Agriculture Shorts

The U.S. federal government budget deficit climbed to nearly $2 trillion in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30 according to the Congressional Budget Office, 12% above fiscal year 2025. It’s the highest level since 2021 . . . USDA projects payments from the Agricultural Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage (ARC/PLC) programs will be $13.4 billion this year . . . The Lincoln Journal-Star reported the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) served 109,684 Nebraskans as of August, roughly 5.4% of the state’s population . . . Bloomberg reported that Brazil recently shipped its first-ever cargo of sorghum to China. Brazil’s sorghum production now nearly matches that of the U.S. . . . AgFunderNewsletter reported sales of new agricultural spray drones fell 60% in 2025 according to the American Spray Drone Coalition. The decline is blamed on U.S. Customs and Border Patrol’s interventions with shipments from China . . . At the same time, the American Farm Bureau Federation said acreage treated with agricultural drones skyrocketed from roughly 3.7 million acres in 2023 to 16.4 million acres in 2025.