What You Need to Know:
H-2A has become a principal agricultural labor channel: certifications increased from fewer than 117,000 in 2014 to 398,258 in 2025 and continued to rise in 2026. The proposed Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act (SAWA) would open H-2A to year-round operations and additional industries, including dairy, food processing, aquaculture, forestry, and meat and poultry slaughter. SAWA would permit contracts lasting up to nearly 350 days and allow certain experienced, unauthorized farmworkers to obtain temporary H-2A status—but not permanent residence or citizenship. Unlike the earlier Farm Workforce Modernization Act, SAWA does not mandate E-Verify. Its political wager is to expand the legal workforce before ti...
What You Need to Know Today: USDA cut the 2026 corn yield forecast by 1.6 BPA to 179.6, shaving 141 Mbu off the crop. Corn ending stocks were cut by 91 Mbu to a level that pushed the ending stocks-to-use (ESU) ratio to 10.8 percent. Conversely, USDA raised the soybean yield forecast 0.2 BPA to...
Key Takeaways: Expanding U.S. soybean crushing capacity is strengthening domestic demand, driven largely by growing soyoil consumption from the renewable diesel and biofuels industries. Despite increased domestic processing, substantial quantities of U.S. soybeans are expected to remain availa...
