An extension ag economist sees reasons for optimism as farmers struggle with tight crop margins. Chad Hart with Iowa State University says corn and soybean usage could meet and possibly exceed production later this year. “That’s going to pull prices higher.”

Do Americans mistrust farmers and ranchers? If you ask most farmers and ranchers, they’ll say they absolutely think that’s the case. I understand why. There are loud voices critical of agriculture that can quickly fill a room or social media platform. It can seem like they speak for all Americans. Here's the simple truth: they do not.

The White House announced earlier today that it is taking action to impose 50% tariffs on dairy imports from Canada to defend the rights of U.S. dairy exporters. The administration indicated it is invoking Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930 to “…hold Canada accountable for its retaliation and discrimination…”

Here are the Top 5 things the DTN Newsroom is tracking for the week of July 19.

A Michigan food safety official says lessons learned from the multistate Cyclosporiasis outbreak will likely shape future food safety protocols. Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development Retail Food Program Manager Emily Hollingsworth tells Brownfield, “Frankly, an outbreak of this magnitude, we’re going to be talking about this for years to come.”

The American Soybean Association welcomes Ruveon's decision to withdraw its petitions filed with the International Trade Commission and U.S. Department of Commerce seeking antidumping and countervailing duties on glyphosate imports from China.

The Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act was recently unveiled in the House. Longtime ag labor reform champion Rep. Dan Newhouse outlines how a closed border could generate broad Congressional support for the bill. Plus, National Sorghum Producers Chairwoman Amy France and American Soybean Association President Scott Metzger discusses the top issues for their commodities during recent meetings in Washington.

Crop farmers continue to face elevated production costs, lower commodity prices and tight margins – with no relief on the horizon. AFBF analysis projects 2027 will mark a sixth year of negative returns over total costs for most major row crops. Specialty crop farmers are experiencing similar financial strain, facing expected below-breakeven prices and acreage reductions across major fruit, vegetable and tree nut sectors in 2026, even as limited public data make the full scale of losses difficult to measure.

A long-duration heat wave has been consistently anchored across the Northern Plains throughout this week. Going back to July 11, temperatures have regularly risen near or above 100 degrees. Coming with limited to no rainfall, soil moisture is dropping dramatically in the region

The Office of the United States Trade Representative this week placed 25% tariffs on most goods, including ethanol, imported into the United States from Brazil. The move by USTR comes after a year-long investigation, under Section 301 of the U.S. Trade Act, showing that Brazil unfairly placed high, burdensome tariffs – to the tune of 18% – on U.S. ethanol imported into the country.

A trade specialist believes trade between the U.S. and China will continue to decline. Dr. Sam Gregg with the American Institute for Economic Research says U.S. agriculture has benefitted from trade with China, but the relationship took a turn in 2012.

Massive wildfires sparked across western Ontario and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in Minnesota continue to burn and grow. Heavy smoke has been filling the skies over the last couple of days, with smoke spreading through the Great Lakes into the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states on Wednesday, July 15. The smoke is occurring on the edge of the heat dome across the northern U.S. that has been causing extreme hazards due to heat

PepsiCo is making progress towards implementing 10 million acres of regenerative agriculture globally by 2030. Margaret Henry, vice president of sustainable and regenerative agriculture, says farmers are seeing the long-term benefits of soil health management.

For the first time in the two-decade history of the IFIC Food & Health Survey, convenience has surpassed healthfulness as a driver of Americans’ food and beverage decisions, a milestone that signals just how much the everyday calculus of eating may be changing.

The U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (USRSB) and the Public Lands Council (PLC) co-hosted the U.S. portion of the 2026 North American Grazing Lands Congress, welcoming ranchers, researchers, conservation organizations, agency partners and international leaders to explore the role grazing lands play in supporting resilient food systems, wildlife habitat, healthy ecosystems and more.

House Republican leaders abandoned a larger proposal and instead opted to include President Donald Trump's $11.1 billion farm aid request in next week's reconciliation package.

Shocks to the world’s increasingly interconnected food and agricultural markets are growing in frequency and intensity, and evidence suggests there are effective policy measures that can mitigate and shorten their impact, according to a new flagship report released today by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

A market analyst says the current heat dome could reduce U.S. crop potential. “We’re at a crossroads,” says Don Roose, U.S. Commodities. “Are we going to continue to be threatened? Are we going to go into more of a normal growing condition? Is the heat dome going to move around and help or hurt us? It’s definitely adding risk premium to the market very quickly.”

While the focus of this analysis is the adoption of regenerative agriculture practices through USDA’s financial and technical assistance efforts, it is important to acknowledge that many farmers adopt and continue to utilize voluntary conservation practices outside of the traditional USDA-funded efforts. Farmers and ranchers also participate in state-level initiatives and initiatives with private sector partners.

U.S. corn condition ratings improved 1 percentage point after holding steady for two weeks, while soybean condition ratings also increased 1 percentage point from the previous week, according to USDA NASS's weekly Crop Progress report released Monday.

Severe weather this growing season has significantly limited cherry production across the U.S.

Over the last 50 years, the private market has not covered the cost to produce the nine crops for which USDA (US Department of Agriculture) computes a cost of production (COP); however, these losses have more than been covered by the crop safety net.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced that ten additional meat and poultry companies have adopted USDA’s voluntary Product of USA label, marking continued momentum behind the Administration’s efforts to help consumers easily identify products that are truly born, raised, harvested, and processed in the United States.

A farm management analyst suggests there were some positives in Friday’s USDA supply and demand report.

Early Sunday morning, July 12, officials announced the death of longtime South Carolina politician and Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, 71, from suspected heart disease.

The CME Group will launch two new futures contracts to help manage risk across the cattle supply chain.

Several states are moving forward with Extended Producer Responsibility laws that shift the cost of recycling packaging from local governments to producers of consumer products. International Fresh Produce Association CEO Cathy Burns explains the consequences of the policy. Plus, Troy Bredenkamp with the Renewable Fuels Association and Krista Swanson with the National Corn Growers Association outline how their sectors are being impacted by Brazil's ag production.

An environmental group is asking for warning labels on all pesticide products that contain active ingredients found to have any potential link to cancer, in an emergency petition filed with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency this week.