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White House proposes cuts to USDA budget
White House proposes cuts to USDA budget
Minneapolis, 6 April (Argus) — The White House has proposed a 19pc cut to US Department of Agriculture (USDA) discretionary funding in the budget released late Friday, and which would put several organic programs at risk. USDA discretionary funding would total $20.8bn in the 2027 fiscal year, down $4.9bn from a year earlier. The White House described the USDA as "a bloated Washington, DC bureaucracy" and said it wants to eliminate funding for programs that "do not serve a core mission". Mike Lavender, policy director at the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, said the smaller budget is a "staggering disinvestment" in American farmers facing rising financial issues that would "radically reduce USDA's ability to serve farmers". The proposal requests $50mn to implement the USDA's reorganization plan, which would move much of the agency's staff from Washington, DC, to smaller hubs across the country. As part of the plan, the USDA will vacate and sell the South Building, its largest headquarters site, which currently houses the National Organic Program (NOP). Moving the NOP away from Washington would separate its staff from lawmakers based in the area. The budget would cut $61mn from the Agricultural Marketing Service, which includes the NOP. The White House said it wants to eliminate "annual, taxpayer-funded carve-outs for the same grantees every year without proper competition", and argued that the industry should fund these needs through check-off programs. The proposal would also strip $510mn from National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) formula grants. These automatic, non-competitive grants fund research and extension at the state level. The loss of this funding would reduce university research and extension support for farmers, including organic producers. The budget proposal said NIFA funds should be competitively awarded to "projects in the national interest". The plan also eliminates discretionary spending for NIFA's Organic Transitions Research, Education, and Extension Program, which funds research, extension and education to support US-based organic producers and farmers transitioning to organic. It also removes discretionary funding for the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, which supports research and extension related to sustainable agriculture, including organic farming. The loss of this funding would reduce research supporting organic production. Outside the USDA, the budget proposes creating a new Administration for a Healthy America (AHA) within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The AHA would expand access to nutrition services and nutritional education. The budget also includes HHS funding to remove "unsafe chemicals" from the US food supply, which could support organic production, which uses fewer chemicals. The proposal calls for increased funding for apprenticeships and Pell Grants for short-term workforce education programs within the Department of Education, which could help address labor shortages for US farms and processing facilities. By Alexander Schultz Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
US trade deficit widens in February
US trade deficit widens in February
Houston, 2 April (Argus) — The US trade deficit widened by 4.9pc in February as imports, including capital goods linked to the buildout of artificial intelligence (AI), grew faster than exports. The US trade deficit in goods and services rose to a seasonally adjusted $57.3bn in February from $54.7bn in January, the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) reported Thursday. The deficit in goods rose to $84.6bn in February from $82.1bn in January, while the services surplus fell by $0.2bn to $27.3bn. Total US exports in February rose by 4.2pc to $314.8bn while imports rose by 4.3pc to $372.1bn. Exports of goods rose by $11.5bn to $206.9bn in February, led by shipments of non-monetary gold and industrial supplies including natural gas. Imports of goods rose by $14bn to $291.5bn in February, with capital goods imports up by $7.8bn and crude oil imports up by $1.1bn. "February's jump in imports was relatively broad-based, although imports of computer equipment and semiconductors leapt again, due to the ongoing surge in AI-related capex," Pantheon Macroeconomics said in a note. Exports of services increased by $1.2bn to $106.7bn, and services imports rose by $23bn to $79.3bn. Yearly trade gap shrinkage Still, the deficit in February shrank by more than half from $120bn a year earlier. But that could change with the Mideast Gulf war and the US high court's striking down President Donald Trump's tariffs. "The shake-up in tariff policy following the Supreme Court decision in late February, and disruptions to global supply chains due to the US-Iran war, could trigger more turbulence in the trade data," Oxford Economics' US economist Grace Zwemmer said in a note. The dollar index has climbed from 99.3 on 27 February, the day before the US-Israel war on Iran began, to 99.9 on Thursday, although it is down from 103.7 in early April last year. A stronger dollar makes US imports cheaper, while making exports less competitive. The US trade deficit edged higher to $911bn last year from $904bn in 2024, with the goods deficit rising to $1.24 trillion in 2025 from $1.215 trillion the prior year. Petroleum trade slows US exports of crude and petroleum products, including natural gas liquids, fuel oil and others on an end-use basis, totaled $20.6bn in February, little changed on the month, with imports at $16.8bn in February, up from 15.5bn in January, the report said. Exports of crude averaged 4.3mn b/d in February, up from 3.9mn b/d in January, with imports at 6.35mn b/d in February from 6.1mn b/d in January. Partners The US had a $16.5bn seasonally adjusted deficit with Vietnam in February, a $16.8bn shortfall with Mexico and a $13.1bn deficit with China. The US ran a $5.1bn deficit with the EU and a $7.6bn deficit with South Korea, a $4.7bn deficit with Japan and a $3.2bn shortfall with Germany. The US deficit with Canada narrowed to $741mn in February from January. The US had a $5.6bn surplus with the UK, a $6.8bn surplus with the Netherlands and a $3.8bn surplus with central and south America that included a $1.5bn surplus with Brazil in February. By Bob Willis Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Brazil’s industrial output falls in February
Brazil’s industrial output falls in February
Sao Paulo, 2 April (Argus) — Brazil's industrial output stepped down by an annual 0.7pc in February, mainly driven by auto, chemical products and machinery, according to national statistics agency IBGE. The decrease follows an annual 0.2pc increase in January and a 0.1pc decline in December. Production of intermediate goods — feedstocks for industries that do not directly reach the final consumer — rose by 1.1pc in February from a year earlier. Output of non-durable and semi-durable goods fell by 0.3pc from a year earlier. Output of capital goods and durable consumer goods were down by 13.5pc and 9.3pc, respectively, from February 2025. It is the ninth consecutive annualized decline in capital goods production. Auto, chemical products and machinery were among the largest negative contributors, down by 7.3pc, by 6.4pc and 11pc, respectively, from a year prior. Heavy vehicles and NPK fertilizers pushed down their respective categories, IBGE said. Output of petroleum coke, oil products and biofuels rose by 4pc in February from a year earlier, following a 1.2pc decline in January. Metal products output was down by 8.4pc. Brazil's central bank lowered its target rate to 14.75pc in March. Brazil's headline inflation decelerated to an annual 3.81pc in February . By João Curi Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Kansas will not join states ensuring E15 access
Kansas will not join states ensuring E15 access
New York, 1 April (Argus) — Kansas will not move to join a group of farm states transitioning next year to a boutique summer gasoline blend, which would have ensured continued access to a higher-ethanol blend in the state. Seven Midwestern states have approval to eventually move a lower-volatility summertime fuel that would allow retailers to keep selling both typical 10pc ethanol gasoline (E10) and blends with up to 15pc ethanol (E15). Kansas governor Laura Kelly (D-Kansas), frustrated by an impasse about federal biofuel policy, said earlier this year that she would give "strong consideration" to submitting a request by 1 April to join those states starting in 2027. But much has since changed in fuel markets. The US-Israel war with Iran has sent pump prices sharply higher, and President Donald Trump's administration has tried to contain the fallout by issuing emergency waivers that streamline summertime fuel rules across the country. Those waivers allow year-round sales of E15 in areas where it would have otherwise been limited while also effectively delaying the Midwestern states' fuel change — first planned for 2025 and then for 2026 — to next year. "With the granting of the temporary E15 waiver, E15 will continue to be sold through 2026", Kelly's office said. "While the governor strongly considered the permanent opt-out, she recognizes that it would not take effect until 2027 and felt that it is a decision best left to the next administration." A new governor will take office next year in Kansas. The Clean Air Act exempts E10 from summertime smog rules that would otherwise prevent its sale but does not extend the same treatment to E15 despite similar air quality impacts. The Midwestern bloc as a workaround had won approval to opt out of the special treatment for E10, effectively putting E10 and E15 on equal footing by requiring less-volatile but costlier blendstocks for both. The farm-state governors saw the workaround as a way to ensure continued E15 access no matter how federal policy changes. But the transition also threatened higher pump prices during peak summer driving season, a political risk even before the war. Kansas deciding not to join the other opt-out states comes despite a lack of progress in Congress on permanently exempting E15 from summertime smog rules, leaving decisions around access each summer to regulators. A task force of US lawmakers has struggled for months to reach agreement on biofuel legislation that would allow E15 sales year-round, in part because some oil refiners have objected to earlier proposals that would restrict their ability to win exemptions from biofuel blend mandates. E15 is typically cheaper than E10, although the blend is not sold at the vast majority of US fuel stations. Advocates blame the lack of availability on regulatory uncertainty deterring retailers from investing in higher ethanol blends. By Cole Martin Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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