Agriculture Shorts

USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins said the agency is evaluating a plan to gradually reopen the border to cattle imports from Mexico beginning with border crossing in the west and moving east . . . Charlie Bilello noted last week that since the start of the war in the Middle East, the price of fertilizer has increased 31%, the price of urea increased 48%, and the price of diesel is up 49% . . . The March Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer Index rose for the second straight month to 127 points, yet it remains below last year’s levels. The index measures farmers’ sentiment on the agricultural economy . . . MagneticAg reported that Saudi Arabia announced it is lowering restrictions on beef imports. The move could lead to an extra $100-$150 million in U.S. beef sales annually . . . The website QS University Rankings ranked the University of Nebraska as the 40th top university in the world to study agriculture. The University of California-Davis was the top U.S. university in the rankings at 2nd.