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U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai told Mexican government officials Wednesday that the country needs to resume its stalled process of approving genetically modified crops and pressed for an update on the country’s progress on increasing access for U.S. potatoes.

U.S. peanut farmers were enjoying an expanding market in the European Union until government officials there decided to tighten up restrictions in 2019. Now U.S. exports are about a third of what they were and shipments are falling fast as American farmers try to make their case to European regulators and plead for help from the Biden administration to help regain the lucrative market.

High demand for farm equipment and issues in the supply chain mean that orders for new machinery from a number of companies are taking months to fill and prices for used equipment have gone up.

After much debate between anti-pesticide campaigners and farm groups, 60% of Swiss voters rejected two initiatives aiming to make Switzerland pesticide-free.

Vietnam confirmed an outbreak of the H5N8 avian flu virus in its northern province of Quang Ninh.

President Joe Biden plans to direct the Agriculture Department to take actions to curb the market power of agribusiness giants, including by enabling farmers to repair their high-tech machinery.

The House Appropriations Committee approved a funding bill Wednesday for the Agriculture Department, Food and Drug Administration and Commodity Futures Trading Commission that would boost spending by more than 10%, including hefty amounts for ag research and climate-change-related programs.

Farmers are expected to plant more corn, soybeans, and wheat acres than last year, but official estimates from a USDA report released Wednesday came in below trade expectations, which sent futures prices soaring.

There are still a lot of Brazilian soybeans filling up China's port stocks, and that’s expected to continue for at least another month. But the Chinese are not waiting to commit to buying up U.S. soybeans for delivery in the 2021-22 marketing year, according to analysts and USDA data.

More workers and a more diverse food system, including small and medium-sized meatpackers, are necessary for American agriculture to maintain resilience in the face of threats to the system, commenters told USDA as the department embarks on its effort to reimagine the country's agricultural supply chains.