USDA Update at Commodity Classic
U.S. Department of Agriculture leaders delivered an upbeat update to a crowd at the Commodity Classic trade show last week, emphasizing technology upgrades, streamlined programs, and a renewed “farmer-first” focus under the second Trump administration.
Undersecretary of Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) Richard Fordyce opened the session by noting FPAC’s creation during the first Trump term to unite the three most farmer-facing agencies: Farm Service Agency (FSA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and Risk Management Agency (RMA). “We are all farmers,” Fordyce said, stressing the push for “one farmer, one file” to eliminate redundant paperwork. He highlighted the new Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) program, which launched Monday via login.gov and quickly reached 150,000 applications—35,000 through the secure portal—distributing over $2 billion in days while saving mailing costs.
FSA Administrator Bill Beam called FBA “fantastic” and already ahead of expectations. He detailed a three-phase acreage reporting modernization: Phase 1 creates a geospatial map with common land units for easy field drawing; Phase 2 adds a home or tractor-based portal; Phase 3 will integrate precision-ag coverage maps. Beam also reported rapid work on the new farm bill, including 30 million additional base acres and updates to ARC/PLC sign-up for the 2026 crop year.
NRCS Chief Aubrey Bettencourt described a “recommitment tour” to core programs EQIP and CSP, pruning outdated practice codes to save 85,000 staff hours annually and delegating decisions to local staff. She announced the Integrated Field Tool for real-time whole-farm planning in the field, set for trials soon. NRCS will update 91 of 168 outdated practice standards this year with farmer roundtable input. The new regenerative agriculture pilot offers $700 million through EQIP/CSP, plus soil testing, outcomes reports, and private-sector matching under the Sustains Act.
Lastly, RMA Administrator Pat Swanson, a former crop insurance agent and Iowa farmer, called crop insurance “the backbone” of the safety net. She noted quick implementation of the farm bill’s premium support (saving farmers ~$400 million) and extension of the Beginning Farmer and Rancher program to 10 years. Swanson echoed the modernization theme, praising private-sector precision technology already in use and urging producers to talk with agents before the March 15 deadline.
All four leaders—each with multi-generational farm roots—pledged continued progress on technology, reduced bureaucracy, and keeping farmers on the land. Fordyce teased “fun stories” by next year’s Classic in New Orleans as modernization accelerates.
Listen to their updates here:
Classic26 - USDA Policy Outlook (52:47)
Durastak Corn Trait Stack Coming in 2027
It was one year ago that Syngenta’s Durastak Corn Trait Stack was approved by EPA and this time next year farmers will be able to see next level corn rootworm control with the Durastak/Durastak Viptera brand technology that is the first triple Bt protein stack for corn rootworm control.
At the Syngenta Traits exhibit at last week’s Commodity Classic, Corn Product Manager Matt Dolch was updating growers on what to expect with the new trait stack. “We’re going to continue building on the horsepower of Duracade trait technology and our Syngenta corn traits portfolio and then continue to bring in new products with Durastak/Durastak Viptera,” said Dolch. “When we add the Viptera piece in we’re getting the industry-leading broad lepidopteran control for above ground insects. So really nice protection against things like Western bean cutworm, fall armyworm, black cutworm, et cetera.”
Dolch encourages farmers to visit Durastak.com for more information.
Classic26 - Matt Dolch, Syngenta Seeds (2:37)Syngenta and M.S. Technologies Announce New Soybean Trait Stack
Breaking news at Commodity Classic this week came as M.S. Technologies and Syngenta announced plans to launch a groundbreaking herbicide-tolerant soybean trait stack, with broad commercial availability expected in 2029 pending regulatory approvals. This new trait stack will be marketed by Syngenta seed brands and Stine Seed Company, as well as others.
Built on the proven foundation of the Enlist E3® soybean event, this innovative trait technology will deliver unmatched herbicide flexibility, providing farmers tolerance to more active ingredients than any soybean trait in the industry, including:
Glyphosate
Glufosinate
2,4-D choline
Multiple HPPD inhibitors
“This new technology represents the future of weed control flexibility in soybeans,” said Jared Benson, Head of Soybean Portfolio Strategy, Syngenta. “This is a platform that’s going to bring the most active ingredients, the most modes of action to the market. And it’s really about offering growers more versatility, more options, more simplicity in how they can manage weeds.”
Featuring industry-leading HPPD inhibitor tolerance, the trait technology will provide tolerance to a wide range of HPPD inhibitor chemistries such as mesotrione, isoxaflutole and bicyclopyrone.
Classic26 - Jared Benson, Syngenta (3:00)
Also at Classic, Stine Seed Company announced details regarding its plans to market Enlist E3® Expance™ soybeans.
Stine Seed Company plans to integrate Enlist E3 Expance soybean trait technology into its high-performing soybean product portfolio to deliver yield stability and herbicide flexibility for farmers across diverse growing environments.
“Farmers need more flexibility in increasingly unpredictable planting seasons,” said Myron Stine, President, Stine Seed Company. “With the added herbicide tolerance in Enlist E3 Expance soybeans, farmers can adapt more quickly to weed control challenges by expanding their herbicide strategies to include proven chemistries already widely used in corn, without sacrificing control or performance.”
Enlist E3 Expance soybeans were first announced in August 2025, with today’s introduction reinforcing the role this next-generation trait technology is expected to play in providing expanded weed management flexibility paired with strong agronomic performance.
Classic26 - Myron Stine, Stine Seed Company (2:14)Secretary Rollins Launches ‘One Farmer, One File’ at Classic
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins unveiled USDA’s new “One Farmer, One File” initiative Thursday at the 2026 Commodity Classic, promising a single streamlined digital record that follows producers across all agency systems and slashes paperwork burdens.
Rollins described the multi-year modernization as a direct response to decades of fractured IT infrastructure — 500 custom systems managed by 1,000+ contractors at a cost exceeding $1 billion annually. Previous upgrade attempts delivered only 15% of promised improvements while blowing past $500 million budgets, she noted.
“This is the beginning of a new chapter,” Rollins told the record crowd. “One Farmer, One File eliminates redundant information gathering, reduces friction in every producer interaction, and gives farmers a single, seamless, secure experience at USDA.”
The initiative’s first live test — the $11 billion Farmer Bridge Assistance Program for crop growers — opened applications ahead of schedule Monday and is already running fully on the new platform. Results have been dramatic: 50 times more producers signed up online in days than the prior ECAP program saw over its entire five-month window. Online adoption jumped more than 5,000%, several billion dollars have been obligated, and many farmers reported receiving payments faster than any USDA program in history.
Rollins stressed the effort is optional. “County FSA offices remain open, paper forms and in-person acreage reporting continue unchanged, and no one is forced online,” she said.
Rollins then turned the big topic for corn farmers – E15. She credited President Trump’s day-one national energy emergency declaration and regulatory E15 waivers, while urging Congress to pass nationwide, year-round E15 legislation “with no excuse.”
She talked about EPA’s proposed record-high renewable volume obligation (RVO) rule and the 45Z tax credit extension through 2029 — plus a forthcoming regenerative feedstock rule — will reward corn, soy and sorghum growers using sustainable practices with premium pricing.
“Biofuels are a win-win for farmers and consumers,” Rollins said, noting they help moderate pump prices while building long-term certainty for American crops.The secretary said both initiatives underscore the administration’s commitment to putting farmers first. Full “One Farmer, One File” rollout across USDA is targeted for completion within two years.
Listen to Sec. Rollins’ remarks here:
Classic26 - Sec. Rollins (40:30)
Industry Ag News 2/27
Wyant Honored with Fellowship
Agri-Pulse Founder and CEO Sara Wyant has been named The McAllister Top Management Fellow by the Software Information Industry Association (SIIA) and will spend three days talking to students and faculty at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism this fall.
“For more than 40 years, The McAllister Top Management Fellow has imparted B2B journalism and information services wisdom to students at Medill/Northwestern,” said Abe Peck, director of business-to-business communications and professor emeritus in service in the Medill School.
He noted that Wyant is an award-winning agricultural journalist, entrepreneur and founder of Agri-Pulse Communications Inc., a unique digital media firm she launched in 2004 to focus on farm, food and rural policy issues.
The honor was announced during the recent Business Information and Media Summit in New Orleans.
The fellowship is endowed by Mr. and Mrs. Donald McAllister, Jr., and Ms. Liane McAllister Romaine, in honor of the late Donald McAllister, Sr., who was active in specialized business media for more 70 years.
RFA CEO Calls for Unleashing U.S. Ethanol
In a rousing address at the 2026 National Ethanol Conference this morning, Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) President and CEO Geoff Cooper drew parallels between the ethanol industry’s untapped potential and the inspiring underdog story of college football quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Cooper likened the sector to the overlooked athlete who, given the chance, achieved extraordinary success – a metaphor for ethanol’s readiness to “be let off the leash” amid regulatory hurdles.
Reflecting on 2025 achievements, Cooper highlighted record-breaking production of 16.4 billion gallons of ethanol, up 200 million from the prior year. The industry also produced 35 million metric tons of high-protein animal feed and 4.7 billion pounds of distillers corn oil, supporting 13 billion pounds of red meat and 575 million gallons of bio-based diesel. Carbon capture reached a new high of 3.3 million tons, with growing sequestration efforts. Demand surged, with domestic consumption at 14.3 billion gallons – the highest in six years – and an average gasoline inclusion rate of 10.5%. Exports hit a record 2.2 billion gallons, shipped to over 80 countries, representing one in eight gallons produced.
“We saw glimpses of our industry’s potential last year, and 2025 was another good year for the U.S. ethanol industry,” Cooper said. “But we could have done so much more, if simply given the opportunity. More to lower fuel prices for consumers. More to reduce reliance on imported petroleum. More to clean up the air and reduce emissions. And more to create jobs and boost the farm economy.”
That opportunity, RFA emphasized, begins with eliminating outdated federal regulations that restrict E15 sales during the summer driving season. Despite bipartisan support and a broad coalition agreement that included the American Petroleum Institute, legislative efforts to secure permanent, nationwide year-round E15 sales narrowly failed in late 2024 and again in early 2026. And instead of adopting year-round E15, the House formed the E15 Rural Domestic Energy Council” to continue working on the issue.
House lawmakers serving on the council had pledged legislative action on year-round E15 by today, but as of this morning, no bill had been introduced. Cooper called on members of Congress to act swiftly, stressing that year-round E15 would lower fuel costs, strengthen U.S. energy security, and provide critical economic relief to farmers and working families. Cooper noted that a small handful of mid-sized refining companies is holding up progress on E15 and reform of the RFS program’s small refinery exemption (SRE) program. He said lawmakers are finding out “that there is simply no way to appease mid-sized refiners who continue to game the RFS system with SREs. Those refiners either want to maintain the status quo, or they want to blow up the RFS entirely—neither of those options is acceptable to the majority of liquid fuel and agriculture stakeholders.”
“Our message to the Council—and to every member of Congress—is clear: Year-round, nationwide E15 is an urgent priority for America’s farmers, energy sector, and working families—and it can’t wait any longer. Unleash E15! Let’s get it done,” Cooper said.
He encouraged all members of the RFA and the ethanol industry in general to contact their members of Congress and urge them to pass E15 legislation.
Read Cooper’s remarks here and listen to the entire address below:
NEC26 State of the Industry (37:37)
Precision Ag News 2/23
Since 2021, Syngenta and BSI have worked together with growers in Peru and Chile to protect grapes, tomatoes, berries, cherries, and other crops from diseases such as Botrytis, Sour Rot, Powdery Mildew, and Alternaria alternata with remarkable results in terms of higher yields and better quality. The sustainable technology behind Quillibrium® delivers consistent, high‑quality extracts without the need to harvest protected trees, thus preserving biodiversity while ensuring a reliable supply.
Animal Ag News 2/20