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Your Pro Farmer newsletter is now available... Weather conditions remained near ideal into mid-July, which helped produce the highest corn and soybean crop condition ratings since 2016. But there may be a hidden issue impacting corn pollination in some areas – overly tight tassel wrap. The extended price forecast suggests above-normal temps will be seen through the remainder of the growing season, but only a few pockets of drought are expected in areas of the western Corn Belt. The trade front remains active as U.S. trading partners are scrambling to get deals in place before President Trump’s Aug. 1 deadline to increase tariffs. Part of the reason Trump is pushing his aggressive trade stance is to reduce trade deficits, including agriculture. We have perspective on the ag trade situation from a former USDA chief economist on News page 4. We cover all of these items and much more in this week’s newsletter, which you can access here.
Farewell, Pro Farmer Members... Writing comes easy for me. Formulating words with purpose, meaning and perspective is what I’ve done during my long career at Pro Farmer. Writing this wasn’t easy.
As the sayings go, “all good things must come to an end”... and “change is inevitable.” After 29-plus years at Pro Farmer, it was time for me to move on to the next chapter of my professional career. This is my last issue as Pro Farmer Editor. I leave behind many fond memories, friendships and acquaintances I’ve developed over the years — too many to count or fully recall. I’ve been blessed.
Saying goodbye to people and a company that have enriched my life and made me a better person isn’t easy. Instead of goodbye, I’d rather this be... until we meet again, as we’ll hopefully cross paths in the future. I hope in at least some small way I’ve had a positive influence on you and/or your farming operation.
— Brian Grete
Deep divisions cloud prospects for farm bill... House Ag Committee Ranking Member Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) has voiced sharp doubts that enough Democrats will support the Farm Bill 2.0 this fall, given the deep spending cuts Republicans have made to nutrition programs as part of the budget reconciliation process. Craig warned that the focus on slashing the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to fund farm subsidies has severely undermined the historic bipartisan coalition required to pass farm bills. “I have been clear from the start that if Republicans cut the nutrition title of the farm bill, which is what we consider them having done, that it is going to be difficult to get 100 to 150 Democrats. Impossible,” Craig stated at a recent policy event.
Despite openness from some Democrats to talks with Republicans, there have been no firm commitments to help advance a new farm bill before the current legislation expires in September. Craig and fellow Democrats worry that the White House and Congress are underestimating the damage to bipartisan cooperation caused by the Republicans’ approach.
House Ag Chair Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-Pa.) plans to introduce detailed bill text and hold a markup after the August recess. But with deep divisions remaining and only a handful of Democrats expressing even conditional support, odds of passing meaningful farm legislation in time are uncertain.
Utah governor blocks Chinese land purchase over national security concerns... Utah Gov. Spencer Cox announced that a Chinese-owned company, Cirrus Aircraft, was barred from buying state land under a 2024 law targeting foreign adversary ownership. The company’s majority owner, China’s AVIC, is tied to the Chinese military and appears on multiple federal watch lists. “Their proposed investment in Utah was millions of dollars and hundreds of jobs,” Cox said. “And I don’t care. We are not for sale.”
The 2024 law gives companies one year to divest land or face state seizure. It targets ownership by entities from China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia. Rep. Candice Pierucci, who sponsored the bill, said it gives foreign entities the chance “to either play nice or do it the hard way.” Cox emphasized the importance of protecting Utah’s defense and agricultural assets, which support 177,000 jobs and contribute $23 billion to the state’s economy.
USDA ousts dozens of foreign researchers over national security concerns... USDA has terminated 70 foreign contract researchers — mostly Chinese nationals — after a national security review found them to be from “countries of concern,” including China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran. USDA spokesman Thomas Henderson said the scientists, primarily post-doctoral researchers in the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), “will no longer be able to work on USDA projects.”
Despite having passed initial vetting before being hired, the researchers were dismissed under tightened security scrutiny. With a hiring freeze in place through Oct. 15, no replacements can be hired and projects will be paused. “This has set back research by years, if not decades,” said Henderson, who also leads the American Federation of Government Employees Local 1657 representing ARS workers in Albany, California. Reuters also reported that USDA scientists are now barred from publishing research conducted with nationals from these four countries unless granted agency approval.
PepsiCo leans into natural sugar amid consumer shift... PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta said the company will offer more products using natural ingredients like sugar if that’s what consumers prefer, aligning with a broader shift away from highly processed sweeteners.
President Donald Trump brought up the potential change, saying Coca-Cola would agree to use it in its signature soda. That would be a switch from the high fructose corn syrup it has used for decades. Coca-Cola hasn’t explicitly confirmed this change.
If the soda industry pivots toward cane sugar, it would require an additional 1.4 MMT annually, according to analytics firm Reflexivity. That would require a 36% boost in U.S. cane sugar production, requiring new land in favorable climates, expanded milling infrastructure and upgraded transportation networks. Reflexivity estimates it could take two to three years to scale up production meaningfully.