Agriculture Shorts

Nebraska had an estimated 44,100 farms and ranches in 2025, 200 fewer operations than in 2024 according to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service marking the 11th consecutive year of decline . . . Progressive Farmer’s Chris Clayton reported that President Trump invoked the Defense Production Act to designate glyphosate-based herbicides and elemental phosphorus as critical national defense . . . The U.S. Commerce Department announced last week the nation’s trade deficit in goods and services was $901.5 billion last year, slightly smaller than the $903.5 billion deficit recorded in 2024. Imports last year were up about 5%. Exports were up about 6% . . . Inácio Lula da Silva, Brazil’s president, visited South Korea on Sunday where he hoped to convince the country to accept exports of Brazilian beef. South Korea is a leading market for U.S. beef exports . . . A report from the Nebraska Flyway Partnership report in cooperation with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Business Administration’s Department of Economics pegs the economic impact of south-central Nebraska’s annual sandhill crane migration at $28 million.