October 17, 2025: China, Soybeans and Shutdown Drama

This week on Ag News Daily, the latest reports cover a wide range of stories across agriculture from policy and markets to equipment sales and international trade. This week’s agriculture news highlights what farm groups are urging Congress to address as the federal government shutdown enters its 17th day. Trade developments continue as an upcoming meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping is reportedly back on the schedule. Meanwhile, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers released its latest report showing that U.S. tractor sales, while down overall, are beginning to show signs of recovery in September. Additional headlines include ongoing challenges for specialty crop producers, a lawsuit settlement requiring Tyson Foods and Cargill to pay claims over alleged beef price fixing, and turkey prices that could play a major role in Thanksgiving spending this year. This week’s interview with Angie Setzer, partner at Consus Ag Consulting LLC. The discussion focuses on the continuing challenges of losing China as a key U.S. soybean customer, what farm groups might be overlooking compared to the last U.S.-China trade war, and her take on this year’s potentially smaller crop and the potential impacts on growers. Stay connected with us for more agriculture content on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube, along with our weekly videos!