Check our advice monitor on ProFarmer.com for updates to our marketing plan.
CCC Funds quietly transferred to USDA… On Sept. 28, the Office of Management and Budget greenlit a $13 billion transfer from the Commodity Credit Corporation to the Office of Secretary Brooke Rollins.
Asked about the move, the top Senate Ag Committee appropriator Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., wouldn’t say if the money was linked to a forthcoming announcement on tariff assistance. “It won’t be just a one-shot deal,” Hoeven said.
Congress has been looking to lift restrictions on how much tariff revenue the administration can divert to farmers via a legal mechanism known as Section 32. “That’s why it’s not going to be just one item,” Hoeven said. “We’ll probably be doing more before the end of the year, which will require, actually, some legislative assistance as well.”
Ag Committee Chair John Boozman, R-Ark., stressed that other farm support programs relying on CCC funding would not be allowed to lapse if the administration taps CCC for tariff assistance. -source: AgriPulse
Government shutdown to impact Iowa conservation funding… According to an Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance press release, A federal shutdown effectively freezes nearly all USDA-funded agricultural conservation work, with 95% of NRCS staff furloughed and program payments paused. NRCS provides the technical and financial backbone for conservation on Iowa farms. Without it, many projects like wetlands or prairie planting are stalled. In FY24, NRCS put $100 million into Iowa farms. However, this does not impact privately funded or state-run projects, unless they are done in collaboration with federal funding or agencies (and many are).
Farmer takeaways:
- All USDA conservation technical assistance is halted.
- CRP and other payments (usually sent in October) are delayed.
- The Oct. 10 conservation funding deadline for the year still stands, as of [10/6/2025]
How long will it last? No telling. But NBC compiled the length of shutdowns since 1976 and these are the longest on record.
- 2018: 34 days
- 2013: 16 days
- 1995: 21 days
- 1978: 17 days
Big Muddy runs shallow… For the fourth straight year, water levels in the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers will soon be critically low, forcing shippers to light-load grain barges during harvest season. As barge rates get higher, those higher costs are making their way down to the farm level. Gary Williams, director of the Upper Mississippi River Water Association, told Agri-Pulse that between low commodity prices and high shipping costs, “Corn and soybean growers are looking to stash their commodities in every nook and cranny they can find.”
A Forbes report said this could not come at a worse time for farmers. “This is a peak period when corn and soybeans from the Midwest get shipped downriver to New Orleans for export to the international marketplace.” If the lower levels get worse, Mike Steenhoek of the Soy Transportation Coalition said that may mean lost profits for farmers because of an inefficient transportation system.”
Bird Flu detected in Iowa Flock… The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) have detected a case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N1 HPAI) in a commercial turkey flock in Calhoun County, Iowa. This is Iowa’s eighth detection of H5N1 HPAI within domestic birds in 2025. -source: Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship news release
FAO notes decline in international food prices… September saw global food commodity prices drop as declines in the sugar and dairy industries offset a new peak for meat prices. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s Food Price Index, which tracks a basket of internationally traded food commodities, averaged 128.8 points in September, down from a revised 129.7 in August. The index was 3.4 percent higher than the same month last year, though it had fallen about 20 percent from the record level in March 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The dairy index slipped 2.6 percent month on month, driven in turn by a sharp decline in butter prices amid increased production prospects. Elsewhere, the FAO’s meat price indicator rose by another 0.7 percent to a new record high as beef and sheep meat quotations continued higher.
NCGA welcomes new President… The National Corn Growers Association welcomes Ohio farmer Jed Bower as its new President. Speaking with AgriTalk Radio, Bower said in these difficult economic times, “We need to get back to the basics.” Bower lauded the Trump administration for successes on encouraging international corn trade but lamented the solid export demand corn has enjoyed is not currently reflected in corn prices.
Separately, Host Chip Flory offered, “The corn market isn’t reflecting that [corn export] demand because corn is tied to soybeans. We probably won’t see much strength in corn until beans break higher.”
Bower stressed the need for a new Farm Bill but did not offer speculation on when that might arrive. Bower also suggested a cautious approach for RFK Jr’s MAHA commission, advising the MAHA council to spend a little more time on the farm, working to understand best practices before making dramatic policy changes. Bower takes the reins from Illinois farmer Kenneth Hartman Jr who will continue to serve on the NCGA board.
NAWG announces new CEO… The National Association of Wheat Growers announced that Sam Kieffer is the organization’s next CEO, and he’ll start on November 1. He brings more than 20 years of experience in agricultural leadership and farm policy to the role. Kieffer said he’s honored to join the Association at such a pivotal time for wheat growers across the country. “Having grown up on a farm, it has been a privilege to dedicate my career to serving farmers, and I’m proud to champion their cause in this new role,” Kieffer said.
Notable Closes…
Another report of a New World Screwworm detection in Mexico on Monday gave feeder traders confidence the border with Mexico will remain closed.
- December live cattle were $1.05 higher at $237.72 ½
- February live cattle up $1.10 to $240.72 ½
- November feeders were $3.45 higher at $364.25
Lower cash hog and pork product pulled futures down.
- December hogs down $1.10 to $86.17 ½
- February hogs down $1.27 ½ to $88.27 ½