The latest USDA weekly Crop Progress Report, released Monday, showed corn and soybean conditions continuing to slip over last year’s pace, while crop development staying ahead of the last year. As fall wheat harvest wrapped up, attention turns to spring wheat, which progressed 21 points in the top six states.

An executive order from President Trump, expected within the next two weeks, would ease tariffs for beef imports by 300,000 metric tons for 90 days. The order is designed to ease ground beef prices by up to 25%, welcomed news for consumers amid high food prices.

The USDA's latest export sales report, covering the week through Aug. 13, showed soybeans taking the lead after a sluggish stretch of China sales earlier this marketing year. Soybean exports posted 66.4 million bushels with combined old and new crop sales, landing at the high end of analyst estimates.

USDA reports this year's U.S. wheat crop is on track to be the smallest in decades, tightening the nation's wheat supply outlook heading into harvest season. According to USDA's Outlook Board, no changes were made to export or usage forecasts.

Unionized workers at Cargill's Fort Morgan, Colorado, beef processing plant voted to approve a new contract. The agreement resolves a labor dispute and clears the way for the facility to resume cattle slaughter after a pause since April. A new five-year contract raises base pay for workers by $1.40 per hour in year one.

The USDA weekly Crop Progress Report, released Monday, showed corn conditions down a point at 60% good-to-excellent while soybeans slipped to 61%, with both crops trailing last year's pace. Crop development for both crops remains ahead of last year and the five-year average as the season moves toward late-summer maturity.

Cattle prices took a hit for the week ending Aug 10, as tighter fed cattle supplies kept the market on edge, with a few near-term factors adding to the pressure on futures. The USDA’s August 12 WASDE report cut 2025/2026 corn ending stocks, pushing December corn futures higher and squeezing feeder cattle economics.

The USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced an extension to the application deadline for Stages 1 and 2 of the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program (SDRP) to September 30, 2026, giving farmers more time to apply for assistance tied to 2023 and 2024 crop losses. The USDA is also easing documentation requirements for quality-related losses, now accepting verifiable third-party records, such as grading factors or nutrient test results, along with added flexibility for crops sold for a final use different from the originally intended one.

The USDA August WASDE report brought a few notable revisions across the major row crops. Corn production was raised slightly to 16.01 billion bushels (16 billion in the July report) on a projected yield of 180.7 bushels per acre (down from 183 in the July report).

Announced in a release this past week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) outlined its steps to support America’s farmers in response to ongoing challenges across the agricultural sector. To ease financial pressures and strengthen risk management options for American farmers, USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) is announcing temporary premium payment flexibilities and the reinstatement of the option to purchase additional 5% prevented planting coverage.