After 25 years of negotiations, the highly contentious European Union-Mercosur trade deal has officially been announced.
European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen joined South American leaders this morning from Uruguay’s capital city to share the news. The landmark deal will create one of the world’s largest free trade agreements.
“This agreement was designed with your interests at heart. It is made to work for you. It means more jobs, and good jobs; more choices, and better prices. The European Union and Mercosur created one of the largest trade and investment partnerships the world has ever seen. We’re taking barriers down and we are allowing investment in. We are forming a market of more than 700 million consumers, and this partnership will strengthen entire value chains. It will develop strategic industries. It will support innovation, and it will create jobs and values on both sides of the Atlantic.”
However, the deal faced criticism from European farmers who argue the agreement will threaten their livelihoods.
Farm Bureau economist Dr. Faith Parum explains how geopolitical dynamics in the Middle East could further tighten fertilizer movement, increase fuel costs, and complicate planting decisions for U.S. farmers this spring.
March 12, 2026 03:57 PM
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Dr. David Anderson with Texas A&M University AgriLife Extension discusses how geopolitical tensions and the Middle East, along with export disruptions in the Chinese market, will shape cattle markets in the months ahead.
March 12, 2026 12:54 PM
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Energy shifts influence diesel and fertilizer costs.
March 12, 2026 05:00 AM
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ASFMRA’s Craig Thompson shares insights for American farmers who are navigating farmland markets amid agricultural uncertainty.
March 11, 2026 04:04 PM
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Ben Kurtzman with American Farmland Trust discusses the growing pressure on farmland and ranchland and the steps being taken to help conserve farms and ranches across the country ,as unrest in the Middle East adds more obstacles for producers.
March 11, 2026 03:18 PM
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NRECA CEO Jim Matheson warns that rising electricity demand from AI and data centers could strain the grid and affect rural electric cooperatives if U.S. power infrastructure cannot keep up.
March 11, 2026 11:59 AM
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