Trump wants beef packers investigated

U.S. President Donald Trump on Nov. 7^th  urged the Justice Department to launch an investigation into major meatpacking companies, questioning whether they played a role in driving up beef prices. In a social media post, Trump accused the industry of inflating costs for American consumers through “illicit collusion, price fixing, and price manipulation.”

The president’s demand for a federal probe centers on possible antitrust violations and comes amid mounting concern over soaring beef prices—a growing political issue that threatens his pledges to reduce food costs.

Just last month, Trump called on U.S. ranchers to lower cattle prices, then sparked backlash when he suggested expanding beef imports from Argentina, a move that could significantly increase U.S. purchases. Ranchers warned that such actions might hurt their livelihoods without meaningfully reducing grocery prices.

Now, as Trump intensifies his push to make beef more affordable, his latest move indicates a shift in focus—turning scrutiny from cattle producers to the powerful meatpacking companies that process and distribute the nation’s beef supply.

China agrees to make U.S. commodity purchases

Reports indicate that China has resumed purchases of U.S. farm products following a recent meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Under the agreement reached by the two leaders, China pledged to buy at least 12 million metric tons of U.S. soybeans before the end of 2025 and no less than 25 million metric tons annually from 2026 through 2028.

So far, however, the buying activity has been described as “modest.” According to Reuters, Chinese buyers have booked two cargoes of U.S. wheat, the first since October of last year, while a shipment of sorghum has also been sent from the United States to China, a U.S. industry official confirmed.

China remains a key export market for American farmers, but ongoing trade tensions under the Trump administration have disrupted normal purchasing patterns. By mid-2025, U.S. agricultural exports to China had fallen to just $14 billion. While last week’s commitments were welcomed, they will need to translate into substantial, sustained shipments to have a real impact on farm income.

“This is more about China signaling a willingness to buy U.S. grains, since U.S. wheat isn’t the cheapest,” a Singapore-based grain trader familiar with the wheat deals told Reuters. “It’s more of a political gesture than a commercial one.”

FSA offices reopen amid shutdown

Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices have reopened with limited staffing to resume core operations despite the government shutdown. According to USDA, every county office will be staffed five days a week with one to two employees to perform normal functions for programs funded by the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC).

A few of the CCC-funded programs to be reinstated include agriculture risk coverage and price loss coverage, marketing assistance loans, Livestock Forage Disaster Program, Livestock Indemnity Program, Emergency Livestock Assistance Program, Conservation Reserve Program, Non-insured Disaster Assistance Program and dairy margin coverage.

FSA also is accepting applications for programs funded by alternative sources, but payments will not be submitted at this time. These programs include direct and guaranteed farm loans, Emergency Livestock Revenue Program for wildfire and flooding, Supplemental Disaster Relief Program (Phase 1) and Emergency Conservation Program.

Producers should contact their local FSA office for more information.