Some major spending will be coming out of Washington which is headed for rural America.
The Department will be spending $266 million through loans and grants intended to help producers and small rural businesses invest in renewable energy. The hope is to lower energy costs and generate new income. While speaking to a group at the Farm Progress Show, Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack said finding new income and opportunities is key to keeping residents in rural America.
“Now all of a sudden kids are staying in that school and its expanded. Those shops aren’t boarded up, they’ve got customers. That hospital can stay open so you don’t have to travel hundreds of miles to get health care. Now all of a sudden, you also have a population in rural communities, and this is the most important thing I’m going to say, that supports this country in this way: 15% of this nation’s population lives in rural America; 30% of military comes from rural America. If you have fewer kids, you have fewer people available for the military. So this isn’t just about agriculture. It’s about the fate of small towns and rural America.”
USDA will be making these grants and loans available in nearly all 50 states, Guam, and Puerto Rico.
Global agriculture is stabilizing after years of price swings, with flat to modestly rising returns expected as productivity offsets slower demand growth.
October 29, 2025 03:35 PM
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Export volumes remain positive year-to-date, but weaker soybean loadings and slowing wheat movement hint at early bottlenecks in global demand or river logistics. Farmers should watch basis levels and freight conditions as export competition heats up.
October 28, 2025 10:58 AM
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Farmers who rely on H-2A workers will see a few key changes to speed up the process and make it fairer. On the ground, producers say labor issues create shortfalls in otherwise productive harvests.
October 27, 2025 01:36 PM
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Imported lean beef continues to play a critical role in U.S. hamburger and ground-beef production, with any added volume from Argentina serving as a supplement — not a market overhaul.
October 27, 2025 11:51 AM
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Margin Protection and the new MCO add county-level margin tools — with earlier price discovery, input cost triggers, and high subsidy rates — to complement on-farm risk plans for 2026.
October 24, 2025 01:44 PM
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Until a phased reopening is inked, plan for tighter feeder availability, firmer basis near border yards, and continued reliance on domestic and Canadian sources.
October 24, 2025 11:42 AM
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