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.
Related Stories
What is it like working cattle with an outbreak of New World Screwworm so close to home? Wayne Cockrell, with the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, joined us on Wednesday to discuss.
“We believe that it is just a matter of days or weeks... before we see New World screwworm in Texas.”
With the latest detection just across the border, animal health officials on both sides are intensifying efforts to contain the outbreak before it spreads further north.
Ethanol producers face a widening opportunity window as aviation and marine fuel markets expand, with the potential to add billions in demand if policy and certification align.
The EPA proposal laid out two options: fully reallocate all exempted volumes to the 2026–2027 standards, or reallocate half.
Allowing year-round sales of E15 nationally could deliver billions in economic gains, according to a new study from the Renewable Fuels Association and National Corn Growers Association.
“Continue to help us push the New World screwworm back to the Darién Gap and hopefully towards eradication.”
Year-round sales of E-15 are another major topic on Capitol Hill, which, according to Rep. Adrian Smith (R-NE), is one issue up for debate this session with significant bipartisan support.
