Other policy shifts are likely to impact ag exports. One economist warns products could start to build up and says government programs only go so far.
“Yes, government programs help, but that’s sort of a band-aid. And in the long term, there’s not a lot of risk management tools either. And so you think about crop insurance, it’s a year over year change, that it helps with working capital, can only last us so long. So these trade implosions is just an issue where we don’t have a lot of risk management. We don’t have a lot of policy programs to help fix that. And that’s why we’re thinking about that. I just, I think that the, the long tail on that could be really, really challenging,” said David Widmar.
Widmar also warns margins are likely to feel squeezed for some time. He tells aginfo.net more cuts will likely need to come before there is any kind of noticeable relief.
U.S. agriculture entered the week with mixed signals as weather, logistics, and markets shaped early-year decisions. Here is a regional breakdown of domestic crop and livestock production for the week of Monday, Jan. 19, 2026.
January 19, 2026 11:40 AM
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RFD NEWS Correspondent Frank McCaffrey speaks with Texas’s Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Vicente Gonzalez about USMCA renegotiation and its impact on U.S.–Mexico agriculture trade.
January 17, 2026 05:00 PM
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Rising rural business confidence supports local ag economies, but taxes and labor shortages remain key constraints.
January 17, 2026 02:00 PM
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CoBank Knowledge Exchange’s Jeff Johnston shares the group’s positive perspective on expanding data centers into rural areas and weighs the risks and rewards for those communities.
January 16, 2026 01:44 PM
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Texas Commissioner of Agriculture Sid Miller joined us to discuss data center expansion, farmland preservation, rural economic impacts, and imminent cattle biosecurity concerns affecting agriculture today.
January 16, 2026 01:28 PM
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The Pennsylvania Farm Show continues through Saturday, wrapping up another successful year of celebrating agriculture in the Commonwealth.
January 16, 2026 01:26 PM
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