The 2025 Farm Progress show is underway, and USDA’s second in command is making headlines.
Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden said the Trump Administration is considering some type of emergency relief later this year. It would serve as a bridge for farmers until they get commodity program payments on their 2025 crops next fall.
Vaden also addressed New World Screwworm, and he said the recent case of a Maryland resident bringing back the infection from a trip to Central America poses no threat to agriculture. He said USDA’s biggest concern is keeping the flies out of our cattle supply.
Vaden also expressed the President’s support for biofuels, calling this the most pro-biofuel Administration we have ever had.
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Record ethanol production and improving blending demand continue to support corn usage despite rising short-term inventories.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said permanent access to the higher ethanol blend would provide farmers with much-needed certainty while supporting domestic crop demand.
As domestic production and blending slowed, export demand remained a clear bright spot.
Dr. Rosslyn Biggs with the Oklahoma State University Center for Rural Veterinary Medicine shares insight into biosecurity, preparedness, and animal health concerns facing livestock producers as New World screwworm outbreaks continue in Mexico.
Higher ethanol blend rates translate directly into stronger, more durable corn demand if regulatory momentum holds.
New World Screwworm cases in Mexico, including one within 200 miles of the U.S. border, are adding pressure to livestock markets and trade decisions.
