Your Pro Farmer newsletter (Feb. 15, 2025) is now available

President Trump announced reciprocal tariffs on foreign countries with high tariffs and non-tariff barriers on U.S. exports, along with 25% levies on steel and aluminum, aiming to reshape trade policy. Many farmers, farm groups and lawmakers in agricultural states fear key trading partners will target U.S. ag goods in retaliation. USDA’s February crop reports featured few changes, with no adjustments to the U.S. corn or soybean balance sheets this month. The global focus remains soybean and corn crops in South America, where weather has improved recently, and winter wheat crops in the northern hemisphere. On the economic front, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said policymakers are in no hurry to cut interest rates as January consumer inflation rose and was hotter than expected. Surging egg prices, amid shortages due to impacts from highly pathogenic avian influenza, are a major source of food price inflation. We cover all of these items and much more in this week’s newsletter, which you can download here.