As tariff refund process gets underway, Dems preview new attacks The administration is standing up a system to handle up to $175 billion in tariff refunds that will launch Monday, as Democrats see another opportunity to needle the administration on the cost of livi...

As tariff refund process gets underway, Dems preview new attacks
www.agri-pulse.com/articles/245...

Ag exporters applaud appeals court ruling, more sympathetic maritime body U.S. ag exporters are celebrating a ruling from an appeals court that blocked an effort to redefine when shipping carriers are unfairly refusing services to would-be exporters. Analysts say an even bi...

Ag exporters applaud appeals court ruling, more sympathetic maritime body
www.agri-pulse.com/articles/245...

Trump threatens to shred UK trade deal over Starmer’s Iran war opposition The U.K. prime minister hit back saying he will not yield to the U.S. president’s threats.

In an interview on Wednesday, the president said the United States had given the U.K. a “good trade deal” that was “better than I had to,” adding that it could “always be changed.”

www.politico.eu/article/dona...

This week, State confirmed our reporting when it announced the US pick to lead the World Food Programme would be USDA Undersecretary for Trade & Foreign Ag Affairs Luke Lindberg. We had reported in February that he was the leading candidate.

Write up here: www.agri-pulse.com/articles/244...

Britain is weighing EU-style “trade bazooka” powers to counter economic coercion, as the government warns that trade is increasingly being used as a geopolitical weapon.

pro.politico.eu/news/216302

Mosaic and Simplot maintain support for fertilizer tariffs Fertilizer producers Mosaic and Simplot said this week they support keeping countervailing duties on Moroccan and Russian phosphate fertilizer in the five-year review now underway.

Mosaic and Simplot maintain support for fertilizer tariffs
www.agri-pulse.com/articles/244...

Exclusive | Trump Expected to Overhaul Steel, Aluminum Tariffs Altered rates on finished products made with the metals would simplify compliance, but could effectively raise costs for many imports.

👀👀
www.wsj.com/economy/trad...

One year on from "Liberation Day," Trump’s tariffs have altered supply chains — just not in the way he envisioned.

Read more: bloom.bg/41E9GFE

Officials weigh trade probe on sugar but could face obstacles The Trump administration has been looking into whether to mount a trade investigation into the impacts of sugar on domestic industry, according to three people familiar with the situation, which could...

Officials weigh trade probe on sugar but could face obstacles
www.agri-pulse.com/articles/244...

Officials miss sugar import quota deadline to importers’ annoyance The Trump administration has missed a deadline for reallocating unfilled tariff-rate quotas (TRQs) for sugar imports, rankling importers that rely on the quotas for affordable product.

Officials miss sugar import quota deadline to importers’ annoyance
www.agri-pulse.com/articles/244...

New trade investigations shed light on updated tariff strategy, analysts say As the administration's new tariff instruments begin to take shape, they offer clues as to how the administration plans to wield tariffs in the second year of Trump’s term.

New trade investigations shed light on updated tariff strategy, analysts say
www.agri-pulse.com/articles/244...

Taiwan won’t be at this week’s WTO ministerial and blames host country Cameroon

The war in Iran could trigger a global food shock
• More than 1.1mn tonnes of fertiliser and fertiliser inputs is currently stuck in the Gulf
• Shortages are starting during northern hemisphere’s planting season, raising the risk of lower harvests for staples like rice
www.ft.com/content/1054...

Universities grapple with new-look Feed the Future grants A renewed Feed the Future focus on prosperity within the Western Hemisphere has some former labs rethinking their grant applications.

Universities grapple with new-look Feed the Future grants
www.agri-pulse.com/articles/243...

China’s newest ag trade weapon – border rejections Chinese authorities are rejecting more food and agricultural imports at the border, particularly from countries with intensifying trade frictions, as Beijing adds a new trade tool to its arsenal.

China’s newest ag trade weapon – border rejections
www.agri-pulse.com/articles/243...

Poll: Trump era tilts US allies toward Beijing European allies broadly support building closer ties to China — and believe America's role as a global superpower is fading.

"Swaths of the public in Canada, Germany, France and U.K. have soured on the U.S. They see the 21st century more likely to belong to Beijing than to Washington, driven by President Donald Trump’s foreign policy decisions" via @politico.com @jordyndahl.bsky.social www.politico.com/news/2026/03...

Nutrien in favor of removing phosphate tariffs As a five-year review of countervailing duties on phosphate fertilizer from Russia and Morocco gets underway, one of the largest U.S. producers says it is time to lift the tariffs.

Nutrien in favor of removing phosphate tariffs
www.agri-pulse.com/articles/243...

US dairy sees Indonesian school meals program as model for exports Indonesia’s crusade to provide every student with a daily free school meal should drive fresh demand for U.S. dairy and could serve as a model to boost exports to other emerging markets, the sector sa...

US dairy sees Indonesian school meals program as model for exports
www.agri-pulse.com/articles/243...

EU to provisionally apply Mercosur trade agreement: how and when - Borderlex - European trade policy The European Commission said it will provisionally apply the trade elements of the EU-Mercosur partnership agreement in the coming months, even though the European Parliament has yet to approve the de...

Trade policy really is the gift that keeps on giving for us trade hacks. If it's not the US or China, it's Mercosur. EC "launched" provisional application today, but this won't happen overnight - plan for a few months time, maybe longer. borderlex.net/2026/02/27/e...

Senate Ag also planning to mark up farm bill The Senate Agriculture Committee will take up a farm bill of its own in the coming months, with the timing depending in part on how debate over a House version proceeds next week, Chairman John Boozma...

Senate Ag Committee also planning to mark up farm bill
www.agri-pulse.com/articles/242...

Brazil's Ag Powerhouse: Soy industry goes on sustainability offensive The soybean industry in Mato Grosso is on a mission to highlight its sustainability work and shift its reputation as a climate villain. But analysts fear the collapse of a key effort to curb deforesta...

Brazil's Ag Powerhouse: Soy industry goes on sustainability offensive
www.agri-pulse.com/articles/242...

Global cotton trade flows are shifting. The US is gaining in Vietnam, as China clearly prefers Australia's product. From Southern Ag Today based on USDA data.

House Ways & Means Chair Jason Smith tells me he's not anticipating congressional votes on Sec. 122 tariffs. "We won't have to worry about that, because the president is going to do enough 301s, 232s to implement his [trade] strategy by then."

Note the pushback from Lange as well.

BASH: Let's start with the big question -- will you refund the roughly $134 billion taken by these tariffs?

BESSENT: That's not the big question. That's bad framing

BASH: Refunds are clearly gonna be up to you

BESSENT: No no no. It's not up to me or the administration. It's up to the lower court

Looks like the new 10% tariff will have similar ag input & food product carveouts as the reciprocal tariffs, as well as exempt USMCA-covered goods.

There is a lot for US ag to digest in this Indonesia deal, with some longstanding trade barriers that have been addressed. But the minimum purchase commitments may not be as robust as they seem. This says as long as Indonesia isn't erecting trade barriers, it won't be held to those quantities.

USDA chief economist: Economic headwinds to ease slightly in 2026 The Agriculture Department is anticipating a slightly easier 2026 for U.S. ag producers, with prices for major commodities nudging higher and input and labor costs moderating, according to the new Chi...

USDA chief economist: Economic headwinds to ease slightly in 2026
www.agri-pulse.com/articles/242...

Brazil's Ag Powerhouse: Farmers hope to finally unlock their infrastructure ambitions Underdeveloped infrastructure in Brazil's corn and soybean heartland keeps transportation costs high. But producers are hopeful that this could be about to change.

Read more: www.agri-pulse.com/articles/242...

The bottom line: There is no quick fix. Best-case scenario, Mato Grosso is years away from significantly reducing its soybean & corn export costs. But the US can't afford to be complacent. Investment interest is there. If Brazil can address the issue, shipping costs could fall by 30%, some say. 5/6