When it comes to ag exports, there are two sides to the equation: trade and infrastructure.
House Ag Committee Chair, GT Thompson, shares what could be on the radar for Congress this session.
“It won’t be infrastructure in terms of canals, ports which needs to be addressed. We need to modernize in a serious way. I mean we have ports of entry and ports of export. They cannot accommodate these larger shipping vessels that we now have. So, for whatever reason the United States has not kept up with those investments and we need to do that. We need to be able to move our agricultural commodities efficiently.
“We need to make this a place where these companies that operate these vessels want to come to, right? Also, we need to look at some policies, like there’s an awful lot of shipping containers that are going back empty, specifically to China and that’s wrong. We’re buying products and they need to be fulfilling their trade promises and buying our commodities.”
Congressman Thompson says trade was a hot topic at the listening session with farmers this week at the World Ag Expo.
Corn and cotton gave the strongest signals this week, while soybean demand remained softer than in the previous report.
Utah Senator John Curtis joins us for “Champions of Rural America” to discuss new legislation to improve forest management and wildfire prevention and its broader implications for rural communities and infrastructure.
StoneX’s Josh Linville discusses USDA’s efforts to boost domestic fertilizer production and his outlook on supply and prices.
Ethanol demand held together last week, but lower production and thinner stocks put more focus on export strength. Production capacity is also strengthening over time and benefiting soybean farmers.
April 30, 2026 01:38 PM
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Expanded export financing could provide greater support for ag sales abroad if buyers and lenders use the additional tools.
April 30, 2026 12:38 PM
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The farm bill is still moving, but the toughest amendment fights were pushed into today’s session. ASA President Scott Metzger joins us to discuss the risks of tariff actions on soybean exports, concerns over trade policy and production costs, and the importance of Farm Bill updates.
April 30, 2026 10:22 AM
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