Politics and Protectionism Senator Marco Rubio (R-Florida) and other members of the Florida Congressional delegation are up for reelection next month. Fresh produce growers in Florida have long been frustrated by the ability of Mexican farmers to grow specialty crops at lower prices. The result is the Florida politicians have sent a request to USTR Katherine Tai that she initiate a Section 301 investigation of the imports from Mexico. Meanwhile, the U.S. exporters of corn, pork and other commodities to Mexico have also written to Ambassador Tai pointing out several things:
The Section 301 investigation was requested because the Florida growers’ petition for relief via the border measures approved in the USMCA have failed to find...
What You Need to Know Today: Crude oil prices extended their rally today, supported by several developments, including escalating Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabian oil infrastructure and growing concerns about supply disruptions. The Trump administration is reportedly preparing to remove 50 perc...
Key Takeaways: The agricultural trade surplus has become a sizable deficit: the balance swung from a $40.1 billion surplus in 2011 to a $40.7 billion deficit in 2025. Imports kept growing while exports lost momentum: between 2020 and 2025, agricultural imports increased 45 percent, compa...
USDA released its October Cattle on Feed report Friday, showing 11.4 million cattle in feedlots with capacity for 1,000 head or more, slightly below last year. September placements were the lowest for the month since records began in 1996, marking the third consecutive month of placements sett...
Total Red Meat & Poultry September 2026 total red meat and poultry stocks totaled 1.97 billion pounds, down 1.4 percent from August despite typically increasing 0.8 percent during the month, and were 1.5 percent below September 2025 levels. The decline pushed total inventories to a new five...
