Farmers News Updates

Fertilizer prices were dropping sharply April 17 after Iran said the Strait of Hormuz was open, bringing some much-needed relief to farmers.

Soybean farmers are struggling with the high cost of fuel, equipment and fertilizer — compounded by the Iran war — and also tariffs.

The rule requires refiners to mix a record 25.82 billion gallons of biofuels into conventional diesel and gasoline this year, EPA says.

The Trump administration is moving quickly to get out biofuels blending standards, with an announcement coming soon, according to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.

The shipping disruption has largely stopped the export of nitrogen fertilizers made in the Persian Gulf and limited access to fertilizer ingredients.

“One of the things in this industry is that there’s always uncertainties,” Krista Swanson, chief economist at the National Corn Growers Association, said in an interview.

While the sale of new machines is set to remain sluggish, growers need to update soon and are increasingly retrofitting existing equipment with AI-packed components.

Cattle prices won’t rise as much as previously expected in 2026, as the closure of a Tyson Foods plant is seen loosening competition for scarce U.S. supplies.

“This is kind of a Band-Aid — we need more markets more than we need aid,” said Missouri farmer Marty Richardson, adding that he feels like 2026 will be just as bad as this year.

President Trump pressured farm equipment manufacturers to drop prices for tractors, his latest efforts to address Americans’ concerns about shaky economic conditions.