The EPA’s recent Renewable Fuel Standard decisions will drive substantial increases in biomass-based diesel production and feedstock demand over 2026-2027, but the full impact is heavily backloaded to 2027. Total feedstock demand will increase 19% in 2026 and 48% in 2027 relative to 2023-2025. For domestic feedstock, the increases are even more dramatic: 63% in 2026 and 113% in 2027. This back-loading means 2027 is the critical year when production approaches full capacity utilization.

In 2024, total noncapital living expenses of 1,354 farm families enrolled in the Illinois Farm Business Farm Management Association averaged $96,114–or about $8,000 a month for each family. This average was about 1% lower than in 2023. Another $6,548 was used to buy capital items such as the personal share of the family automobile, furniture, and household equipment. The grand total for living expenses averaged $102,662 for 2024 compared with $105,862 for 2023, or a $3,200 decrease per family.

On Wednesday, November 5, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in Learning Resources, Inc., v. Trump (Case No. 24-1287). The case asks whether the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) authorizes the President to impose tariffs on countries based on national security or other threats to the United States. In this article, we explore the legislative history of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

Is Sub Saharan Africa soy import demand significant, or at least potentially significant? The answer is yes. Using the soybean equivalent import metric, Africa imported a soybean equivalent of 2.1 billion bushels on average per year for the period 2010-2022. That equals the production of about 40 million acres, about 47% of US plantings. Most of that value results from palm oil imports (64%). Soybean oil, meal, and grain imports amount to 21%, 8%, and 7%, respectively.

The ARC and PLC programs for 2025 are currently projected to make over $13.5 billion in payments. Those payments will be made in October 2026. A challenge facing policymakers is to balance the immediate need for financial assistance facing many farm operations with the fact that 2025 ARC/PLC payments will not be determined and paid until next year.

The trade deal between the US and China ends the suspension of soybean imports. It includes a commitment for China to purchase 12 million metric tons of US soybeans in the last two months of 2025 and at least 25 MMT annually through 2028. The agreement follows six months of near-zero US soybean exports to China amid retaliatory trade measures. But how does the current deal compare to previous U.S. export levels to China? And how might this impact the global soybean market in the years to come?