December 8, 2025

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good morning Valley. This is Igwife. My name is Bob Quinn,
with you for the next hour talking about agricultural production
here in the valley and all across the country. Starting
off with a look at the US Capital Christmas Tree.

Speaker 2 (00:10):
Today, holiday season in the nation's capital is close at hand.
With this signal the arrival of this year's US Capital
Christmas Tree to the Capitol Grounds the Friday before Thanksgiving.

Speaker 3 (00:22):
Silver Bell is a fifty three foot tall red first
she was harvested from just outside Reno, Nevada, and the
elevation of eighty one hundred feet, so she's a high
elevation tree. She's a very unique look and a very
Nevada style to her.

Speaker 2 (00:35):
Also making Silver Bell unique. According to Christy Buckley of
the US Forest Service, it is the first US Capital
Christmas tree representing the state of Nevada. The tree's arrival
at the Capitol signaled the start of work by architect
of the Capitol Cruise to prepare and decorate the tree
for the December second tree lighting ceremony.

Speaker 3 (00:55):
You'll be decorating putting all those thousands of handmade ornaments
on the tree, those ones that were all made buy
Nevadams and getting it ready for that official lighting ceremony.

Speaker 4 (01:03):
We'll hope for a big turnout.

Speaker 2 (01:04):
In addition to the actual lighting of Silver Bell, the
December second ceremony also includes.

Speaker 3 (01:09):
Young man of fourth grade from Virginia City named Grady Armstrong.

Speaker 4 (01:13):
He was the one who won the statewide.

Speaker 3 (01:14):
Essay contest and he'll be able to read his essay
at the ceremony.

Speaker 4 (01:17):
Will be some speeches and then it'll be the big.

Speaker 3 (01:19):
Three to two one and all the lights will finally
light up.

Speaker 4 (01:22):
Kind of the culmination of this whole project.

Speaker 2 (01:24):
A project well over a year in the baking, from
the selection of the Silver State as the whole of
the twenty twenty five Capital Christmas Tree, to choice of
the tree itself to harvest and its trek to Washington,
d C. After a victory lap around its home state.
The US Capitol Christmas Tree will be on display through
the month of December, and more details about this year's

(01:45):
US Capital Christmas Tree can be found online at www
dot US Capitol Christmas Tree All one word dot com.
I'm Rodbaine, reporting for the US Department of Agriculture in Washington,
d C.

Speaker 1 (02:00):
Farm News Ahead. This is Aglife Bob when you're with
Farm News Today, friends, The American Farm Bureau Federation is
encouraging US Trade Representative Jamison Greer to take a closer
look at trade with China. Chad Smith as our story.

Speaker 5 (02:14):
The trade relationship between the US and China remains critically
important for American agriculture. Dave Salomonson, Senior Director of Government
Affairs for the American Farm Bureau Federation, said there has
been some progress between the two nations.

Speaker 6 (02:29):
Recently.

Speaker 7 (02:29):
President Trump and President she of China came to a
deal back in October thirty first for one year gould
delay any new tariffs. They reduced some tariffs by about
ten percent of several purchase commitments by China for US
agg products and those port fees which had gone to
affect fairly recently, those were delayed a year.

Speaker 5 (02:48):
Farm Bureau recently submitted comments to the US Trade Representative's
office encouraging further discussions regarding previous agreements with China.

Speaker 7 (02:57):
Which means they look into the issue. It gathered information
and at the end of the day they could decide
we can use this when we're having continuing negotiations. And
we pointed out that China did not fulfill that Phase
one agreement that was signed in twenty They didn't remove
all of the non tear off trade barriers. We let
them know that those were things that needed to continue.

Speaker 8 (03:17):
To be worked on.

Speaker 5 (03:18):
Sallmitson says there have been some positive developments in the
last several weeks.

Speaker 7 (03:23):
It's a multi year commitment headed off by soybeans. So
they said for twenty twenty five they would purchase up
to twelve million metric tons of soybeans, and they have
been purchasing some and for the next three years they
said they will purchase twenty five million metric tons a year.

Speaker 1 (03:39):
Chad Smith Washington Well Friends, members of the Canadian Agri
Food Trade Alliance made a trip to Washington, d C.
To talk trade with US officials on Capitol Hill, in
the White House and at USDA. Michael Harvey, executive director
of KAFTA, said the upcoming review of the US Mexico
Canada agreement was a big focus of those discussions.

Speaker 9 (04:02):
So both times we went down with a message that
can in the US produce food together and that that's
better for Americans. We focus our message on Americans when
we're in America and concentrate on the fact that American
producers get high quality, lower cost inputs that make them
more competitive abroad and to produce lower cost food for
American consumers. We concentrate on that message. But given the

(04:24):
fact that the USMCA what we call Kuzma review, is upcoming,
we focused our comments in that context. And in that context,
what we've been saying is the Kuzma provides the framework
that allows American and Canadian producers to make business decisions
in the most efficient way. That what people need is stability,
and KUZMA provides that framework of stability.

Speaker 1 (04:46):
The USMCA discussion seem to land very well with US officials.

Speaker 9 (04:51):
What we really see is that first there was an
open letter. As you mentioned, there was support from the
US higher food sector. There's an open letters signed by
one hundred and twenty four cigafood organizations calling for a
sixteen year renewal of USMCA with limited changes. That was
good news. Frankly, when we were down in April, almost
nobody from the US private sector was speaking up on

(05:12):
tariff issues. People were just keeping their head down, worried
about how the administration could react if you said anything.
We've seen movement on that recently, and this letter from
US agafood sector representatives is a big part of that.

Speaker 1 (05:24):
Harvey was encouraged by recent moves by the Trump administration
regarding tariffs.

Speaker 9 (05:29):
A big piece of news from last week was when
the administration lifted the tariffs on in a broad sense,
products that the United States doesn't produce. So there was
a lot of talk about coffee, about citrus, about different things.
My read of that is that the President seeing that
affordability for American consumers is something that's a big focus,
something that's politically difficult for the administration to manage, and

(05:52):
he was responding to that. So while that decision doesn't
affect us directly, it definitely shows that the wind is
blowing in the direction of being concerned that karas costs
the American consumer, so that it costs me affordabilding problem Again.

Speaker 1 (06:06):
Michael Harvey of the Canadian Agrifood Trade Alliance. We'll have
more farm news in about a half hour. You are
listening to ag Life.

Speaker 10 (06:15):
It's another agnews update, Global soy flows to burger economics
and milk margins all ahead after this.

Speaker 11 (06:26):
I'm Russ Kohler, a dairyman from Utah Safety. Know your limits.
Heatstroke is life threatening. Know the symptoms confusion, loss of consciousness, seizures,
high body temperature, hot dry skin, and profuse sweating. Reduce
your risk during the heat of the day by working
earlier or later. Allow time for water and rest breaks
by drinking two to four cups of water each hour.

Speaker 12 (06:48):
This public service message is brought to you by Farm
Bureau and the US agg Centers.

Speaker 10 (06:54):
China's scale up farm model is straining low crop prices,
rising land rids, and negative oil seed crush margins, which
could redirect soybean demand and bases later this season, even
as Brazil ready's another big harvest closer to home. Ground
beefs affordability still hinges on imported lean trim. Cutting those

(07:18):
inflows would spike retail prices, choking food service demand, so
cattle and cowflows remain tied to open trade, not isolation.
Dairy stayed expansionary this summer, with milk up three point
six percent and milk fat up five point three percent,

(07:38):
but softer class prices and slipping butter values are now
leaning on mailbox checks as fluid cells lags, and keep
an eye on feed and coverages. The year end approaches
out West Arizona Producer showing how to stretch scarce water,
precision irrigation, reuse and conservation and tillage keeping forge and

(08:02):
specialty crops moving while trimming withdrawals. I'm totally saying shames.
It's another agnews update.

Speaker 2 (08:11):
Meet Blue.

Speaker 13 (08:11):
Blue's not feeling well the prescription generic medication. Blue wonders,
do they really work as well as name brands? Yes,
generics and name brand medications do work the same, even
though they may look different. Generics have the same key ingredients.
FDA approval is equally rigorous for generics to make sure
they're is safe and effective as name brands, and Blue
even save some green, making him a little less well.

Speaker 4 (08:34):
Blue.

Speaker 13 (08:35):
Talk to your doctor about generics and visit FDA dot
OFV slash generic drugs.

Speaker 10 (08:41):
American Cattle News, what's the value of hey more after this?

Speaker 11 (08:50):
I'm Russ Kohler, a dairyman from Utah. Safety. Know your limits.
Heatstroke is life threatening. Know the symptoms, confusion, loss of conscience,
business seizures, high body temperature, hot dry skin, and profuse sweating.
Reduce your risk during the heat of the day by
working earlier or later allow time for water and rest
breaks by drinking two to four cups of water each hour.

Speaker 12 (09:12):
This public service message is brought to you by Farm
Bureau and the US AGG Centers.

Speaker 10 (09:18):
Doctor Mark Johnson is an Oklahoma state beef breeding specialist
on the value of hay.

Speaker 14 (09:25):
What is the value of hay right now in Oklahoma?
And so we walk back through a little bit of history.
But it's interesting how we got here addressing this question
of what is hay worth in August to twenty twenty five.
If we look back over the last three years, it's
been kind of a bumpy road. That big drought in
twenty twenty two didn't leave us with a lot of
hay inventory. As we go back and forth from there

(09:48):
and just taking a look at what has happened in
twenty twenty five, hay was actually at relative to the
ten year average price on a national basis across all
types of hay, hay was more expensive than normal. In January,
we actually saw that seasonal increase up until May go
up by twenty some dollars a ton. Since that time,

(10:09):
there's been ample moisture. Mother Nature's cooperated with us, probably
seeing a few more acres that became hay meadows this year,
and as a result here in Oklahoma when we finally
got into hayfields in the past month, the reports of
yields have been good. And we're all asking that question
from both sides of this equation, whether we have hay

(10:31):
to sell or we need to procure it and buy it.
The way it looks right now, some of those early
forecasts for hay being more expensive this year probably overestimated.
It looks like average hay price for the year is
going to be down. That is the report for most
all around the country now as we look out west
where they're still in a drought, but the only higher

(10:52):
prices of hey we see in the past couple months
are coming from some of the Western states. So bottom line,
what can we expect. It looks like a good year
for end users.

Speaker 10 (11:02):
American Cattle News, This is Dairy Radio Now, Melki Monday.

Speaker 15 (11:15):
Kara Murphy, market intelligence manager at high Ground Dairy in Chicago.

Speaker 16 (11:20):
Karra dairy prices started December almost in a free fall,
particularly on cheese and butter at a time of year
consumer demand should be strengthening them. Things don't look any
better globally as last week's Global Dairy Trade saw its
weighted average plunge four point three percent. Is there a
silver lining in this dark cloud?

Speaker 17 (11:41):
Well, you know there is some there. On the GDT,
we did see a massive price correction, especially on milk
that's New Zealand. Butter is now below EUE pricing, but
they are both starkly above the US, so we will
continue to see exports come out of the US for
that polemolk powder and skill milk powder move.

Speaker 4 (11:59):
Lower as well.

Speaker 17 (12:00):
But interestingly enough, on the cheddar side, New Zealand cheddar
is still holding out at two to eight per pound.
That's about sixty cents per pound more than the US
and EU, So the US is still going to be
competitive for exports into the Asiatic region coming into twenty
twenty six. Not too much of a silver lining here,
but this market has been pivotal for the oceanty and

(12:21):
the global markets. SGX n Z milk price future is tanked.
There's a lot of milk coming out of New Zealand
and across the world. Market is a little over supplied
and prices are definitely showing it.

Speaker 18 (12:32):
Yes, yes, what do you look for in twenty twenty.

Speaker 17 (12:35):
Six on a global scale. You know, supply is really
driving the boat here.

Speaker 4 (12:40):
Demand isn't overly bad.

Speaker 17 (12:42):
We do have the FIFA World Cup is coming to
the US in twenty twenty six, which should help some
demand there as well. We like to see, but we're
really paying attention to the supply side of things. We
have a lot of milk coming out of every place
across the globe, and that's certainly going to impact the
amount of very commodities we make and the prices that
we can get for them.

Speaker 16 (13:02):
So you do see US dairy exports continue, at least
for butter, how about cheese.

Speaker 17 (13:09):
Definitely for butter cheese will be a little bit more competition.
Europe has come more in line with US pricing this year.
The US had a huge disparity for most of twenty
twenty five and benefited from it on export level. But
in twenty twenty six we'll see a little bit more competition.
The US is poised to do well, but maybe not

(13:29):
as well as twenty twenty five.

Speaker 16 (13:31):
Thank you, Kara Kara Murphy, market intelligence manager at high
Ground Dairy in Chicago.

Speaker 15 (13:37):
Here's dairy farmer Hank Wagner and his daughter Laura with
another simple miracle moment.

Speaker 19 (13:42):
Our grandson Jackson used to always ask Grandpa, what can
we do that as fun? That is a wonderful thing
because having fun is a foundational thing for childhood learning.
Our lives tend to get busier as we get older,
but having fun is just as important for adults.

Speaker 20 (13:56):
So what is fun? That is a hard question to
answer because every person may have a different idea of
what is fun. The great part about that is that
there is virtually no limit to the options.

Speaker 19 (14:07):
Consider making a list of what some fun things might
look like to you. Ask your spouse to also make
a list of fun ideas, and why not include the
rest of the family in this fun filled task?

Speaker 20 (14:17):
Is it okay to have fun at work? People are
attracted to fun and are eager to work with people
and businesses who know how to incorporate having fun in
appropriate ways. Life is short. Being intentional about adding some
fun can bring miracles to your life.

Speaker 15 (14:30):
That's Hank Wagner and Laura Rod's, author of the book
Simple Miracles for More Go to Become Better Leaders dot com.

Speaker 21 (14:37):
This is Dairy Radio now.

Speaker 15 (14:39):
Crop activity in the southern hemisphere is the primary focus
with USDA's World agricultural supply.

Speaker 11 (14:45):
And demand estimates this month.

Speaker 15 (14:47):
USDA Radio's Rod Bane is with World Agricultural Outlook Board
Chair Mark jack Andowski.

Speaker 2 (14:52):
The Suber is traditionally a tipe of transition for USDA's
World Agricultural Supplyed to Bad estimates.

Speaker 22 (14:59):
Don't get any new information from NAS on US crop
size the supply side of the balance sheets. On the
other hand, we do start focusing pretty heavily on the
Southern Hemisphere crops. Wheat harvests in Argentina, Australia are well underway.
Closely watching progress on first crop corn and the soybean
crop in Brazil.

Speaker 2 (15:19):
World Agricultural Outlook Board Chair Mark jack Atowski says, what
piece of new information for the Deceber WISDI.

Speaker 22 (15:25):
Since we had to shut down in October, we are
still getting some kind of delayed data from that period,
catching up on export sales data that would have been
released in October that's now starting to come out.

Speaker 2 (15:36):
The December global supply to bad estimates at US crop
production reports are scheduled for release this Tuesday, Dude Eastern time.
I'm Rod Baine, reporting for the US Department of Agriculture
in Washington, d C.

Speaker 23 (15:53):
Protecting almond trees from houl rod. I'm Patrick Cavanaugh with
the California Tree Nut Report. Mohammed Yagmoor as an area
Orchard System Advisor with UCN our Cooperative Extension, Kerrent County.

Speaker 24 (16:05):
It's really important to remember that we need to understand
our cousal agents because based on the causal agent, it
will decide what chemicals to use and when to apply it.
For a good example is when we are dealing with monolinia,
we have to apply the chemical three to four weeks
before when we're applying the chemicals to rhizopus, and that's one.

Speaker 23 (16:28):
He noted that disease management the causes whole rod is
very important.

Speaker 24 (16:32):
We know that the pathogens such as Rhyzopus and as spiritullous,
they go to the canopy on soil particles, so reducing
the dust will reduce the incidents of that pathogen reaching
the nupee and being deposited on the fruits during health.

Speaker 23 (16:50):
Split also note that excessive nitrogen within the tree increases
aceptability al rod in two long term u SEE studies.
The more nitrogen apply, the higher the incident of whole rot.
Trees with nitrogen application rates above two hundred and fifty
pounds per acre were the most severely affected, and whole
rot strikes were higher in low crop years. Growers to

(17:12):
contact their PCAs for more information. They're a good resource.

Speaker 18 (17:16):
For over forty years, the ag Information Network has been
providing news and information for the most important industry in
the world, agriculture. The Egg Information Network gives you worldwide
updates from local producers to regional organizations, from major crops
like wheat and corn, to animal agriculture to specially crops
like apples, almonds, and cherries. We report on stories that

(17:37):
mean the most to you online at aginfo dot net.
The agg Information Network trusted and transparent journalism lasting for
the next generation.

Speaker 25 (17:45):
Today, we're talking with aphids and white flies about sophena
insecticide from baslf.

Speaker 11 (17:50):
We just get nailed with it.

Speaker 25 (17:51):
So tell us, how are you feeling really really weird
and you still want to devour this field?

Speaker 11 (17:58):
No way, There you have it, folks.

Speaker 25 (18:01):
Safena insecticide is specifically engineered to disorient aphis and wie
flies so they can't eat, and when they can't eat,
they can't destroy.

Speaker 6 (18:08):
He'll protect your alfalfa from aphids with sefena insecticide. Always
read and follow label directions.

Speaker 23 (18:14):
With the AG Information Network. I'm Patrick Cavanaugh. You're listening
to ag Life where we speak Farm. I'm Dwayne Merley.
The US Department of Agriculture announced the Supplemental Disaster Relief
Program to help producers cover laws. So from twenty twenty
three and twenty twenty four disasters. Richard FORDYCE, USDA Undersecretary

(18:36):
for Farm Production and Conservation, talks about the Supplemental Disaster
Relief Program.

Speaker 26 (18:42):
The Supplemental Disaster Relief Program is kind of the final
piece in the thirty billion dollar appropriation that we got
through the Act that was passed by Congress in December
of twenty twenty four. And folks will remember the Economic
aid that was the first piece that was rolled out,
that was around ten billion dollars, and then the supple
mental disaster relief in the first stage was the next

(19:03):
thing in July. And now this is the final piece.
And so what we hope to pick up with this
final piece of disaster relief are folks that were either
under insured not insured, folks that experience quality losses across
all kinds of different crops. And then also part of
this is the milk loss program and the on farm
stored commodity loss program.

Speaker 21 (19:23):
He said the USDA hit the ground running when the
government reopened.

Speaker 26 (19:28):
The day the government opened up, we were all fully
open across the mission area. So FSA folks were back
and our CS folks were back, and we did do
the first CRP payment run I think it was on
Wednesday of this week. Those are done in tranches, depending
on how the contracts were structured, and so we do
an initial payment based on whatever contract structure it was,
and then you know, we could do the next one,
and we do the next one, who do the next one?

(19:49):
And I don't know how many there are. You know,
those all ought to be pretty well completed by first
week of December, so you know we're going to be
in pretty good shape. We're a little behind on CRP
payments because of the shutdown, or we're going to catch
up pretty quick.

Speaker 21 (20:01):
AGS Secretary Brooke Rollins has talked about a farmer relief program,
and for Dice has said discussions are ongoing.

Speaker 26 (20:09):
Lots of I think speculation probably in the press about
what that program's going to look like. I've been a
part of those discussions. The Secretary the White House, the
Chief Economist's Office, you know, talking about what would something
look like, and you know, no decisions made yet at
this point. But I will say that with that partnership
with the Chief Economists Office at USDA, whatever happens will

(20:29):
be done through an informed decision based on data, based
on where we are at that point in time, and
assist folks growing specifically to a commodity, but where we
are at that point in time.

Speaker 21 (20:43):
A Gay Madams, Richard FORDYCE USDA Under Secretary for Farm
Production and Conservation Chad Smith reports in rural America, scam
phone calls are big business Silence.

Speaker 5 (20:57):
Seeing phone scams is a big job because for billion
robo calls are made to Americans every month, and the
average individual receives fourteen calls each week. In addition to
being annoying and time consuming, the constant ringing of the
phone can be outright dangerous. Jehan Voskull, director of the
AARP in Oklahoma, said phone calls and text messages were

(21:19):
the second and third most frequent modes of contact reported
to the Federal Trade Commission.

Speaker 8 (21:24):
The average victim of a phone scam lost fifteen hundred dollars,
and the average text scam victim lost one thousand. Comparatively,
the victims of email scams, the most frequently used contact method,
lost in the average of six hundred dollars. It's clear
that despite technological advances, automated phone calls and texts remain
among the most popular way to target older Americans.

Speaker 5 (21:46):
While not all robo calls are fraudulent, the vast majority
come from criminal scammers. Voscoll said there are three common
elements to a scam, like that.

Speaker 8 (21:55):
There's always time pressure, something has to be handled with
no delay. There's a threat of loss, either for the
victim or someone close to the victim. There's also a
promise of gain financial or otherwise. One or all of
these elements mean you should be very cautious about who
you're dealing with.

Speaker 5 (22:12):
There are three ways to cut down on these scam
calls at.

Speaker 8 (22:15):
A call blocker. Check with your telephone provider about options,
many of which kind of no cost. You can also
let unfamiliar phone numbers go to voicemail. If it's a
legitimate call, they'll leave a message. Otherwise, the easiest method
is just to hang out if you don't know who
they are. You can also get any fraud questions answered
at answers dot AARP dot org.

Speaker 5 (22:36):
If you think you or someone you know has been scammed,
the AARP Fraud Watch Helpline can help you. These are
AARP volunteers who devote their time to helping others, and
that number is eight seven seven nine zero eight thirty
three sixty. Learn more on Wednesday night at six thirty
pm Central Time on RFD TV or online at AARP

(22:58):
dot org. Forward Slash AARP Live. Chad Smith reporting.

Speaker 27 (23:04):
It's time for California AG Today on the AG Information Network.
I am Haileys ship Well. California researchers are now opening
up new possibilities for black eyed pea improvement, and much
of that work is beginning at the genetic level. The
progress was highlighted recently by the University of California Department
of Agriculture and Natural Resources, which shared updates from UC

(23:27):
Riverside and UC Davis an ongoing black eyed breeding research.
Balam Huen at UC Riverside leads the statewide effort. His
team studies the regions of the plant's genome that controls
seed size, giving breeders tools to make faster and more
precise decisions. That work ties into the Gemini project, co

(23:48):
led by UC Davis breeder Christine Diipenbrock, which is designed
to support advanced breeding tools across several dry bean crops.
UC Davis scientist Sassoum Low identified two specific genomic regions
that are linked to larger seed size during her doctoral research.
By combining those regions, nine improved black eye lines have

(24:11):
already been created, and researchers are now evaluating nutritional quality
and field performance. So for listeners who have wondered what
scientists are building behind the scenes before new varieties reach farms,
following this work offers a clearer look at the process.

Speaker 25 (24:28):
Today, we're talking with aphids and white flies about sophena
insecticide from basf We.

Speaker 11 (24:33):
Just get nailed with it.

Speaker 25 (24:35):
So tell us how you feeling.

Speaker 11 (24:36):
Really, really weird.

Speaker 25 (24:38):
And you still want to devour this few No way,
bro There you have it, folks. Sofena insecticide is specifically
engineered to disorient aphis and wi flies so they can't eat,
and when they can't eat, they can't destroy.

Speaker 6 (24:51):
He'll protect your alfalfa from aphids with sephena insecticide. Always
read and follow label directions.

Speaker 18 (24:57):
The best place to reach a farmer with a farming
solution messages when they're well farming. It's easy to find
them during the day as most farmers are behind the
wheel of the pickup truck or farm equipment with the
radio on listening to this station for the ag Information
Network of the West News. So reach real farmers right here,
right now as they listen to what's important to their

(25:18):
farm operation. Give us a call and we'll connect you
with our local farming community. They trust us, so they'll trust.

Speaker 27 (25:24):
You on the AG Information Network. I am Hatley's ship.

Speaker 1 (25:28):
Bob when here with Farm News Today, friends, The American
Farm Bureau Federation is encouraging US Trade Representative Jamison Greer
to take a closer look at trade with China. Chad
Smith as our story.

Speaker 5 (25:41):
The trade relationship between the US and China remains critically
important for American agriculture. Dave Solomonson's Senior director of Government
Affairs for the American Farm Bureau Federation, said there has
been some progress between the two nations recently.

Speaker 7 (25:56):
President Trump and President she of China came to a
deal back in October thirty first for one year, going
to delay any new tariffs. They reduced some tariffs by
about ten percent. Several purchase commitments by China for USAG
products and those port fees which had gone to effect
fairly recently, those were delayed a year.

Speaker 5 (26:14):
Farm Bureau recently submitted comments to the US Trade Representative's
office encouraging further discussions regarding previous agreements with China, which.

Speaker 7 (26:24):
Means they look into the issue, they gather information, and
at the end of the day they could decide we
can use this when we're having continuing negotiations. And we
pointed out that China did not fulfill that Phase one
agreement that was signed in twenty They didn't remove all
of the non tariff trade barriers. We let them know
that those were things that needed to continue to be

(26:44):
worked on.

Speaker 5 (26:44):
Solmitson says there have been some positive developments in the
last several weeks.

Speaker 7 (26:49):
It's a multi year commitment headed off by soybeans. So
they said for twenty twenty five they would purchase up
to twelve million metric tons of soybeans, and they have
been purchasing some and for the next three years they
said they will purchase twenty five million metric tons a year.

Speaker 5 (27:05):
Chad Smith, Washington Well friends.

Speaker 1 (27:07):
For the first time in years, the Waters of the
US rule provides more clarity to US agriculture. Corin LaRue
has our story this.

Speaker 28 (27:16):
Morning Kansas Congressman Tracy mans As, the long running debate
over waters of the United States may finally be nearing
an end. The recent lotus update provides much needed clarity
for producers.

Speaker 12 (27:30):
You know, lotus or waters of the US.

Speaker 29 (27:32):
This has been a big issue really all throughout the
Obama administration and the Biden administration, where there are those
that take the Clean Water Act and eat you know,
everybody's for clean water, but look at the language and
say that it gives the federal government the ability to
regulate and have jurisdiction over farm ponds, drains, ditches, irrigation

(27:53):
system you know, lay beyond what the federal government ought
to be regulating.

Speaker 28 (27:57):
Mans As. The US Supreme Court's decision in the Sacket
versus EPA case forced a reset, and the Trump Administration's
updated rule last month more clearly limits federal jurisdiction.

Speaker 29 (28:08):
The Trump administration finally clarified and brought forward a definition
of waters of the US that does not include these
unnavigable waterways. Not included are things like farm pose drainage ditches.
So big win for agriculture is common sense policy and
hopefully the Lotus ordeal is behind this.

Speaker 28 (28:28):
For decadesvotics has been one of the most contentious regulatory
issues in agriculture. The Clean Water Act gives the federal
government authority over navigable waters, but administrations have differed sharply
on how broadly that should be defined. Farmers and ranchers
have long argued that expansive interpretations create uncertainty and exposed

(28:50):
routine farm practices to federal permitting requirements. The Supreme Courts
twenty twenty three Sacket versus EPA ruling significantly narrowed the
federal governments authority under the Clean Water Act by requiring
that wetlands under federal jurisdiction must have a continuous surface
connection to navigable waters. That decision forced EPA and the

(29:12):
Army Corps of Engineers to revise their existing rule and
remove several categories of wetlands and small water features that
had previously fallen under federal oversight. Major agricultural organizations, including
the American Farm Bureau Federation and the National Cattleman's Beef
Association have publicly supported efforts to narrow the WODIs definition

(29:32):
in line with the Sacket decision, saying it restores predictability
and limits federal overreach. Environmental groups have signaled they may
challenge aspects of the new rule, meaning litigation could continue
even as the new definition takes effect. I'm Corin LaRue
Well Friends.

Speaker 1 (29:49):
The USDA plans to roll out a short term bridge
payment for farmers this week, officials said last week, in
a bid to help growers survive type margins and trade
related loss. Agriculture Secretary Brook Rawlins told White House colleagues
a key purpose of the payment is to cushion crop
producers after years of depressed prices and significant drops in

(30:10):
US soybean sales to China. While the broader twenty twenty
five farm support package has received roughly forty billion dollars
in commitments, the second highest since the nineteen thirties, farming
groups say some producers need immediate liquidity to cover seed,
fertilizer and other input costs ahead of next year's planting
farm US This morning, you're listening to ag Life.

Speaker 30 (30:35):
From the Egg Information Network. I'm Bob Lurson with your
agribusiness update for specialty crop goers twenty twenty five has
offered little relief from mounting financial pressures. Markets that once
promised stable margins are now defined by volatility, with production
expenses outpacing price gains and exports at risk under global
trade questions. Despite contributing more than seventy five billion dollars

(30:56):
in farm gate value over a third of all US
cross sales, special the crop growers have fewer risk management
and safety net options. The result is a widening gap
between cost and revenue. John Deere's weak forecast for the
year ahead reinforces the difficulty in predicting a level of
recovery in the US farm economy. Bloomberg says that's because
of uncertainty around the impact of tariffs and trade deals,

(31:18):
and the fact that the world's biggest farm machinery maker
fell as much as five point seven percent as Deer's
first profit outlook for twenty twenty six fell short of expectations,
and the USDA has begun catching up after the government
shut down, releasing the latest sales data showing exports of
corn and wheat as of October sixteenth were well above
year earlier levels. Soybean sales as expected, have plunged. Accumulated

(31:41):
exports of corn from the start of the marketing year
were reported at ten point sixty eight four million metric tons,
a fifty eight percent year over year increase, and wheat
sales June through October sixteenth were at eleven point three
to five to five million metric tons, up twenty three percent.

Speaker 18 (31:55):
You've probably been told that to reach a millennial farmer
you have to go digital, Facebook, Vimeo, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn,
and online publication or maybe a podcast hmm, but which one? Oh,
and how receptive is this age group to your sales
pitch during non work social time. Maybe the best place

(32:16):
to reach a farmer with a farming solution message is
when they are well, quite frankly farming. You know, it's
easy for us to find them during the day, as
most farmers are behind the wheel of a pickup truck
or farm equipment with the radio on. Listening to this
station featuring the AGG Information Network News. If you'd like

(32:36):
to deliver information about your terrific product or service, give
us a call and we'll connect you directly with our
community of loyal farmer listeners. Reach real farmers right here,
right now as they listen to what is important to
their farm operation. They trust us. They'll trust you.

Speaker 30 (32:52):
Get the equipmented trucks you need. At Richie Brothers a
Los Angeles auction December eighteenth and nineteenth. This absolute unreserved
auction is open to the public and registration is free.
For more details, visit ourbauction dot com.

Speaker 1 (33:05):
Welk quen back to wrap up aaglife for today. Friends
an they's involved in agg trade, market development and promotion
are among those eligible to apply for funding under USDA's
recently announced America First Trade Promotions Program. Rod Main has
our story.

Speaker 2 (33:20):
Now accepting applications for funding the America First Trade Promotion Program.

Speaker 31 (33:25):
The two hundred and eighty five million dollar program that
essentially doubles our investment in those trade promotion programs that
help tell our products.

Speaker 2 (33:34):
Agriculture Department under Secretary for Trade and for at Agricultural
Affairs Luke Lindbergh says AFTPP serves as a compliment to
existing farb and food export promotion programs.

Speaker 31 (33:46):
Many of our cooperators around the country that represent all
of our different commodity groups. Those folks get dollars from
USDA to market their products overseas, participate in trade missions,
organize their own trade missions, really go about the business
of selling American agriculture.

Speaker 2 (34:02):
The funding application period concludes January twenty third. More details
about the America First Trade Promotion Program are available online
via grants dot gov. Broadbade reporting for the US Department
of Agriculture in Washington, d C.

Speaker 1 (34:18):
Well, Friends, pork supplies are running close to a year ago,
even with heavier hogs coming into the market. Lee Schultz,
chief economist with ever dot agg says demand has been
steady for several quarters, and prices continue to hold above
the cost of production.

Speaker 32 (34:33):
Kind of equated supply and demand to provide us, you know,
overall some prices that have been above the cost of production,
and then that's really continue to at least what we
expect to see here, you know, over the coming months.
So you know, I'm still in the estimation of about
a twenty dollars per head profit on average for twenty
twenty five, and what's looking to be twenty twenty six,

(34:56):
about on average of about ten dollars per week.

Speaker 1 (34:58):
From an economic standpoint point, Schultz breaks down the factors
that drive pork production in terms of farm size insights
built from data compiled by USDA's National Agriculture Statistics Service.

Speaker 32 (35:11):
Ninety five percent of the farms are family farms out there,
and they represent just under eighty percent of the inventories
our sale. So the dominant player in US port production
is the family farm. Now, there is some variability when
we look at across the size of those family farms,
because again we can break it down by gross cash

(35:33):
farm income. When we do that, and USDA luckily does
that for US, eighty one percent of the farms are
small farms what USDA would categorize, and that would be
gross cash farm income of less than three hundred and
fifty thousand dollars. Now eighty one percent of those small
farms represent about fourteen percent of the inventory.

Speaker 1 (35:52):
Global demand for US producers has softened slightly, but Schultz
reminds us that any comparison needs context. Last year wrapped
up with record setting pork exports, making today's numbers look
lighter than they truly are.

Speaker 32 (36:06):
If we looked at that year to date, you know,
exports have been down about three to four percent by
volume and similarly by value. I think you know important
to keep in mind is even though we've seen a
reduction year over year that's off of record exports in
twenty twenty four, so a slight step back in twenty
twenty five is still really robust to exports. Also, keep
in mind that USDA for the year is forecasting about

(36:29):
a two percent reduction in exports, so they expect that
pace to remain relatively strong as we go throughout the
remain of the year. Also, there is a forecast by
USD right now of an increase in exports year over
year in twenty twenty six compared to twenty twenty five,
So I think there is a lot of expectation overall
that we kind of hold where exports are at. I

(36:50):
think that's a bullish factor for the market.

Speaker 1 (36:52):
Lee Schultz with us. With that, friends, out of time
for today, thanks for joining us back tomorrow morning with
another edition of Bag Life.