal farm programs, according to three people granted anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.
Full story.
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Omnibus Ag Bills
Linked below are bills relevant to agriculture
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Chinese cargo ship arrivals drop sharply at two of America’s busiest ports
From Marine Insight Daily
Shipments from China to two of America’s busiest ports- Los Angeles and Long Beach- have seen a sharp decline.
According to Port Optimizer, a vessel tracking system, the number of container ships departing China for these key Southern California ports dropped by 29% in the week ending May 3 compared to the previous week.
Full story.
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China says it doesn’t need US grain as Brazil soybeans pour in
From Farm Progress
China’s grain supply won’t be affected by a loss of U.S. feed grain and oilseed imports, thanks to abundantly available substitutes on the global market and sufficient reserves at home, a top official from the country’s state planner told reporters on Monday.
The world’s top buyer of soybeans is set to receive a mammoth amount of the oilseed from South America in the second quarter, easing a supply shortage and helping to further cool animal feed prices.
Full story.
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North American UAN & urea market facing “perfect storm”
From Brownfield
The vice president of fertilizer with Stone X Group says some farmers are having a hard time finding UAN.
“This is the perfect storm we’ve been scared of for years and years and years.”
Josh Linville tells Brownfield…
“For the last 30 days, nobody’s been able to find April tons in large quantity, aside from a few truckloads.” He says, “Now you can’t find tons for May ship. Retailers are having to jump on June shipped tons, and price them today, or run the risk that they won’t be there. An incredibly tight supply situation.”
Full story.
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DTN retail fertilizer trends: UAN28, UAN32 lead major fertilizer prices increase
From Progressive Farmer
Average retail prices for all eight major fertilizers continued to be higher than last month during the last full week of April 2025, according to sellers surveyed by DTN.
Two fertilizers had a substantial price increase compared to the prior month. DTN designates a significant move as anything 5% or more. The average retail price of UAN28 was 6% higher compared to last month at $381 per ton. And UAN32 was 6% more expensive than last month with an average retail price of $449 per ton.
Full story.
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RaboResearch: Global fertilizer markets face yet another challenging year
From CropLife
The geopolitical challenges that marked the beginning of 2025 have created uncertainties in various markets. Agricultural inputs like fertilizers have been particularly affected. Fertilizer prices are showing an upward trend for 2025 and eroding farmers’ purchasing power, as commodity prices are not increasing in tandem.
“RaboResearch’s fertilizer affordability index indicates a transition between cycles, moving from a period of relative affordability to one where fertilizers are less affordable and the index turns negative,” notes Bruno Fonseca, Senior Analyst – Farm Inputs with RaboResearch. “We expect this unfavorable scenario for the fertilizer market to persist throughout the year.”
Full story.
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Modern Ag Alliance: Landmark ND policy preserves farmers’ access to essential crop protection tools
From CropLife
Governor Armstrong signed HB 1318 into law — marking a major victory for North Dakota farmers and the future of American agriculture. With strong support in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, this landmark policy reflects a united commitment from lawmakers to safeguard farmers’ access to essential crop protection tools.
Full story.
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International Trade Commission votes in favor of Corteva on 2,4-D anti-dumping and countervailing duties
By The SCOOP
Just days after the one year anniversary of its filing, Corteva received a vote from the International Trade Commission in its favor relating to its petition filed on April 24, 2024 with the U.S. Department of Commerce calling for antidumping and countervailing duties on 2,4-D imports from India and China.
Full story.
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Tips to play it safe with anhydrous ammonia
From Farm Progress
Are you ready to make anhydrous ammonia applications safely this year? What if something unforeseen happens, such as a valve breaking off or a hose puncturing on a turn? Do you know what to do?
Make sure you are prepared. Before going to the field, start with a thorough precheck of equipment that might prevent an incident. Here are 14 more tips from Iowa State University Extension field agronomists Angie Rieck-Hinz, north-central Iowa, and Joshua Michel, northeast Iowa:
Full story.
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Make better decisions with corn fungicide ROI calculator
From Farm Progress
Almost every corn budget calculated for 2025 reaches the same conclusion: Margins are tight or negative. Purdue University crop budgets for 2025 indicate the potential for hundreds of dollars of red ink, counting all direct and indirect costs.
Angie Peltier, University of Minnesota Extension educator, looked at the Central Red River Valley corn budget for 2025 and found direct costs alone could leave growers around $50 per acre in the red. “The goal is to make money — you are not running a charity,” Peltier says. “Look at everything you are doing related to crop protection. Ask yourself how the input will contribute to the bottom line before you apply it.”
Full story.
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Research to results: Salin 247 robot advances Iowa corn strip cropping knowledge
From The SCOOP
A former Corteva Agriscience research scientist and the CEO and founder of Salin 247, an ag tech startup focused on autonomous planting and spraying equipment for corn and soybeans, have joined forces in Iowa to advance research on strip cropping corn and cover crops.
Using Salin 247’s four row, autonomous planting robot, Bob Gunzenhauser is planting strip crop test plots in a field near Corydon to evaluate the practice and collect data on its potential to boost corn yields.
Full story.
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South Central Workforce Council – Request for volunteer to serve on the council
We are looking for business representatives to serve on the South Central WorkForce Council. We cover the nine counties in South Central MN, including Blue Earth, Brown, Faribault, LeSueur, Martin, Nicollet, Sibley, Waseca and Watonwan.
If you know of anyone that is interested in serving on the Council, please contact
Executive Director Heather Gleason at 507-345-2418 or hgleason@workforcecouncil.org.
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U of MN Extension - Minnesota Crop News
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Environmental Protection Agency’s newly released final insecticide strategy
- Final insecticide strategy PDF.
- News release on strategy here.
- Related article here.
- Webinar is on May 21 at noon E.T. time. Register here.
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Minnesota Pollution Control Agency resources
If you want to listen to the April 25 webinar introducing Minnesota’s new 24-Hour Nitrate Network you can:
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