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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Strong White House backing supports ethanol demand, but timing now hinges on Congress resolving procedural — at the same time as they push toward a spending bill to avert another federal government shutdown.
Lewis Williamson of HTS Commodities joined us with an update on the historic winter storm impacts and his outlook on today’s ag markets.
Marilyn Schlake with the UNL Department of Agricultural Economics joined us for a closer look at the evolving role of livestock sale barns.
Year-round E15 remains on the table, but procedural caution and competing regional interests pushed action into a slower, negotiated path.
Strong production and rising stocks may pressure ethanol margins unless demand or exports continue to improve.
Without additional support, many soybean operations will continue to face financial stress as they prepare for the 2026 crop.
Corn, Biofuels Groups Frustrated as Year-Round E15 Bill Stalls, Congress Forms Study Council Instead
Congressman Adrian Smith of Nebraska joined us with the latest on efforts to secure year-round E15 sales.
Nearly everyone in the South Texas ag community appears extremely worried about the potential of a New World screwworm epidemic, according to a local veterinarian. RFD NEWS Correspondent Frank McCaffrey reports.
Ethanol and corn groups are not hiding their disappointment over new reports that the bill to allow year-round E15 sales failed as Congress forges ahead on government funding, with another shutdown looming.
