Some USDA livestock reports are taking recent trade action into account

The markets are still working to digest all the trade action we have seen over the last month. Analysts say grain reports are still lagging behind that data, but economists with USDA say their livestock reports are starting to take that information into account.

“We assume ‘policy in place.’ So, tariffs that China has placed on us in retaliation, and the tariffs we have placed on them, are assumed to continue throughout the remainder of this marketing year and into next marketing year,” said Seth Meyer.

Corn is another area Meyer is watching. Last week’s WASDE report showed little changes, largely because exports to China have dropped, and the marketing year is nearly over.

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Read the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s official press release published on Monday, December 8, 2025.
$11 billion will go to row-crop farmers immediately, with $1 billion set aside for specialty crops.
While this month’s WASDE report will not include updated figures on U.S. crop size, officials say it will offer a clearer picture of crop conditions in the Southern Hemisphere.
Record yields and exceptionally low BCFM strengthen U.S. corn’s competitive position in global markets.
Water access—not acreage alone—is driving where irrigation expands or contracts.

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